- Transcription
COMMITTEE ON RIVERS AND HARBORS,
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES U. S.,
WASHINGTON, D. C.
December 16th 1918.
To His Excellency, Thos. W. Bickett,
Executive Department,
Raleigh, N.C.
My dear Governor:
I have not had earlier the opportunity to acknowledge your favor of October twenty sixth, in which you solicited my aid in putting over the Constitutional amendment exempting notes given for purchase money of land from taxation. I had not given the matter much thought, nor indeed had anyone in my county to my knowledge. It was not generally understood and our voters, in such case, usually vote “agin’” amendmendments. I looked into the matter and was able to do some missionary work. I hope the result in my county and in the state was satisfactory to you. You may regard it as a personal victory I think, for, but for your interest and advocacy I doubt if it would have been adopted, certainly not by as flattering vote as it received.
Now I am very much interested in another of your ideas. The project of giving the returning soldier an opportunity to acquire a home is one that appeals to my imagination and my common sense. I regard the question of wooing the inhabitant of congested cities back to the land as the most acute one to which the mind of the statesman or economist can be profitably directed. The returning soldier who, prior to enlistment, was employed in store or factory or in counting room or any other sedentary employment or vocation, has had a taste of life in the open and a large percentage of them will, I believe, appreciate an opportunity to live in the open and make his muscle an auxiliary to his brain in matter of future activities. Certainly this will be the case with the man who came from the farm in search of adventure or employment and who realizes, as I have, that he made a great mistake in ever leaving it, except to respond to the call of his country to its colors.
I believe an organization to be created and empowered by the approaching session of the legislature to carry out an intelligent scheme of reclamation, development and sale, or sale, with proper encouragement to prospective purchasers to buy and develop our great quantity of idle lands, would be a forward step, that would mean vast wealth, social and intellectual development and future contentment for all who will accept the opportunity.
To carry out such a proposition, I believe a call from you, as Governor, to those with large holdings of real estate, that is capable of development as farm lands, to submit to you propositions covering inducements to soldiers and other landless men to settle upon, clear, ditch and drain and cultivate lands for a given period, free from any charges, except taxes, with view to purchase, after a thorough test, at living and attractive prices, would put into your hands data and concrete plans, that will enable you to make not only a sympathetic, but a practical appeal to the Legislature. Such organization need not necessarily be independent of the State Board of Agriculture, but might be made an adjunct of the Board, with definite functions, hedged about with proper restrictions, but with sufficient authority and latitude to function intelligently and beneficially.
Perhaps a concrete proposition as a basis for my argument would make my idea more intelligible.
I own or control 600 acres of good land. This is in detached tracts, one of 387 acres, one of 103 acres, one of 44 acres, and one of 83 acres, the last with good 5 room house on it and good outbuildings, an artesian well and twenty acres fenced in but not all cut down and twenty acres cut down, but as yet unscrubbed. On all this lands except the 387 tract there is enough wood, good for fuel, to pay labor and expenses of cutting down and scrubbing. The 387 acre tract has little growth on it, but is underlaid with cypress and juniper logs, that can be easily snaked out with a caterpillar tractor. These logs can be manufactured into rails, shingles and firewood and sold for enough to pay for the snaking and labor.
An expense of six to 8 dollars for acre would then put every foot of the land in good shape for cultivation. The preparation, intelligently and energetically pursued, would not require more than 12 months of time.
Now I suppose I should offer to one or a dozen men the use of this land for period of five years, with no charge except for taxes, (general and drainage), and with a contract at end of that period to sell the land, put into good shape by their own exertions, at price of $50.00 per acre, one fourth cash and balance in ten annual installments. Making only condition of forfeiture of contract, that at least 50% of the land should be put into cultivatable condition before the end of the 5 year rent free period.
Now as to the functions of an organization, such as I have in mind.
(1). The assembling of all such propositions as may be volunteered, similar to the one I have outlined. The investigation with respect to location, capacity for drainage, soil possibilities, cost of development, social and educational advantages of the locality, the bona fides of the propositions etc. etc.
(2). The location of all persons who are desirous of taking over such propositions, with inquiries as to ability, physical and intellectual, to make a success of such project, if furnished with financial assistance to develope and hold on to the opportunity until it has reached a self sustaining status.
(3). The finding of financial backing, which would be facilitated greatly by requiring the owner to furnish proper abstracts of title and an agreement to let the expense of development, if tenant should for any reason abandon his contract, be a lien on the land, giving the owner reasonable time within which to pay this expense, say from three to five years.
(4) The establishment of an adjustment division, with arbitral powers, to settle questions of costs of improvements or betterments etc etc.
If this idea appeals to you I am willing to put a proposition, embodying the features above set out, with respect to my own holdings and to find other volunteers who will make similar bona fide propositions, as a basis for securing attention to the idea.
Would appreciate having you advise me, if this suggestion appeals to you, authorizing you, if it does, to make such use of my letter as you may see fit in elaboration of the proposition.
Very respectfully, Your obedient servant,
