PROCEEDINGS STATE AGRICULTURAL CONVENTION 175 



are now not included here. The agricultural department should take deep 

 and vital interest not only in those things which apply to the potato and 

 corn or the cow, but those things which are really of greater importance 

 perhaps, that is the real happiness of the people. I want to say that 

 the real happiness of our people depends upon good government. Good 

 government will do as much to bring happiness to the people as any other 

 single thing. Now in the past few years we have watched the steady 

 growth, not only in Iowa, but every state in the union, of the expenditures 

 of government. I am just going to speak in that connection for a moment 

 upon the budget, and in speaking of the budget you understand what I 

 mean by the budget. It is easy enough to say budget and budget and 

 budget, but unless there is something really at heart, some real good in 

 the thing you may as well do as I said a few moments ago, "Give 

 me liberty or give me death." 



You and I have watched the steady increase in taxation during the 

 past few years in Iowa, not only in the state but in the nation as well. 

 I heard an old gentleman speak down at Muscatine in a meeting down 

 there a year ago. I addressed the Farm Bureau, and he said, "Do you 

 know, during the last few years it is just like this, we have just run our 

 automobile so fast that the blamed thing has got beyond our control." 

 We have gone on and on in taxation and increased expenditures. I don't 

 want to complain nor do I want to be understood as complaining or to 

 be misunderstood as condemning these wonderful things Iowa has had. 

 I appreciate you are here trying to get more of this than I can give you 

 because I have not that rhetorical flow necessary to bring these things 

 to you, but I don't believe any of you, I don't believe there is a boy or 

 girl, man or woman in Iowa that would surrender her wonderful school 

 system for anything. I don't believe you would surrender any of the 

 wonderful things you have, not for anything; her wonderful institutions 

 for the unfortunate which are models for other states throughout the 

 union— you would not surrender those things, nor would I. But some- 

 times I think this, I say why don't you as a people have in every city 

 and town in Iowa a great cathedral equal to St. Peter's with beautiful 

 pictures on the wall painted by Raphael, Rembrandt and Michaelangelo, 

 and beautiful statuary in every corner, have marble floors and marble 

 inlaid steps, and all those things. Why don't you have it? I will tell 

 you why you don't have it. Simply because you can't afford it, that is all. 

 The thought I have is this and it should be obvious, it seems to me, be- 

 cause it is a fundamental, that we should progress just as rapidly as we 

 can, keeping always in mind the thought that as a people we must live 

 within our income. And I want to tell you that you can talk about 

 budget and you can talk about reduction in taxation, but if your people 

 as a people, your state as a state, your county government as a county 

 and city government as a city, will live within its income during the 

 years, your taxes instead of going up will go down. There is not any 

 question about the matter at all, with due regard to all who may dis- 

 agree with what I say. Therefore it seems to me, in the enactment of a 

 budget which is coming up, the heart of the thing is to compel living 

 within income. 



