Evening star., 1953-01-15
Eighth Of q Series

There was no question about
what to do. He left the division
Eighth Of q Series
to others, went to Salt Lake City
and took a plane for New York.
"Mr. Benson" Gen. Eisen-
hover said to him, "you have the
confidence of the American rural
population to an unusual degree.
I want you to be my Secretary
of Agriculture"
r. Benson, as his associates
call him, was more disturbed
than surprised by this.
Gen. Eisenhower" he said.
"you know I was for Taft before
the convention"
While he had done no active
campaigning, he had lent his
name to a "Citizens-for-Taft"
movement in Utah.
Mr.. Eisenhower said he knew
that.
1.-The honor that has come to
me from my church," Mr.. Ben
son said appointment to the
Council of Twelve of the Nor
mon Church is for life), means
more to me than any position
that could be given me-even be-
coming a member of your cabi-
net"
Gen. Eisenhower said he real
ized that.
Makes Position Clear.
There followed conversation
in which Mr.. Benson made sure
that the general knew where he
stood. Then he said:
eff I am left free to admins
ter this Office to restore the dig
nifty of the individual in agricul-
ture and the spiritual values left
us by our founding fathers, ac-
cept.
mo man can refuse the Presi-
dent of the United States when
he is given an important job
to do"
The phrases are high sound
ing, but he used them. The words
between are interpolated because
they were reported secondhand.
But the general. who outbid his
opponent for the farm vote at
the plowing contest at Closson.
Mimi, knew how his appointee
stood. The leaders of the Nor
mon Church are not only against
relief payments, they are against
price supports. But Mr.. Benson
will carry out the law.
It was another mission for
Ezra Taft Benson, whose great
grandfather and namesake was
one Of the IL Apostles of the
church who entered the Salt
Lake Valley in 1847 with Brigham
Young.
Mr.. Benson had the conf
dence of the rural population
because of his work from 1889
to 1943 as executive secretary of
the National Council of Farmer
Co-operativeS.
Starts Work Quickly.
He set out on his mission
almost Immediately. The CONVEX
sation reported above occurred
on the Monday before Thanks
giving. He returned to Salt Lake
and prepared to revisit America,
but the death of an associate de-
layed him a little. He went to
the funeral on a Monday. On
Tuesday he was in Los Angeles.
He saw SO agricultural leaders
on that day and conferred with
many of them personally. as he
likes to do. One OF them was the
president and general manager
of Sunkist, the largest cooper
ative in the world. He saw the
heads Of the Farm Bureau and
the Grange. the poultry produc-
ers and the poultry professors,
the growers of the tender greens.
lettuce, spinach and broccoli; the
walnut people, the grape grow
ers, and the big cotton growers.
California has one Of the biggest
cotton crops in the Nation.
He was re-acquainting himself
with agriculture and its prob
lens. He was asking what
should be done. And also in the
Los Angeles meetings, which were
repeated all over the country,
he was recruiting for. the new
department he will head.
Let no one be confused by
the term cooperative. There are
cooperative groups, mostly con-
sumer co-operatives, whose lead
ers are termed liberals by their
friends and radicals by their
opponents. But the big organi-
zation he managed for four years
is the most conservative element
in agriculture; more conserva-
tive than the reconstructed Farm
Bureau.
Outs Come Back In.
His appointment makes one
thing certain. The outS-the
conservative elements of the
Farm Bureau, the Grange and
the co-operatives-are going to
be in. The inS, the men who
made such big changes in Amer
lean rural life under Henry Wal
lace and his successors, are going
to be out.
Mr.. Benson next went to San.
Francisco, then to Seattle. He
wired ahead to a few leaders.
They brought together the peo-
pie they felt should see the new
Secretary Of Agriculture.
At Los Angeles he was taking
notes in longhand on all his
interviews. He soon found he
had to have secretarial help
and got it. When he started