THE URGE OF THE NEW DAY 263 



partment of the Interior has given publicity to a grandi- 

 ose scheme for providing land for returning soldiers. 

 Later came the announcement that the Department of 

 Labor would soon announce a solution of that prob- 

 lem. Thus far, the Department of Agriculture has 

 been silent in the matter. Many groups are discussing 

 these problems, seeking to outline plans of opera- 

 tions. Thus far, there is no unity among them and 

 there has been no serious effort indeed, to bring them 

 together. 



WE SHOULD TAKE TIME TO MAKE A PERMANENT 

 AGRICULTURAL PROGRAM 



A program should be made only after great care and 

 much study and with counsel from many minds and 

 from many points of view. It cannot be made in a 

 day nor by any single man, nor even by a group of men 

 representing only a portion of the forces to be cor- 

 related or interested in only a part of the problem. 



An agricultural program should be as broad as the 

 whole problem. It cannot be confined merely to pro- 

 duction. Indeed, its great emphasis will be upon just 

 distribution, skillful farm management, a satisfying 

 country life. We should frankly discuss such basic 

 questions as acquisition of land, provision for farm 

 labor, relations to other industrial groups. 



In order to secure such a broad and well considered 

 plan of improvement, it is necessary that there should 

 be free and constant cooperation among all the indi- 

 viduals and all the organizations which may fairly be 

 said to represent the working farmers, as well as re- 

 sponsible representatives of publicly supported institu- 

 tions dealing with agricultural affairs. 



A beginning should be made now. 



