FOURTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART III 281 



and I talked with some who opposed the consolidation. They said they 

 fought it as hard as they could, but they said that now not a naan would 

 undertake to go back to the old conditions, they would fight to the death 

 a proposition to return. They had seen the advantages and were reaping 

 the benefits from it, and Spencer county now has more consolidated 

 schools than any other county in the state of Iowa, simply by that illus- 

 tration. So we will come to these things in that sort of way — by be- 

 ginning with a concrete example. Our roads are coming that way, 

 and there will be no need for compulsion. Let the Lincoln highway 

 show, as it will by and by, the increase of lands and all that sort of thing, 

 and the rest will follow. Transportation makes a country, transportation 

 will increase the value of lands, transportation will bring more money 

 for your farm products because more easily and quickly marketed. But 

 I have said enough, and perhaps talked longer than I ought to have done. 

 I thought it would be well, however, if I could, to impress here upon 

 this representative gathering of the people of the State the things that 

 do make a people great, and the things that they ought to consider, that 

 they ought to study in the interest of human welfare. I hope you men 

 who manage the fairs can find some way to introduce into them some of 

 these features. Can you not bring men who are experts along these lines 

 to talk to the people in connection with the exhibition given, and show 

 them, not simply the exhibition, but how it was accomplished, and the 

 benefit that there is in it. I thank you gentlemen for your attention. 

 (Prolonged Applause.) 



The President: T understand that Colonel Kraschel is not 

 present with us this evening. Mr. Cullison has kindly consented 

 to take his place on the program, and it gives me great pleasure 

 to introduce to you Hon. G. W. Cullison of Harlan, who will 

 address you. 



MR. CULLISON'S ADDRESS. 



Mr. Toastmaster and Gentlemen of This Association: 



I ought to apologize to you for being here, and I shall tell you just 

 how it happened. I was not at home yesterday, I was at Avoca attending 

 court. I got a telephone call from Colonel Kraschel, who lives in my 

 town, Harlan, and lives only just a few rods from me, and I think a great 

 deal of him, he is a most admirable man, but the telephone did not work 

 very well, and I understood him to say to me, "Mr. Cullison, I understand 

 you are going to Des Moines tomorrow to attend the supreme court." I 

 said, "I am." He said, "I want you to do me a favor." I said, "I will 

 be glad to do so, Colonel" and he then tried to tell me through the 'phone 

 and I could not quite understand, it worked so poorly, but he said to 

 me that Mr. Pickard w^ould be down and explain. Well — I thought I w".s 

 going down here to do some errand or kindness for Colonel Kraschel. 

 Mr. Pickard got me this morning down in the lobby of the Savery, took 

 me off into a corner and whispered to me that he wanted me to make 

 Colonel Kraschel's speech. That is the way I came to be here, and I 



