Evening star., 1934-08-07
From Dreams TO Realities.

I 4IVH OAEhuls " 4ACdlltlEss
1T Is very delightful thing 70
form a mind picture Of something
from print. drawings and figures" the
, President said TO his audience at the
Fort Peck Dam. In Montana. yester-
day, and then year later come
out and have the actual project Just
about twice as big and twice as fine
as you thought it was going TO be"
And II must likewise be terrible
thing, indeed, TO have read about the
drought OF the Middle Western States; ;
to have found satisfaction in the
thought that congressional action
placing more than half a billion dol
lars at the disposal of the drought
relief authorities was by far the larg-
est sum ever voted for the relief Of
any calamity in the past--and then.
a few months later. to find that the
suffering and damage from the
drought has exceeded the most pes
simistic of predictions; that the
money voted for drought relief will
not begin to take care Of the needs
of an unprecedented situation; that
no matter what steps may be taken
TO meet an emergency the results OF
that emergency will make themselves
felt for many years to come.
Since his return TO the mainland
the President has visited great prof.
ects under way in various sections Of
the Northwest and INDUCED in the
pleasant pastime Of looking forward
to that bright future when these
projects will have yielded in full their
great returns. The prophecies have
been unclouded, the picture serene.
But travelling across the scared Mon
tana countryside the President has
been brought face to face with stark
realities of the present. He has
learned that the half billion voted
by Congress for drought relief Will
be exhausted by the time Congress
reaSsembles. He has been told that
drought damage has tripled since
Congress adjourned; that it now af-
fects sixty per cent of the area OF
the United States and fourth OF its
population; that in Montana alone,
fifteen hundred of the States sixty
six hundred farm families must either
pull up stakes, desert the homesteads
and start anew somewhere else, or
starve; that up to the beginning of
this month nearly 100000 head OF
cattle had been bought, and for
butchering by the relief authorities
are being shipped TO the packing
plants at the rate of 100000 day,
and that between seven and ten mil
lions more must be acquired before
the season ends-either that or they
starve. Eight hundred thousand per-
sons-a number equal to the COM
bined populations of Delaware, Ne
vada and Idaho-are now on Govern
ment relief Estimates have been
made that the number will increase
to possibly two million.
The Government is doing every
thing that the expenditure of money
can do to bring relief. 1t is fighting
the drought confiagration with all
available weapons. And to the peo-
pie of the parched area the Presi-
dent has brought the tidings they
most want to hear. Some day we
are going to make every ounce and
every gallon of water that flows from
the heavens and the hills count be-
fore it makes its way down to the
Gulf of Mexico" Some day there
are going to be provided much small
er farms-but farms where you won't
be faced with starvation, and where
you may be able not only to make
both ends meet--to make a living
but also come to own these farms,
free and clear Of any debt
Always, just ahead lies the prom
ised land. 1t is perhaps the most
comforting thing that could be said.
1t is always what those crossing the
desert want most to hear.