The Dawn of a New Constructive Era 31 



good deal more emphasis than it ever received in the past. In 

 the past, the business men and the Government did not always 

 understand each other. Business men felt that the Government 

 very often was making business activity on their part unneces- 

 sarily difficult. The Federal Government, on the other hand, 

 felt that it was only meeting certain problems which had to be 

 grappled with in order to protect the innocent investor. But we Business Men 

 have, during the past year or two — and today it is more evident f^^d Govern- 



than ever — discovered that the Government and the business ^^" hettimj 



lOQ^thcr 

 men of this country are able to get together and understand each 



other. (Applause.) The Government is asking the business 

 men to put their cards on the table face up. and on that basis 

 we are getting together for a great constructive effort to build 

 up the agricultural, mineral and industrial resources of this 

 country 



Gentlemen, this country has a greater future before it than 

 any of us realize. I suppose the publicity men working on these 

 problems think that thev are able to paint, in as roseate colors 

 as the facts will warrant, the agricultural possibilities of this 

 region : but allow me to say to you that no publicity man has yet 

 dreamed of the extent of the agricultural, live stock and forestry Cut-Over 

 possibilities of this great region. We have only just scratched ^f^^ Possi- 

 the surface of our national resources ; and if we will all pull . earned Of 

 together, each willing to give a square deal to every legitimate 

 interest involved, these resources can l)e developed, step by 

 step, until we astonish ourselves by the riches that will be the 

 outcome of our united efforts. 



All this was true about two weeks ago. Since then some- 

 thing has happened which has changed very materially the 

 psychology of the American people. We are now in a state of 

 war. Everything we could have said ten days ago about this 

 problem we can now say with a thousand per cent of added em- 

 phasis. The time has now come for America to make the most of 

 her resources of men, of land, of capital, and of patriotism ; if 

 there ever was a time when we should all put our cards and 

 chips on the table and see what we can all do with everything 

 we have, in order to strengthen our nation in this international 

 crisis, this is the hour. (Applause.) 



I don't know how much of this cut-over land is adapted to 

 immediate use for agricultural or live stock purposes. We hope 



