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culture at the prevailing rate of share rent or its equivalent. The payment of such rent to cease as soon as the total amount of rent paid is equal to the value of the land and the tenant thereby acquires for himself and his children the right of occupancy. The title to all such lands remaining with the commonwealth.
The Farmers' Program,
adopted by the National Convention of the Socialist Party in 1912:
1. The Socialist party demands that the means of transportation and storage and the plants used in the manufacture of farm products and farm machinery shall be socially owned and democratically managed.
2. To prevent the holding of land out of use and to eliminate tenantry, we demand that all farm land not cultivated by owners shall be taxed at its full rental value, and that actual use and occupancy shall be the only title to land.
3. We demand the retention by the national, state or local governing bodies of all land owned by them, and the continuous acquirement of other land by reclamation, purchase, condemnation, taxation or otherwise; such land to be organized as rapidly as possible into socially operated farms for the conduct of collective agricultural enterprises.
4. Such farms should constitute educational and experimental centers for crop culture, the use of fertilizers and farm machinery and distributing points for improved seeds and better breeds of animals.
5. The formation of co-operative associations for agricultural purposes should be encouraged.
6. Insurance against diseases of animals and plants, insect pests and natural calamities should be provided by national, state or local governments.
7. We call attention to the fact, that the elimination of farm tenantry and the development of socially owned and operated agriculture will open new opportunities to the agricultural wage-worker and free him from the tyranny of the private employer.
Conclusion.
The Socialist party is the party of the working class of which the farmer who farms is an important division. The product of his labor. All wealth is created by labor. This being true, all wealth should belong to its creator. The reason why this is not the case at present is because the means of production belong not to the worker, but to the capitalist. To
