The Dawn of a New Constructive Era 55 



The Practical Aspects of the 

 Problem 



By Clement S. Ucker 



Vice-President, Southern Settlement and 

 Development Organization 



Gentlemen of the Cut-Over Land Conference : I am some- 

 what in the position of the gentleman who so very ably presided 

 over your deliberations yesterday — I am under the necessity of 

 introducing myself, and I proceed to so do without further com- 

 ment. 



The program this morning provides, as prepared by the 

 Program Committee, for a few remarks from myself under the 

 general head of "The Practical /\spects of the Problem." In view 

 of the fact that I have been called upon to preside, I will take this 

 opportunity to say what I have to say to you on this initial 

 occasion. 



The week before last, we had a conference of this kind at 

 Wilmington, N. C. A gentleman of national reputation was about 

 to address the conference, and another man, of more or less 

 national reputation, was delivering an address. The man who 

 was about to speak was sitting with me on the platform, and 

 I noticed that from time to time he drew his chair nearer to 

 the front. After probably fifteen minutes, he backed away, stuck 

 his manuscript in his pocket, and turned to me and said, "That 

 man has made my speech." That is pretty largely the position of 

 myself. All that I might say to you about the practical aspects of 

 this problem was either touched upon yesterday, or will be today ; 

 and whatever I might say to you now in the limited time at my 

 command is largely of a superficial character. 



However, there are some thoughts I want to leave with you. 

 On yesterday we listened with absorbing interest to the address 

 made to you by the Commissioner of the United States Land 

 Ofifice. The one point in his address that stood out most promi- 

 nently to me was the fact that in the public domain, in the far 

 western country, wherever there has been thrown open to the 

 settlers lands that certainly could not be of much greater value 



