Evening star., 1934-04-29
TUGWELL SPEAKS
TOBANK|NG GROUP
Declares Administration Is
Characterized by Ac-
ton on Farms.
By the Associated Press,

OldlC DdllhClo f1ooOSldtlOll W.
night "one Of the biggest differences
between the agricultural and land
policies of this administration and
those Of previous administrations is
the difference between talk and &C.
ton"
Every Secretary Of Agriculture since
the war pointed to the necessity of
doing something about the surplus"
OF farm products, he declared in
quoting from previous Secretaries re-
ports, but when President Roosevelt
took office ''it was evident that some
thing more than persuasion was
needed to curb the agricultural over
production"
He quoted from the 1880 report of
former Secretary Hyde that "our diff
Guilty is not sudden emergency, but
a cumulative overproduction. =
want to emphasize the need for
equitable, intelligent, systematic and
collective action (notice that word
collectively to bring supply into bet
ter relationship with demand. e
The answer to overproduction is less
production
Events Led to A. A. A."
Prices of farm products had been
declining for years, Tugwell said, for
eign markets had gradually disap-
peared, and domestic consumption
could not be increased
Looking back over the period I
have been describing, it seems as if
the logic of events led inevitably up
to the agricultural adjustment act"
he asserted
The act was characterized by the
Assistant Secretary as "an economic
bill of rights" for farmers, and he
added the nearly 100000 farmers
voluntarily participating in the ad-
Justment plans sponsored by the Gov
ernment are not complaining about
Recommendation
This cry is coming rather from
those who, during the years when
farmers by the thousands were losing
their homes, congratulated them on
their rugged individualism, and now
that they have succeeded in retaining
tnelr homes, commiserate them on
losing their traditional American
ways. II you do not believe me, 60
and talk with farmers he said.
Iugwell again quoted former Sec
fetary Hyde as having declared in
1881 that "it is recommended that
land development enterprises be
licensed and regulated. We
are not thinking of agriculture nova
days as a local problem. We must
see this as a national problem and as
q whole"
proHucfioy, C,,<
1.-THE Secretaries of Agriculture in
the Coolidge and Hoover administra-
tions," TugWell said, perceived that
the surplus was the heart of the farm
problem. They vehemently urged
that production be reduced to a bal
ance with demand and that sub
marginal lands be taken out of culti-
yation.
They talked a great deal about the
necessity for action. And now, so to
speak, President Roosevelt and Sec
retary Wallace have followed their ad-
vice and in this administration we
nnaily have action itself"
Some persons have sought to con-
denim all these efforts by the mere use
Of such words as 'collectivism' and
'regimentation,'" Tugwell added.
But the agricultural adjustment
administrations plans, and the kin
dred programs Of the Government are
too fundamental and too pressing to
be dismissed in that way. All are
based on the time-tried principles of
American democracy, upon the self
government and self discipline OF
county and local associations and upon
voluntary cooperation on a grand
scale"
Building Economy of Order.
He referred to previous handling
of the agricultural problem as IAN
economy Of chaos" and added what
we are building now Is an economy of
order, and provided selfish interests
do not thwart our efforts, we shall
build an economy Of abundance
Tugwell spoke of the Farm Credit
Administration as "corollary effort
OF the Government in behalf Of agri-
culture" and declared it has placed
$1,1o0, 100000 "in the farming dis
tricts in refinancing mortgages and
providing other forms of agricultural
credit"
The production adjustment program
"will insure the soundness of the farm
credit operations" he said.
without such a governmental op-
Grafton" he continued, "the collapse
of farm buying power would have re-
suited in a wave of foreclosures far
exceeding all previous experience =
probably there would have been an
immense increase in corporation farm
ing, with farmers regimented into the
ranks Of farm labor"
Adjustment Is Necessary.
Adjustment of farm production is
necessary at present, he declared
since "even though every hungry per-
son in the United States should be
well fed, there would still remain a
surplus" and even though foreign mar
kets may be regained the process will
take so long as to require restriction
Of output for some time to come.
underlying and interviewer with
this whole adjustment program is the
necessity for returning 100000 acres
from cultivated crops to grass OF
pasture or roughage," he said.
"These aims mean the conserva-
ton and not the wasteful exploita
ton of our resources and our man
power. They contemplate care and
thought about the grave agricultural
problems of the day, with devices tc
meet them, not mere passive reliance
in the name of rugged individualism
upon the sheer forces of economic
compulsion."