NINETEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART II 99 



sell off of the same acres of land. It is not the work of an indi- 

 vidual to do that alone, it is a community proposition. It is a 

 matter that the state is interested in. I don't mean for the 

 state to reach out and put its strong hand upon it, but I do mean 

 for the state to have a guiding hand in the transaction. 



Just now there is a national effort on to take the soldier, the 

 returned soldier, and put him on the swamp land or the cut-over 

 land that is scattered over the country. The general program 

 thrown out by the Interior Department is for the state to fur- 

 nish the land, the federal government to furnish the money, to 

 finance the deal and the soldier to be put on this land and reclaim 

 it. Personally, I can't quite understand why they should pick 

 on the soldier in that way. I don't know what he has done that 

 he should be so punished. What little information I have about 

 our swamp land, or land that is to be drained, I find it takes from 

 five to ten years after you get the water off before it will really 

 produce. At least, there are a number of years intervening. Now, 

 why we should take the soldier and put him on swamp land or 

 cut-over land and ask him to stay through those years of pioneer- 

 ing, I am unable to understand. I know this, that if a program 

 of that kind is followed out, it means that Iowa is going to suffer. 

 If the War Department will let us have our boys back in Iowa, 

 there is a place for every one of them, either on the farms or in 

 the factories or in the businesses of this state. We have the 

 resources ! It is a matter that needs serious and careful consider- 

 ation. We want to do for the soldier, but we ought not, it seems 

 to me, to insist that he should be the man who pioneers in re- 

 claiming swamp lands or waste lands. Personally, I am of the 

 opinion that it is not so much now a problem of getting more 

 lands under cultivation as it is to have the land that is already 

 under cultivation better cultivated, the soil conserved, and edu- 

 cation in those various things which will increase production. I 

 believe that is the immediate problem before us. There is 

 danger in scattering too much. 



Now, I don't know whether those thoughts are of any value 

 to this body of men, but I know that they are going to be up for 

 consideration in the near future. I know that you are leaders in 

 your communities and that they must have intelligent discussion 

 and consideration or a state like Iowa will suffer. 



