The Omaha guide., 1933-09-30
Pres. Addresses
Workers
Continued from p. y
Defines Federal Relief Policy

before.
Defines Federal Relief Policy
/ believe we Americans do not wish
to see a permanent extension of pure
ly government operations carried to
the extent of relieving US of our in
responsibilities as citizens, and it
is with that thought in mind that
very early in this administration we
laid down in regard to one portion of
this great picture a somewhat simple
rule.
When we came to the problem of
meeting the emergency of human
needs we did not rush blindly in and
say: "The government will take care
Of it." We approached it from the
other angle first. We said to the
people of this country: "When you
come to the problem of relief you
face the individual family, the in
dividual man, woman and child who
lives in a particular Locality, and the
first objective and the first necessity
is that the citizens of that comm
unity, through the churches, the com
munity chest. the social and charit-
able organizations of the community
are going to be expected to do their
utmost extent first Then we come to
this second need, OF objective, and
that is the participation of local,
government in the additional need.
Local Governments Must Do Their
Part
We demand that local government
shall do its share to the utmost, and
then, if that is not sufficient, if those
two features do not meet the needs,
we come to the next unit, the state,
and if that still is not enough, if the
state has done everything it reason
ably should do, then obviously the
Federal government must step in, be-
cause, while it isn't written in the
Constitution, nevertheless, it is the
ton Of course, in an organization of
inherent duty of the Federal govren-
ment to keep it citizen from s~trava-
that kind. | suppose that there is
a certain tendency to feel. eff we
don't do it. the Federal government
will" Municipalities or counties feel,
eff we don't do it the state govern
private organization, and individuals
ment will" or a local organization,
say, "well, if we don't do it, the
municipalities will" In other words,
putting the burden on somebody else
with the general thought in the back
of our heads eff we don't do it some
BODY else will" And, in the last ana
lysis the kindness of Uncle Sam will
see to it that we don't fail.
Problem of Tagging States
We have had a great many exam
pies of late of areas in this country,
areas which have not done their share
and are coming, hat in hand, to the
Federal government, and saying,
I'VE want Federal relief" There have
been stats which have not done their
share states where the problem of
relief have got mixed up with poll
tics; Legislatures that are thinking
IN political and not in human terms.
There are municipalities which are
going ahead with the spending Of the
taxes for political purposes and then
find they haven't any money left for
relief purposes.
l am glad to say that those indi
vldual cases are diminishing in num-
Der because the people Of this coun-
try understand it and are telling the
government bodies, local or state,
that they have got to "p1ay ballu and
not shirk There are a lot of cases
which are so close to the border line
OF emergency that they do not be
long to the border relief problem.
Yesterday the Governor of South
Dakota came to my office with some
extraordinary pictures of farm lands
where grasshoppers had devoured ev
erything down to the roots. Where
there isn't anything left for man or
beast to eat; where many thousands
OF farmers are not faced just with the
temporary problem of being helped
out a little here and a little there
but with the fact that neithe~ thew
nor their livestock have any chance
OF getting anything to live on until
mex summer some time. There il an
emergency. We are going to trv tn
take care Of it as an emergency. #
comes very close to the border line
where the Red Gross has got to stem
ln-because it is a peculiar kind Of