Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1934-08-30
by William Bruckart


Relief other day, uttered an
observation which
seems to be decidedly worthwhile and
one which, because of the assurance
and contents, ought to be repeated
here. My conversation with Mr.. Davis
had to do with questions concerning
drouth relief and I want to quote his
remarks because of the widespread de-
struction Of the current period when
rainfall has been nil in so many COM
munities.
1T is as unsafe and unjust to measure
the true potentialities of this country"
Mr.. Davis said, 'by the extreme
drouth conditions of this year as it
was to measure them by the bumper
crop years which happened to coincide
with high prices so that everybody felt
sudden riches were in sight. The one
extreme is just as deceptive as the
other"
Mr.. Davis outlined what the gov
eminent was attempting to do since it's
policy has been changed and since in
dfviduals no longer are required to
fend for themselves. He declared the
changes in policy that have been taken
represent a frank recognition of re-
sponsibilities by the present leadership
and 1t was his conviction that more
has been done in the face of similar
conditions than ever has been done
before to relieve human distress. He
added that 1t had been found difficult,
Of course, to meet and solve many of
the problems and that there is not suf-
ficient prowess even in our national
government to counteract all of the
effects Of such calamity. The ad-
ministrator holds to the belief, how
ever, that the steps taken by the ad-
ministration constitute the beginnings
of national program from which APP
parently it is proposed eventually to
develop national policies for dealing
with all kinds of distress. Obviously,
Mr.. Davis did not touch on these
phases because his job is to deal with
agricultural situations and he has not
gone beyond them.
Calling attention to the fact that the
drouth relief program is the greatest
ever undertaken in this or any other
country, Mr.. Davis summarized the
Joint activity Of the several govern
ment agencies in the following Ian
guage: The purchase of surplus cat
tie, with the processing of meat for
relief distribution; encouragement of
production Of forage crops; co-ordina-
ton Of seed purchase; human employ
ment relief; purchase of adapted feed
grain; forestation and other measures
to conserve moisture, prevent wind
erosion and minimize the effects Of fu-
ture drouth, and in addition such crop
benefit payments as have been made
and which now turn out to be in his
opinion crop insurance.
Mr.. Davis is optimistic concerning
the future of the American farmer,
despite the hardships
Optimistic of the current drouth.
as to Future He suggested, how
ever, that it was nee
essary to face the facts of the current
drouth, but also, to resort to the
language of the street, the admin
istrator thinks the country must not
allow the current problems to knock
1t down.
"If the doubts and fears lately ex-
pressed had been Needed" Mr.. Davis
added, "the great plains never would
have been settled. The troubles of to-
day are but repetition on a less fear
full scale of the obstacles encountered
by the early settlers. But instead of
turning back in the face of hardships,
those pioneers established their homes
and did not let drouth, flood, hail, or
Indians stop them.
"Instead. the pioneers and their
sons searched the world for drouth-
resistant wheat and grains which
would mature in season. They bred up
the drouth-resistant forage crops and
planted them. They built civilization
on an expanse of the map which once
was labeled the Great American des-
ert. The drouths we have lived through
in the past did not conquer the spirit
nor stop the development of the West.
The drouth of 1894 will not stop the
men of the West in their forward
march to conquer nature"
The thing about the remarks which
Mr.. Davis uttered that appealed to me
and to numerous other Washington OBJ
servers was the candor with which he
treated the problems. He made no at
tempt In this conversation nor has he
done so in several speeches he has
made lately to use language that was
historical. For an example of what
mean, dispatches coming from Presi-
dent Roosevelt's train on his homeward
trip across the northern half of this
country gave various figures as to the
loss occasioned by the drouth. One of
these dispatches credited an emergency
relief official with the statement that
the drouth had cost the farmers five
billion dollars. Another dispatch placed
the figure somewhat lower and gave no
authority for the estimate. But the
point is that while Mr.. Davis recog-
nlzes the desperation of the farmers
and the necessity for their relief, there
was nothing sensational in his discus
sion. 1t is to be remembered that the