158 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



take a position with regard to building up agriculture and rural 

 life. 



So our bankers were the first to take up the agricultural 

 work, and that idea has spread until thirty-six bankers' asso- 

 ciations have such committees and now the American Bankers' 

 Association has taken it up. For three years those various 

 committees in the thirty-six state associations have been getting 

 together twice a year and conferring in regard to the rural situa- 

 tion. Our meeting for 1913 was held in Kansas City, and we 

 had a two days' meeting — sessions morning, afternoon and 

 evening — with twenty-seven states represented. Every topic, 

 every subject on that program was entirely devoted to agri- 

 culture and rural life — not a word said about banking in any 

 way at all, excepting in reference to agricultural and rural 

 credits. I am not here to speak for the bankers, but it is due 

 them to say these things. While I am a banker, I am, above 

 all things, a farmer. The larger part of my worldly goods and 

 all my sentimental interest is in farming and in trying to make 

 agriculture and rural life better. 



It is very easy for the politician and demogogue to knock 

 the banker. It appeals to the farmers; you know that. It is 

 done in every Legislature and in every Congress, and is a cheap, 

 worn-out game. 



But a new sentiment has spread over this country in the 

 last four or five years, growing alf the while, for the people are 

 beginning to think for themselves, getting separated from many 

 old lines; beginning to be a really , free people; beginning to 

 realize life really means something besides the dollar mark. 

 There is that feeling of service on the part of an ever-growing 

 portion of the people, and while it has been long delayed, unfor- 

 tunately a large volume of that feeling and effort is devoted to 

 improving agriculture and rural life. Your afternoon is about 

 closed and I will not take your time further, but it is fine to be 

 here with you in Missouri, and I am to speak to you tonight 

 on another subject. I don't need to tell you that your Bankers' 

 Association here in Missouri has a splendid committee on agri- 

 culture and the bankers have been largely instrumental in 

 extending the farm demonstration work. That just reminds 

 me of your own Sam Jordan of Pettis county, whom many of 

 you know. We had him speak to the conference in Kansas 

 City, and then brought him on to Boston and had him speak 

 to the American Bankers' Convention in Boston with some five 



