Salt Lake Telegram | 1936-09-07 | Page 3 | Text of Roosevelt Drouth, Employment Talk

I Text of Roosevelt Drouth Employment Talk 1 v WASHINGTON Sept 7 1 UP The text of President Roosevelt's Roosevelt's Roose Room velt's radio speech delivered from the White Whito House Sunday night follows I have been on a Journey of hus hue bandry I went went pr primarily marUy to see seo at nt first hand cond conditions In the drouth states to see how effectively effectively effectively ef ef- ef- ef federal and local authorItIes au au- are taking care of pressIng pressIng pressing press- press Ing problems problems' of relief and also how they are to work together to defend the people of this country country country coun coun- try against the tho effects of future futuro I saw drouth devastation In nine states 1 I talked with families who had lost last their wheat crop lost their corn crop lost their livestock lost the water in their well lost their garden and come through to the end of the tho summer without without without with with- out one dollar of cash cah resources facing a winter without feed or food food facing facing a planting season without seed to put in the ground That was the extreme case but there are thousands and thousands thousands thousands thou thou- sands of families on western farms who share the same Help Much Needed I saw cattlemen who because of lack of grass or lack of winter feed have been compelled compell d to se sell 1 all but their breeding stock and will need help to carry even these through the coming winter I saw v livestock kept alive only be because because because be- be cause water had been brought to them long distances in tank cars I I saw other farm families who have not lost their everything but who because they have made only partial crops must have some form of or- help if they are to continue farming next spring I shall never forget the fields of wheat so blasted by heat that they cannot be bo harvested I shall never forget field after field of corn stunted earless carles and stripped of leaves for what the sun left leCt the grasshoppers took I saw brown pastures which would not keep a cow on 50 acres Yet I would not have you think for a single minute that there thero Is permanent disaster in these drouth regions or that the picture picture pic pic- ture I saw meant depopulating these areas No cracked earth no blistering sun no burning wind no grasshoppers are a permanent permanent permanent per per- manent match for the indomitable American farmers and stockmen and their wives and children who have carried on through desperate days and Inspire us with their their and self reliance tenacity their courage It was their fathers' fathers task to make homes Itis it itis itis is their task to keep those homes it is our oUI task to help them with their fight Must Provide Vork Work First let mo me talk for a minute about this autumn and the coming coming com com- ing rag winter Wo We have the option in the case of families who need actual subsistence of ot putting them on the dole dol or them to work They do not want to togo togo togo go on n the d dole le and nd they th-ey are 1000 per per cent right We agree therefore therefore therefore there there- fore that wo we must put them to work for Cor a decent decant wage and when we reach that decision we wo kill two birds birds' with one stone because because because be be- cause these families Camilles will earn enough enough- by working not only to subsist themselves but to buy food for their stock and seed for next years year's planting Into this scheme of things there fit of course the government lending agencies which next year as in inthe inthe Inthe the past will help with production production production tion loans Every governor with whom I have talked is in full accord with this program of providing work for these farm families just as every governor agrees that the individual states will take care of their but that the cost of employing those who are entirely able and willing to work must bo be borne borno by the federal government Problem Background If then we know as wo we do today to today today to- to day the approximate number of farm families who will require some form of work relief relict from now on through the winter we face the question of what kind of work they should do Let me mo make it clear th that t this Is not Inot a now question because it has al already already already al- al ready been answered to a greater or or less extent in every everyone one of the drouth communities Beginning in 1934 when we also had serious drouth conditions the tho state and federal governments cooperated In planning a large number of projects projects many many of them directly aimed at the alleviation of future drouth conditions In accordance accordance accordance accord accord- ance with that program literally thousands of ot ponds or or small reservoirs reservoirs reservoirs res res- have been built bum in n order to supply water for stock and to lift the level of f the underground water to protect wells from going dry Thousands of ot wells have havo been drilled or deepened community community community com com- lakes have been created and irrigation projects are being pushed Water Vater conservation by means such as these is being expended as a result of ot this new drouth all aU through the th great plains area the western corn belt and in the states that lie farther In the middle mIddle middle mid mId- dle west water conservation is not so pressing a problem Hero the work projects run more to soil erosion control and the building of oC farm to market roads Spending Not Waste Spending like this is not waste It would spell future waste if we did not spend for such things now These emergency work projects provide money to buy food and clothing for the winter they keep the livestock on the farm they provide seed for a anew anew anew new crop and best of all all they will conserve conservo soil soll and water in inthe tho the future in those areas most frequently hit by If for lor example in some somo local area the thu water table continues to o drop and the tho top soil to blow away the land values will disappear disappear pear with the water and the soiL solL People on the farms will drift into will have nearby near cities the cities no farm trade and the workers inthe in inthe inthe the elt city factories and stores will have no jobs Property values in the cities will decline If on the tho other hand the farms within that area remain as farms with better water supply and ond no erosion erosion ero ero- sion the farm population will stay on the land and prosper and the tho near by cities will prosper too Property values will increase in instead instead instead in- in stead of disappear That is way it is worth our while as as' a nation to spend money in order to save savo money Lives Interwoven cn I have however used the tho argument argument argument ment in relation only to a small area area lt it holds good in Its It effect on the nation as a whole Every state in the drouth area is now doing and always will do business with every state outside it lt The very existence of at the men and women working in the tho clothing factories of New York making clothes worn by farmers and their families of oC the workers in the tho steel mills in Pittsburgh in the automobile factories of at Detroit and in the harvester factories of ot Illinois depend upon the farmers' farmers ability to purchase the commodities ties they produce In the same way it is the purchasing power of the workers in these factories in the cities that enables them and their wives and children to eat more beef more p pork rk more moro wheat more corn more fruit and more dalr dairy products and to buy more clothing made from cotton wool and leather In a physical and a property sense as well weIl as in ina a spiritual sense we are members one of another I want to make it clear that no simple panacea can be applied to the drouth problem in tho the whole of the drouth area arcs Plans must depend on local conditions for these vary with annual rainfall soil characteristics altitude and topography Water and soil soU conservation conservation conservation con con- methods may differ in one county from those in an adjoining adjoining adjoining ad ad- joining county Work Vork to be done in the cattle and sheep country differs in type from work in the I wheat country or work in the tho corn belt Maintain Selves The great plains drouth area committee has given me its preliminary preliminary prelimInary pre pre- recommendations for or a time long-time program for that region Using that report as a basis weare weare we weare are cooperating successfully and andin andin andin in entire accord with the tho governors governors governors gov gov- and state planning boards As we get this program into operation op- op oration the people more and more will be able to maintain themselves themselves them them- selves securely on the land That will mean mean a steady decline in the relief burdens which the federal federal fed ted eral government a and states have had In time times of at drouth to assume but more moro Important it will mean meana a greater contribution to general national prosperity by these regions which have been hit by drouth It will conserve and Improve improve improve Im im- prove not only property values but human values The people in the drouth area do not want to tobe tobe tobe be dep dependent on federal state or any other kind of at charity They want for themselves and their families an opportunity to share hare fairly by their own efforts in the progress of ot America The farmers of ot America want a sound national agricultural in which a permanent land use program will have an Important place placer They want assurance against another year like 1932 when they made good crops but had to sell them than for prices that meant ruin just as surely M as did the drouth Sound policy mus must maintain farm prices in good crop years as well as in bad crop years It must function when we have drouth it must also function when we wo have bumper crops Price Balance Tho The maintenance of a fair equilibrium between farm prices and the prices of ot industrial products products products prod prod- is an aim which We must keep ever before us just as we wo must give constant thought to the tho sufficiency of ot the food supply of ot the nation even in bad years Our modern civilization can and should devise a more successful means by which the tho excess supplies of bumper bumper bumper bum bum- per years can be conserved for tor use usein useIn useIn in lean years On my trip I have been deeply impressed with the general efficiency efficiency efficiency effi effi- of those agencies of the federal state and local govern- govern mints menu which have moved in inon inon inon on the Immediate task created by bythe bythe bythe the drouth In 1934 1931 none nono of ot us had preparation we wo worked without blueprints and made mado the mistakes of Inexperience Hindsight shows us this But as time has gone on we have been making makini fewer mis mis- takes Remember that the federal and state governments have done only broad planning Actual work on a given project originates in inthe inthe the tho local community Local needs are listed from local information Local projects are decided on only after obtaining the recommendations and help of ot those in the local community who are best able to give it And it is worthy of at note that on my entire trip though I asked the question dozens of times I heard no complaint against the character of a single works relief project Cooperation Given The Tho elected heads of ot the states concerned together with their state officials and their experts from agricultural colleges an planning boards have shown co cooperation cooperation cooperation co- co operation with and approval of ot the work which the federal government government government gov gov- has headed up I am grateful also to the men and women in all these states who have havo accepted leadership in the work in their locality In the drouth area people are not afraid to use new methods to meet changes in nature and to correct mistakes of the tho past If overgrazing has injured range rangelands rangelands lands they are willing to reduce the grazing If It certain wheat lands should be returned to pasture pasture pasture pas pas- ture they are willing to cooperate If trees should be planted as windbreaks or to stop erosion they will work with us If It terracing terracing terracing ter ter- racing or summer fallowing or crop rotation is called for tor they will carry them out They stand ready to fit and not to fight the ways of nature I We Wo are aro helping and shall continue continue continue con con- to help the farmer to do those things through local soil con conservation s e rv committees and other cooperative local state and federal agencies of government I have not the time tonight to todeal todeal todeal deal with other and more moro comprehensive comprehensive comprehensive com com- agricultural policies Tiding Over Stress With this fine fino help we wo are tiding over the present emergency We Wo Weare Weare are going to conserve soil soli conserve conserve conserve con con- serve water and conserve life Weare Wo We aro are going to have time long-time defenses de defenses defenses de- de against both low prices and drouth We Vo are going to have bave a farm policy that will servo erve the tho national welfare This is our hope for the future There are two reasons why I want to end by talking about reemployment re- re employment Tomorrow is Labor day The Tho bravo spirit with which which- so many millions of ot working people peo peo- plo are are winning their way out of ot depression deserves respect and admiration It is like the tho courage of ot the tho farmers in the tho drouth areas That is my first reason Tho The second is that healthy employment employment employment employ employ- ment conditions stand equally with healthy agricultural conditions conditions conditions condi condi- as os a n buttress of national prosperity pro Dependable employment employment employment employ employ- ment at fair wages is just as important im im- im- im to the people in the towns townsand townsand townsand and cities as aj good farm Inco income e is isto isto to agriculture Our people must have havo the ability to buy the tho goods they manufacture and the tho crops they produce Thus city wages and farm buying power are tho the two strong legs that carry tho the nation nation nation na na- na- na tion forward in industry is proceeding rapidly Government spending was in largo large part re responsible responsible responsible re- re for keeping industry going and putting it in a position to make mako this reemployment possible ble Government orders were the backlog of heavy Industry government government gov gov- wages turned over and andover andover andover over again to mako make consumer purchasing power and to sustain in tho the community Business Business' men men with willi their business bustness bust busi ness small and large had to bo be saved Private enterprise is necessary necessary essary to any nation which seeks to maintain the form of ot government In their cast just justas as RS certainly as as' as in the case of stricken drouth-stricken farmers government govern ment mont spending has bas saved Employment Service Government having spent wise wisely ly 13 to- to savo it it private industry peg be c gins to take workers off tho the rolls roUs of at tho the government relief pro pro- gram Until this administration wo we h had d no free employment service serViCe service ice except in a 11 few states and cities Because there was no unified unified uni uni- fied tied employment service the worker forced td to move as as Industry industry industry indus indus- try moved often traveled t over the country wandering after jobs which seemed always to travel j