272 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



State of Iowa more than a million attended the county and district 

 fairs, the interstate and the state fairs. 



Now, to direct the thought of this great army to march in step 

 with the progress of our times, these gentlemen, representatives of 

 the fairs of Iowa, ask the co-operation and the thought of our best 

 people, and the assistance of the best citizenship of our state, and 

 with us this evening is a man of this type ; he stands for the 

 better life, the higher citizenship, and, if you please, fearlessly, 

 regardless of consequences, for the things that in the future will 

 measure the greatness of this commonwealth. It gives me great 

 pleasure to introduce to you this evening Governor Clarke of 

 Iowa. (Applause.) 



GOVERNOR CLARKE'S ADDRESS. 



Getlemen, I do not know of anything that I ever did, or any experience 

 that I ever had in life that would fit me to speak upon an occasion 

 like this. Perhaps very much that I may say tonight will be said by some 

 lawyer to be incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial to this occasion. 

 If that is so, when I am done you can move to strike it from the record 

 and let it go at that. 



I suppose that the fundamental thing with reference to our county, 

 district, and State fairs, is the betterment of the agricultural and ani- 

 mal industries of the State. In other words, for the purpose of better- 

 ing the condition of people in every possible way. Because a county 

 fair or a state fair does, in its length and breadth, and in its fullness, take 

 into consideration everything that would tend to elevate and make life 

 better, every feature that would appeal to our life. The fundamental 

 purpose of it all is the betterment of human conditions. That is what 

 everything should be for. The state, as I understand it, contributes, 

 under certain circumstances, to the fair associations. The state would 

 make no contribution to anything except for the benefit of all of the 

 people. It could not possibly have any other purpose in an appropriation 

 except for the benefit of all of the people. 



I want to suggest here that there is a ganeral feeling over the country 

 that there is something wrong with rural conditions. We hear a great 

 deal of talk about "Back to the Farm" and all that kind of thing. I can 

 not see that there is anything particularly wrong with rural conditions 

 in the State of Iowa. When I look over this state, and as I go about the 

 state, I am forced to the conclusion that rural conditions never were 

 better in the history of mankind than they are in Iowa this very 

 night. (Applause) Never was there more comfort in the homes, never 

 were the homes so good as they are tonight, never was there such pros- 

 perity in this or any other state, or in any country under the sun than 

 there is tonight in the rural conditions of the people of the State of 

 Iowa. So that it seems to me when we begin to talk about "Back to the 

 Farm" and about there being something wrong in rural conditions in 



