Senator COOPER. Before you do that, may I make one statement? I ask, before the next witness is introduced, if I may be excused. I would like to stay for the whole hearing, but I think I had better go back to my own work. I would like to say, also, a great part of the interest. I have in this subject came from the initiative of my fellow Kentuckian, Mr. Samuel R. Guard, who is, I think, a great man in agriculture.

Mr. THOMPSON. Reluctantly, we will excuse the Senator, and we thank you very much for coming.

Mr. HAYS. That concludes my statement.

Mr. THOMPSON. Mr. Hays, you are going to introduce Mr. Hagedorn?

Mr. HAYS. Yes, if you will give me that privilege.

Mr. THOMPSON. Off the record.

(Discussion off the record.)

Mr. THOMPSON. Mr. Hagedorn.

STATEMENT OF HERMANN HAGEDORN, DIRECTOR OF THE THEODORE ROOSEVELT CENTENNIAL COMMISSION

Mr. HAGEDORN. My name is Hermann Hagedorn. I am the Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Centennial Commission, established by Congress in 1955.

Theodore Roosevelt regarded the work of the original Country Life Commission as one of the outstanding achievements of his administration. History has supported his judgment. The effort to create a new Country Life Commission to deal with the problems of rural living in this mid-20th-century America has, therefore, stirred the interest of all who cherish Mr. Roosevelt's memory.

It is a happy coincidence that Mr. Roosevelt's centennial marks also the semicentennial of the Country Life Commission. President Roosevelt appointed the Commission in 1908 on his own authority. No action of Congress was required at that time for the creation of such commissions. I might add at this point this was the last of such Presidential commissions. Congress put its foot down after that. The members served as personal advisers to the President, and, so far as I know, the money required for its work was drawn from surplus funds in the Department of Agriculture or the Department of the Interior, whose head, James R. Garfield, was one of the early proponents of a commission to study American rural life.

The project, the committee will recall, was an outgrowth of the conservation movement organized by President Roosevelt. This movement obviously included men, women, and children among the nsources of the Nation which it was imperative to conserve. The movement, though emphasizing physical resources, had meaning, indeed, only in terms of the Nation's human resouros

Mr. Roosevelt applauded the efforts, which had been made in the United States to improve soll and sed, incress crops, and develop advenate markering delines. But there was more to farm life than forming adent. He primary interest ways was people. He Adresa horde of the hand be of fer womwn and their reised' Aasper for wider balans more a dermate education for their children. iam agate seal life. Fattering bys and sures Mr.

Roosevelt recognized, was getting a good deal more attention than developing boys and girls for responsible American citizenship.

When Theodore Roosevelt became aware of a public problem, he was restless until he had set machinery in motion to search for a solution. The Country Life Commission was his instrument for finding out what was the matter with rural life in the United States and what could be done about it.

It is not within the sphere of any government to reorganize the farmers' business or reconstruct the social life of farming communities—

President Roosevelt wrote in a special message transmitting to Congress, on February 9, 1909, the report of the Country Life Commission. It is, however, quite within its power to use its influence and the machinery of publicity which it can control for calling public attention to the needs and the facts.

The report brilliantly vindicated the President's vision and made history, intiating a change in social conditions throughout the farming States, which the model T Ford carried forward and the radio completed.

American rural life today has problems wholly different from those 50 years ago, but they call as loudly for study and action as did those on which Theodore Roosevelt set the first Country Life Commission to work.

As director emeritus of the Theodore Roosevelt Association, authorized to represent its board of trustees, and as executive director of the Theodore Roosevelt Centennial Commission, I respectfully urge the passage of H. R. 11844.

I thank the committee for the courtesy of allowing me to appear. Mr. THOMPSON. Thank you very much, Mr. Hagedorn.

Any questions, gentlemen?

Well then, the committee will stand adjourned until 10 o'clock tomorrow morning. Tomorrow morning we will try to finish with all the witnesses, especially those from out of town.

(Whereupon, at 11:55 a. m. the committee adjourned to reconvene Wednesday, July 9, 1958, at 10 a. m.)

ESTABLISHING A COMMISSION ON COUNTRY LIFE

WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 1958

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
SUBCOMMITTEE ON FAMILY FARMS
OF THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE,

Washington, D. C. The subcommittee met pursuant to notice at 10:10 a. m., room 1310, New House Office Building, Washington, D. C., Hon. Clark W. Thompson (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.

Present: Representatives Thompson (presiding), (Mrs.) Knutson, Smith, Tewes, and Teague.

Also present: Representatives Dixon and Quie, Mabel C. Downey, clerk; Francis M. LeMay, staff consultant.

Mr. THOMPSON (presiding). The committee will be in order.

Mr. Hays, you had some papers or documents you wanted to get in the record, I believe?

STATEMENT OF HON. BROOKS HAYS, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE FIFTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS

Mr. HAYS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I would like to ask the committee's permission to insert in the record a telegram from Clarence Poe, the distinguished editor and agricultural leader, which reads as follows:

Never before in our history have our farmers been so confused about what methods and policies they should adopt for success and survival in the next 10 or 20 years. I am sure they would be greatly helped by a Country Life Commission composed of able leaders who would study the present situation and trends and give us their best thinking. I greatly hope you and others interested will succeed in establishing such a new Country Life Commission.

It is signed by Clarence Poe, senior editor and board chairman of the Progressive Farmer.

And also a statement by another well-known and outstanding agricultural leader, Stanley Andrews.

Mr. THOMPSON. Without objection, that will be inserted in the record.

(The document referred to is as follows:)

NATIONAL PROJECT IN AGRICULTURAL COMMUNICATIONS,

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY,
East Lansing, Mich., July 2, 1958.

Hon. HAROLD COOLEY,

Chairman, House Agricultural Committee,

House Office Building, Washington, D. C.

MY DEAR COOLEY: I want to call your attention to the bill now in your committee which was introduced and sponsored in the House by Congressman Hays

of Arkansas, providing for a Second Country Life Conference some 2 or 3 years hence. Such a conference or commission properly set up and properly staffed might well do the job that must be done if we are really to know even the facts about the present situation, and maybe out of this sort of a study might merge a blueprint of action which could be equal to the things that came out of the original conference. This is merely as one American citizen interested in the future of agriculture, expressing the hope that you will get this bill up for a hearing in your committee and get it to the floor, so that it may be considered this session of Congress.

With kindest personal regards,
Sincerely,

STANLEY ANDREWS, Executive Director.

Mr. THOMPSON. Without objection, all pertinent information entered within the next 5 days will be made a part of the record.

The first witness this morning is Dr. Roy C. Buck, professor at Pennsylvania State University and president of the American Country Life Association.

Dr. Buck, will you take the chair, please?

STATEMENT OF ROY C. BUCK, PROFESSOR, PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, AND PRESIDENT, AMERICAN COUNTRY LIFE ASSOCIATION

Mr. Buck. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, and Mr. Hays, I would like to start out this morning by trying to set a little bit of background as to the need for such a commission as we are proposing, and then to state somewhat systematically what the Country Life Association had in mind when the recommendation was made that we come to Washington and ask for an appointment of a second commission on country life.

The thing I think that we need to recognize as people concerned about rural society and agriculture is, and I am sure that many of us know this already, but I think we need to state it again, that there was a time when you could almost denote country life with agriculture. And this was certainly true 50 years ago when the first commission was appointed. But through the improvements in living and ways of making a living, changes in education, changes in transportation, the countryside has ceased to be a place of farmers alone. There are farmers and it still is largely the background of the country community, but there is also a place of residence and a place of making a living for millions of other people who are only indirectly related with agriculture.

They are living in the environment; they are out there for many reasons. And it is this group, coupled with the farm group, that we think of as constituting the rural community or the country community that we have at the present time in the middle 1950's.

Much of what the early Commission recommended has been translated into law and into policy and into various agencies and organizations serving the country community.

I think one of the best examples of this is the excellent program that we think of as agriculture and home economics extension, and also the Smith-Hughes vocational training program in high schools. While I do not believe the early Commission can take full credit for these things, I think that it did operate as a sort of catalytic agent or as a booster in bringing these things to pass.