The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1936-12-03
Change in
Roosevelt


ticed something of
Cnonge IN a change in Presi-
Roosevelt dent Roosevelt S
attitude since the
election which so overwhelmingly
returned him tc office. From most
any standpoint you assume, you will
note, believe, more critical atti-
tude on the part of the President
concerning the schemes advanced
by his advisers. He is apparently
examining the suggestions, the pro-
posals and programs laid before
him much more cautiously and care
fully than was his record during
the past three years.
1t is yet too early to catalog this
attitude as a change on Mr.. Roose-
velt's part but surely it is notice
able. If he continues it, it is all
to the good for the country. If he
continues it, it cannot fail to mean
better administration, better legis-
lation, sounder national policies. 1t
necessarily must mean as well, that
there will be fewer of the half
baked ideas, plans which the Presi-
dent had not considered fully, pro-
grams he had not thought through.
One of the important indicators of
this changed attitude on the part
of Mr.. Roosevelt comes in the form
of an announcement in which Mr..
Roosevelt named a committee of
outstanding agricultural authorities
and citizens whose job is to pre-
pare long-term program for al
deviation of the farm tenant prob
lem, if not its complete eradica-
ton. Secretary Wallace will head
this committee which is to report
early in February and the appoint
ment of Mr.. Wallace to this job in
cidentally seems to assure his re-
tention as head of the Department
of Agriculture-and there had been
some question whether he would re-
main.
OF course, the farm tenant prob
lem long has been a cancerous
growth on American agriculture. It
has been spreading. Previously,
have reported in these columns how
official figures disclosed an increas-
ing number of farms operated by
tenants and owned by absentee
landlords. 1t has been a problem
for some years and seems to be
growing more acute. Hence, the
Presidents move would seem to
mean that the federal government
is going to put its hand to the
oar ard try, at least, to do some
thing about it.
Now, it may mean that the fed
eral government will create another
~, :. billion dollar gov
Vnot ft eminent owned
May Mean corporation or it
may mean subSi-
dies or any one of number of
other federal aids. I do not want
to PREJUDICE it, however, because
certainly the President is to be COM
mended in approaching the problem
in sensible way, namely, the Gre
alton of a committee to give the
question a thoroughgoing analysis
before legislation to alleviate the
condition is proposed.
That is what makes it so signifi-
cant. A year or two or three ago,
some braintruster sitting in a cob
webby office would have suddenly
had a thought about the renters"
and other types of farm tenants;
he would have felt very sorry for
them and would have determined
in his own mind that they must be
made the benefciaries of "the more
abundant life" right quickly. He
would have sought and obtained an
appointment with the President;
would have related the beautiful pic
ture he had conceived in his own
limited mentality and, in all prob
ability, Mr.. Roosevelt would have
shouted, "fine, fine"
The next thing that would have
happened would have been the
drafting of piece of legislation for
submission to congress. 1t would
have gone to Capitol Hill with the
stamp of administration approval
and all of the automatons of the
house and senate who owed their
positions to Roosevelt blessings,
would have voted for it. It would
have become law without serious
debate and, as in most cases, with
out most of the representatives and
senators having understood what it
was all about. The results of such
legislation are beginning to show
and it is going to be necessary to
remake a great deal of it. The
trouble was that these theorists and
impractical men never were able to
see more than one narrow phase
of the problem with which they were
dealing and Mr.. Roosevelt did not
take the time to find out for him
self what all of the factors were.
1t is quite evident, therefore, that
one thing the New Deal sadly needs
is more coordination among its
own people. It needs less of the
fervor of avid reform and more use
of sane methods of dealing and
management. Whether the appoint
ment of the farm tenancy commit
tee will be followed by similar
methods in dealing with other prob
lens naturally remains to be seen
but, as I said earlier, there surely
is evidence of a changed attitude
on Mr.. Roosevlt's part and most of
the sound thinkers, many of them
within the administration, hope he
has reformed his methods as well
as his policies.