ic8 ECONOMICS OF LAND TENURE IN GEORGIA | 10 8 



thrift characteristic of the croppers, that it would mean 

 neither progress for the farmers in general nor improve- 

 ment for the croppers in particular, for them to become 

 immediately independent tenants. Of course it is desir- 

 able that they should become tenants, but only in so far 

 as they are capable of managing farms efficiently. A few 

 of these croppers might now become tenants with ad- 

 vantage to themselves and the general farming interests. 

 I The selective process, however, has carried over, and 

 j continues to carry over into the tenant class most of those 

 I qualified to do justice to their opportunity. Some have, 

 I no doubt, passed over without possessing proper qualifi- 

 | cations and are to be otherwise disposed of in the adjust- 

 I ments that are taking place. It is of interest to recall 

 the fact brought out in the preceding chapter f. that re- 

 cent years have shown an encouragingly large increase 

 in the number of cash tenants. 



Since neither the first nor the second avenue is to 

 furnish the way through which large percentages of the 

 croppers are to pass from the cropping system to some- 

 thing better, there remains to be pointed out the road 

 through which most of them are destined to be led by 

 reason of the operation of pure economic law. 



The impulse which is giving rise to the movement is 

 acting from above downward — that is to say, the large 

 landowner, rather than the cropper, is the initiator of the 

 change that will redound to the benefit of both. The 

 large landowners will oust the croppers as croppers but 

 retain them in another relation. The motive that is to 

 cause the abandonment of the cropping system is a de- 

 sire on the part of the landlords to bring about the most 

 efficient organization of the productive forces at their 



1 Supra, p. 88. 



