The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1936-09-25

wherever people desired to greet
nm but his campaigning was much
less evident in the minds of the re-
porters than obtained in his visit TO
the north and to the central west.
And referring TO his trip to the
central west, / am reminded of the
CO hySteria that has
arisen over soil
Erosion erosion. Undoubt-
cdly, soil erosion
Is problem worthy of general at
tention but the thing that disturbs
me as Washington observer is that
soil erosion, like n lot of other prob
lens. suddenly has become mixed
up in politics when it is not DO
litical question.
The conservation of soil of natur-
al resources. has been matter to
which farmers of the nation have
addressed themselves for more than
n hundred years. Who is il among
the farming community that has not
attempted at one time or another
to stop washes" or who has not
planted some willow trees or some
Kinds OF bush to prevent bitches
being cut through the middle of
fertile and arabic land? And NAV l
ask further, what farmer is there
who has not given consideration to
crop rotation, to the planting of
types OF clover or hay or grasses
that would of themselves enrich
the soil?
All of these things are common
place. All of them have been done
from the time to which the memory
runneth not to the contrary. But
now we find perfect hullabaloo-a
hysteria-as l said at the beginning
about thing with which farmers
long have been familiar.
1t comes almost into the catcgory
of nonsense. One needs ONLY to
visit the oldest communities in the
nation to find soils that have been
producing for two centuries and
that have continued to show in
creased production through all of
that time. The reason is that those
farmers knew about soil erosion and
they sought to prevent it. Those
farmers and nearly all farmers rec.
that ii cannot be planted to the
same crop eternally without de-
stroying its fertility end they know
the necessity and the method for
solving the problem. They have
acted on that necessity.
Notwithstanding all of these facts
we are due to see in the next ses-
sion of congress and probably for a
considerable number of sessions
thereafter bunch of politicians who
will be prating about soil conserva-
ton long after the farmers have
become thoroughly sick at the stom-
ach about the idea 1t is Just an
other one of those things upon which
hungry political demagogues will
leap and continue to use as a We
hicle on which to ride into office.
was born on a farm and grew
up there. know the problem in
side out because the farm upon
which l was born was susceptible to
erosion washing" as my father
called ito greater extent than
| is usual in farm lands. II is no
particular credit to any one to boast
about preventing soil erosion be-
cause it is a thing that any farmer
Will want to do if he wants to con-
tinue to make his farm pay him
return. 1t is just as much part
OF farm management as it is to see
that the work stock does not develop
sore shoulders.
But the point of all of this as far
as / am concerned is that political
capital is being made out of a con-
dltion with which politicians ought
not TO be concerned at all. Some
may accuse me OF ignoring the
drouth condition. / do not do SO.
We have had several years of bad
drouth conditions. / find it diff
cult to associate political control
over the weather, however, because
the claims of politicians have yet
to reach very far above their heads.
Announcement is made at last
that former President Herbert
No. Hoover is going to
HooOeT take the stump in
to Speak behalf of Cover
nor Landon and
the Republican ticket. Though it
was long delayed, it probably has
come before the country became
convinced that an irreparable
breach existed between Governor
Landon and Mr.. Hoover. Rumors
were just beginning to fly and Cos
sip tongues were just beginning to
wag that Mr. Hoover would remain
out of the Republican picture this
year so it is extremely fortunate
that he and Governor Landon at
last have been brought together, as
far as Republicans are concerned.
am not informed as to the rea-
sons for this delay. 1t is evident
that somebody slipped because it