Evening star., 1935-12-03

sandy bottom of an ancient glacial
lake or was filled with rocky outcrop-
pings. Instead Of lush, green pastures.
they got q crop Of blackened tree
stumps which had to be dug and
dynanaited out Of the way before q
plow could be used. Instead OF an
attractive cottage, they had to patch
together q rough cabin and barn out
Of raw planks and tar paper. They
and not the land had been sold.
Courage failed few In this wilder
ness of sand and stumps and peat
bogs, and they were glad to get out
with the loss of their down payments.
However, it was not long before slick
salesman had lured another family
into the same predicament.
Long before the Federal Government
stepped in, many of those who stuck 1t
out were being supported by charity.
Many still are. For all OF them, living
is desperately hard. Children are
underfed and badly clothed. Not long
ago a Resettlement man called at the
home Of one of these portland farm
ers.s His young daughter said: dad
ought to be in bed. He's almost got
pneumonia" But he wasn't In bed.
He was standing almost knee-deep in
q swamp cutting marsh grass for the
few cows and horses he had left. NAL
nutrition had worn down his resist
ance and overwork had sapped his
energy. He was helpless and hopeless.
Resources Swept Away.
These people are stranded. Their
resources have been swept away, and
they are unable to move. No one will
buy their land. It never should have
been put under the plow in the first
place. No one but a slick salesman
could sell it and these gentlemen are
having hard time now.
Our resettlement people are now
trying to help. We are buying up land
in this old glacial lake bottom and in
other badly used areas and shall put
it back to uses nature will allow.
Some 10000 acres in this particular
section will be turned into recreational
area and wild-life refuge. More than
200 families in this one project alone
will be offered a chance to move to
good land nearby. After nearly q
generation of Illustration and disap-
pointment, hope is again restored to
them.
More is involved than relief Of
human misery and suffering. Tax
payers will be saved thousands OF
dollars each year. Roads and schools
in the purchased areas will be closed
down. The families moving out Of the
area will become self-supporting tax
payers, whereas now In some Of the
townships involved more than half Of
the land has been tax delinquent. The
land is being changed from o public
liability into a public asset.
This is only one type of resettlement
problem. Let me tell you what has
happened in another area, in what is
sometimes called the Dust Bowl"
Some years ago prosperous farmer
from the Corn Belt bought q large
tract on the Southwestern plains. He
invested several thousand dollars in
land and equipment and had one of
the best farming layouts in the region.
He thought he had every chance Of
success. Prices were good and neigh
boring farms in the same region had
produced bumper crops in the previous
few years. He, too, had dream. He
thought that, after a few years Of
large-scale farming, he could retire
with competence, and he was a
practical and successful farmer who
knew what he was about.
Drought Last Ever Since.
That was several years ago. No
sooner had he plowed under the wild
prairie grass than the wind began its
destruction. 1t was a drought year
and practically every year since has
been a drought year. The wind has
lifted the top soil-his capital--and
blown it away in black, choking clouds.
It now lies in drifts and dunes on once
grassy fields. Continued failure has
wiped out his investment and today,
he, too, is stranded. He recently told
one Of our ReSettlement Administra.
ton people: "Our one hope is to get
away. but we can't get away unless the
Government helps U.s."
This is not an exceptional case.
There are thousands Of families in q
similar situation throughout the whole
Of the Great Plains. Like the Wiscon-
sin lake bottom, much Of this land
should never have been plowed. But 1t