PROCEEDINGS STATE AGRICULTURAL CONVENTION 43 



J presuiiie you are anxious to know of the future. The government is 

 trying to help the farmer along with the heavy burden he is carrying by 

 establishing the War Finance Corporation. This only extends the credits 

 he has already made. What the farmer wants more than anything else is 

 a fair compensation for the work he is doing, and that means a fair price 

 for the crops he is producing. 



During the war we loaned to foreign countries about ten billion dollars 

 to help them carry on the war and they were to take it all out in munitions 

 and other commodities to carry on the war. Now these countries owe us 

 this money and there has been quite a discussion as to whether they will 

 ever be able to pay this back. They never will unless they are able to 

 work, and they cannot work unless they are fed, but they have no money 

 to buy our foodstuffs, with which our granaries are filled to overflowing. 

 As an illustration, if you have loaned a man a sum of money and you feel 

 that you have loaned him all that he is entitled to, but he comes to you 

 and says that he will have to have a little more to carry him through, 

 you look at it in a business way and, in order to save what you have 

 already invested, you comply with his request. That is just the way I feel 

 about our foreign loans. Let the government advance them another billion, 

 if necessary, to be taken out in farm products. Then they will go back to 

 work and try to help themselves and by so doing will, at the same time, 

 drive away the long faces from the producers of our country, and thus all 

 the people will be benefited, for it has always been said that the prosperity 

 of our country depends largely upon agriculture, and when the farmer is 

 doing well all other lines of business feel the effect. 



Iowa is all right. It might be said that her land values increased a little 

 too strong during the boom time, but I do not anticipate any great reduc- 

 tion in the price of farm lands, for Iowa has the reputation of never having 

 a crop failure. She always raises more than she consumes and has some 

 to sell, and she will come out of the financial difficulty as did the old 

 salamander out of the fire. 



The secretary, Mr. Corey, has gotten out a complete report of the 1921 

 fair, and I am sure we are all pleased with the showing that has been 

 made under the existing conditions. 



This year this convention is made up of ninety-two county and district 

 fairs with a few members from the county institutes, and I want to give 

 you managers of these institutions a word of encouragement for the coming 

 year. You know there is always a silver lining to every cloud. Go home 

 with the determination to make the 1922 fairs the best in their history, 

 with the least possible expense. 



President Cameron: The next thing in order is the appointment 

 of committees. I will appoint as a Committee on Credentials, F. E. 

 Sheldon, Mt, Ayr; Roy Rowland, Mahaska; Mose Stanbery, Web- 

 ster. Committee on Resolutions, W. G. Smith, Lyon ; S. D. Quarton, 

 Kossuth; R. S. Johnston, Louisa county. 



Wq will next have the report of our secretary, Air. A. R. Corey. 



