Evening star., 1935-12-03

Of providing employed workers In the
low-income groups with decent hous-
ing and TO point the way to future
Developments. Our projects, for exam
pie, should show, first Of all, the ad-
vantage Of locating in suburban areas
where land prices are lower and
where the absence Of other build
ings make IT possible TO develop
complete communities. Each project
will be inclosed by q protective strip
OF woodland or "greenbelt" to save
the residential area from undesirable
encroachments. Parks and other re-
creational facilities will be thus pro-
vided and garden plots viii be avail
able TO those desiring them. Schools.
community centers, stores, shops and
other public buildings are included
In the plan TO provide self-contained
suburban towns. Work is progress
ing rapidly on the first Of these pro-
jects, located at Berwyn, In Maryland,
10 miles from Washington, and the
others will be started soon.
Because our program involves the
moving Of some families to new places,
1t is called the Resettlement program.
It is designed to create q better ad-
justment between our people and the
land which supports them. In this
process Of readjustment we are called
upon to end the physical abuse Of
our soil and the resulting erosion Of
our land. Still more important Is our
duty to end what might be called hu-
man erosion-the wasting away Of
millions Of our people in a hopeless
struggle to earn a living from lands
which viii not support life.
Throughout our program runs a
single clear pattern which marks 1t
as o part of our national tradition.
We are moving In the wake Of our
dreams and trying to bring reality o
little closer. The free lands of the
boundless West were q national dream
from the dawn Of our history on this
continent. Men struggled, fought,
faced torture, starvation and death to
win the right Of our people to the lands
which lay beyond the Alleghenies.
Although for 40 years the frontier has
gone, its memory and its motives still
control our national feeling about the
land and the people who make their
living from the land. For the land,
in part, we revolted against the Eng
lish King, and for the land our own
people waged a bitter four-year war.
on the issue Of whether slave or free
labor should develop our national
heritage. Land use is, you see, a
fighting question and has been since
the dawn Of time. The victorious
sweep Of our people across the con-
tinent was as complete and as un-
planned as most victories.
Another dream-perhaps the most
tragically frustrated in our history
centers around the Great Valley and
the Father Of Waters which gives II
its name. The Mississippi River pro-
vided an artery north and south
which has marked out its basin as
the seat Of power and civilization In
our national future. To secure the
mouth Of the Mississippi even the
pacific Jefferson was ready to ally
himself with England, and the bellig-
erent jackson led the men Of the
West to battle at New Orleans in or
der that the river might remain In
American hands. Spaniard, French
man and Englishman have fought US
to control this gigantic artery OF
wealth and commerce. The issue OF
whether the West would join the
North In the War Between the
States was decided when the Con-
federates barred trafic on the Mis-
sissippi before ever Fort Sumter was
fired upon. The war was fought to
free the river, and when Lincoln was
able TO say "The Father Of Waters
flows unvexed to the sea-" he was
announcing the success of more than
the Union Armies. He was giving
voice TO o national dream. which
seemed to have achieved reality.
Yet for 10 years, that Great Valley