The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1945-02-09
THE CASE OF HENRY WALLACE
BY j. Il. Jones

THE CASE OF HENRY WALLACE
BY j. Il. Jones
Washington, d. c., February g.
The nomination of Henry A. Wallace
rs Secretary of Commerce by Presi-
dent Roosevelt has been the most
controversial issue in Washington
since election day. The fight over
Wallace boils down to just one ques-
ton: Is he qualified to hold a Cabi-
net position of any kind, and if so is
he competent to succeed Jesse Jones
as Federal Loan Administrator?
President Roosevelt made it very
plain in his letter published at the
time he submitted the nomination
hat Wallace was being rewarded for
his political support and loyalty to
The New Deal in the recent election.
Opponents of Wallace have charged
hiatt he is incompetent, and far
more radical than political group, ex-
-ept the so-called Sidney Hillman
branch of one of the big national
labor unions.
Strangely enough the Senate of the
United States over which Wallace
presided for four years does not be-
lieve that Wallace is an able leader.
Tie only tking that has bolstered
Wallace and kept him from being
dumped overheard is desire upon
he part of Democrats, and some Re-
publican Senators, to okay the recon-
lnendations of the President. Aside
from that desire, the Congress is OPP
posed to Wallace.
Untapped Natural Resources
The war has demonstrated that,
even under great handicaps of shor-
ages of equipment, man-power and
services, American farms lave been
lble to produce record crops in this
country: The cost has been appalling
We have squeezed from the land ev-
cry atom of its potential produc-
ion, throwing to the winds all of the
damage done through mining the soil
and failing to put back it's vitality
and fertility. This is warand much
can be overlooked:I 1T cannot go on
Indefinitely.
Today this nation has almost
cached the end of untapped soil.
crest and mineral resources. 1t has
jecome painfully evident that our
Jnly recourse is to conserve the re-
gnainder of these vital factors-and
replace as many as possible--if the
nation is to be prosperous and if we
4re to maintain our standards of liv-
ing.
Since the Pilgrims gazed upon the
)oundless expanses of virgin land in
he New World, with it's promise of
nexhaustible productivity, TIE steady
md rapid depletion of soil resources
as proceeded at an appalling rate.
Forests have been destroyed and not
eplaced, great areas of prairie pas
-ure lands have been plowed and fer
ility mined from the soil through
)ne-crop farming.
Early in this period of resource ex-
oloitation the vital productive capa-
city of the land resulted in a surplus
# food products beyond the needs of
The farmer. This surplus freed mems
minds for invention and progress
Tie industrial revolution and the
birth of the machine age followed
quickly. Great strides were made in
he application of mechanical power
industrial production and trans
portation. Employment was concen-
raetd in manufacturing areas, cash
purchasing power was created, with
which the city jewellers could buy
| more of the products of THE farms
Ind factories.
Although there was great stimu-
alton in the incentive to produce
more and more farm products, the
development of efficient, profit-pro-
ducing agricultural machinery Jagged
and is still trailingAfar behind
he advances in Industrial equipment.
The tremendous advances in human
well-being in America offer abundant
proof that all human progress has its
foundation in prosperous and boun-
ciful agriculture. 1t has become uni
versally recognized that when crops
fare poor or VIXEN markets for farm
products are restricted, the prosperi-
~ OF the whole nation is lowered in
proportion.
Need for new concept of sound
National economy is evident--the
concept that without prosperous agri-
culture, national prosperity is impos-
sible. And agriculture, to be prosper
GUS, must conserve and replace soil
resources, and develop modern eff
eient mechanical methods to reduce
costs.
These principles are of national
concern.