Press Release, Speech of President Harry S. Truman, Sparta, Wisconsin

TABMAN BARRY ARCHIVES AND RECORDS AMERICA IMMEDIATE RELEASE B.S. SERVICE IMMEDIATE RELEASE GOVERN REAR PLATFORM REMARKS OF THE PRESIDENT AT SPARTA, WISCONSIN, OCTOBER 14, 1948 at 1:03 p. m., C. S. T. Thank you very much. I certainly do appreciate this reception. You know, in every State people have turned out just like this because I think they are interested in the welfare of the Country, and they want to know what the President looks like, and what he thinks. And I want to say to you I have been very frank in telling them just what I think -- and you have to make up your mind as to what I look like. I have enjoyed very much coming through Wisconsin this morning from Winona, Minnesota. We have come through some most beautiful country. And I was most happy to make the acquaintance of your candidate for Governor, Carl Thompson, and your candidate for Congress in this District, Frank Antoine. I hope you'll elect them both and I believe you will. All your farms seem to be prosperous and from the crowd here today, I'd take it that this town is doing a pretty good business, too. You know, in years gone by, when I was a kid -- 21 or 22 years old -- the National Guard used to come to Sparta, Wisconsin. I belonged to a battery over in Missouri. We used to come up here to do some shoot- ing with old three-inch guns that the artillery was then equipped wi th; and I had many a good time in this town in those days. The fact is. that af ter sixteen years of Democratic Government, this whole Country is prosperous, and I want to keep it that way. We can keep this country prosperous if we continue and extend the Democratic programs started under the Eministration of President Roosevelt. One of these programs that the people of Wisconsin know a great deal about is soil conservation. I am very proud of the Democratic record for the past sixteen years with regard to the conservation of natural re- sources. You all know what conservation has meant to the American farmer. By 1932, America had lost one-third of her rich top soil, and there was real danger that our farms would lose their productivity. You know, Wisconsin and Minnesota and Iowa and Missouri and Illinois were letting the farms wash away and were making counties in Louisiana Well, we have stopped that. Now, that danger is nearly passed. The Democratic soil conservation program has been extended to nearly three million farms in this country. But we ought not to rest until every acro in the country is properly managed. SO that it will retain its fertility permanently. Now, you would think every sensible person would favor soil conservation. But, believe it or not, some men have been attacking this work for years. They have been the Republican politicians. The majority of the Republicans in Congress opposed the original Soil Conservati n Act of 1936 and did not want to see it passed, I was in the Senate at that time and the Republicans fought that bill tooth and toenail. The Demo- cratic majorities in the House and Senate voted almost solidly for Soil Conservation, and pushed that law. through the Congress at that time. But in the Republican 80th Congress, the Soil Conservation Program has received a serious set-back. The Republicans cut out the funds which are used for payments to farmors who follow sound conservation policies. The Democrats tried to restore those funds, and I am proud to say that every Domocrat in the House and overy Democratic Senator voted for that restoration. But, 9 out of ton Republicans voted against soil conservation, and the funds were seriously cut. They weren't content with the cut. The Ropublican leaders in the Senate wanted to abandon the present system of soil conservation payments; and I am proud again that every Democrat in the Senate voted against this Republican attack. 38 of the Republicans voted to abandon the system, but three Republicans came over to the Democratic side and saved the soil conservation program from destruction. The American farmer was lucky that the Republicans didn have a larger majority in the 80 th Congross than they did. The farmer would certainly have been in a bad fix if that had been the case.