Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1936-09-17
HAND ON PLOW

The president has visited the North
west. 1t is regrettable that he was
not able to see and have a personal
word with the late Governor Olson as
he had desired. Although President
Roosevelt altered his schedule so as
to come here at date earlier than
originally planned. the governors
death interviewed and made personal
call impossible. The presidents sched-
ule was further upset by the death
of one of his own cabinet officers, the
late Secretary of War, Dern.
A preliminary survey and report of
drouth conditions had been made by
a committee appointed by the presi-
dent for that purpose. 1t was exped-
lent for the chief executive to come
out here to see for himself. 1t was,
perhaps. necessary for the purpose OF
focusing and crystallizing public opin-
ion upon the paramountcy of the prob
lem of our midwestern farmer.
No partisan political speeches were
made. This fact made it possible for
the president to meet face to face and
confer with our midwestern people re-
gardless of political belief. 1t also
made possible the meeting at Des
Moines with Governor LandOn of Kan
sas, as one of the participating mid
western governors. who now opposes
him as the Republican nominee for
the highest office in the land. AS a
Minnesota participant in the Des
Moines meeting l noted with pleasure
the cordially of the personal meeting
between these two national leaders.
The. general welfare of the states
of the middle west rests in the final
analysis upon the prosperity and we'll
being of our farming population. Up
to recent times we have pretty much
dealt with our natural resources as
if they presented merely a problem
of occupancy and exploitation. When
the depression came we found our
farm set-up upon a foundation of over
capitalization, heavy debts, and UNI
sound banks And when the drouth
came we discovered that our very
methods of land use had been such
as to threaten the destruction of the
essential material foundation of our
economy.
A new problem confronts the middle
west. Gone are the days of exploit
alton, waste, and careless spending.
In a real sense, we must recOnquer,
we must conserve and rebuild. The
same courage and industry which en-
abled our people to build this great
empire out of wilderness will, under
forward-looking leadership, enable US
to restore the middle west to a greater
and more secure prosperity in the flu
ture. Minnesota has already started
and is on the way. We shall not fail
to give full cooperation to proper
national leadership.
These have been times to try mems
souls, but we have courage and hope
for the future. Within our time we
have never witnessed so sympathetic
an understanding of our fundamental
problem by the national government
as we see today-whether we look at
the refinancing of the farmers debt
load, the corn loans, the seed loans,
resettlement, water restoration, or
land conservation-and this not in the
mere academic assent that there is
a problem, but manifested in the cour-
age to go ahead and do something.
All schemes may not work, but some
will. Mr.. President. we commend you
for having put your hand to the pillow.
Let there be no turning back. The
farmers of the middle west will fol-
low your leadership.
HJALMAR PETERSEN.