The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-06-08
RooseDelt Praises Congress
 For Carrying Out Program

ty feet below the surface, and newly arrived settlers put this land under the blow. Wheat was grown by dry farming methods. But in many of these places to. day the water table under the land has dropped to fifty or sixty feet below the surface and the top soil In dry seasons is blown away ike driven snow. Falling rain, in the absence of grass roots, filters throgh the soil, runs of the surface, or iB quickly re. absorved into the atmosphere. Many million acres of such land must be restored to grass or trees if we are to prevent . new and nan-made sahara.
 Make Arid Lands Productive
 "At the other extreme, there are regions originally arid, which have been generously Irrigated by human engineering. But in some of these places the hungry soil has not only abgorved the water necessary to product mag. nlfcent crops, but 50 much more water that the water table has now risen to tho point of satura. ton, thereby threatening the flu. ture crops upon which many families depend.
 Human knowledge Is great enough today to give us assur. ance of success in carrying through tho abandonment of many millions of acres for agri. cultural use and the replacing of these acres with others on which at least living can bo earnod.
 "The rate of speed that we can uscfully employ in this attack on Impossible social and economic conditions must Do determined by businoss.liko procedure. It ould bo absured to undertake too many projects tt once or to do q patch Of work h0ro and another there without finishing the whole of an individual project. obs vlouBly, the government cannot undertake national projects in every one of the 43b conRres. sionai districts ,iOr even in every one of the 4S states. The mag. nlhccnt conception of national realism and national needs that this congress has built up has not only set an example of large vision for all time, but has al. most consigned to oblivion our nnciont habit of pork barrel leg. islatlon. To that we cannot and must not revert. When the next congrosB convenos 1 hope to be able tO present to it G carefully considered national plan, cover. ing the development and the hu- man uBo Of our natural resources of land and water q long period of years.
 Decrease Future Costs
 "fn considering tho cost of such c program it must Do clear to oil of US that for many years Go como we shall Do engaged In the task Of rohablltnting many hundreds of thousands of our American families, In 50 doing we shall be doerenBing future costs for the direct relief of dcBtitution. l hopo that it will be possible for tho government to adopt as q clear policy to Do car. ried out 0vor q long period, the appropriation of G lnrge definite, annual sum 50 that work may proceed year after year not un. dor tho urge of temporary ex. pediency, but in pursuance of the well considered rounded obJeG. tive.
 "fh0 third factor relates to SC. curity against the hazards and vlcissltudes of llfo. Fear and worry based on unknown danger contribute Co social unrest and economic generalization. If, as our constitution tells us, uor fed. ora1 government was established among other things Ito promote tho general welfare lt Is our plain duty to provide for that security upon which welfare do. pends.
 Next winter we may well un. dortnke the great task of fur. th0ring the security of tho citi-