234 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



these demands, then see that such men are sent here. We will never 

 become a big state on the three cent plan. People are willing to pay- 

 taxes if they know that the money is going to bring results. Do not 

 blame the people for not wanting to pay taxes if they only get thirty-five 

 cents on the dollar in value. The trouble with Iowa has been this: We 

 make the original investment and then do not go on and spend the neces- 

 sary money to make that investment pay dividends. It is not fair to you 

 men who devote your time and energy to building this great fair out 

 here that it should simply be in existence for one week in the year. 

 The information that can be and is accumulated here ought to be used 

 during the weeks and months of the coming year and taken where it 

 will do the most good. Where it will reach all the people of the state. 

 The way to do this is to create a publicity department. 



I "vfas very much interested in w^hat my good friend Beckman said 

 about the beet industry of Waverly. It occurred to me, friend Beckman, 

 that perhaps the state of Iowa ought to have taken legal action against 

 that newspaper which published the interview w^hich nearly killed the 

 beet indutry in the state. Every once in a while some newspaper will take 

 a rap at Iowa, at some of Iowa's industries, in the guise of news and 

 nearly strangle the thing to death. My good newspaper friends, I hope 

 you will talk over with the managing editor the importance of seeing 

 to it that the news items that go out do not injure enterprises in the state. 

 I do not believe a newspaper has or ought to have the right to print such 

 stories until it finds out whether they are facts and whether or not they 

 will injure the interests in the state that ought to be protected. Print 

 the truth, but do not print the "hot air" stories simply for the sake of 

 printing something. 



A friend of mine was telling me today that Iowa leads the nation in 

 the production of corn and oats. This, as I understand it, is according to 

 government report. I have not seen the news in any newspaper printed 

 in Iowa. Such a startling fact ought to furnish a slug head in some good 

 Iowa newspaper. If some of those western states had something like 

 that they would telegraph it around the world every day for a week. 

 They w^ould let the folks know everywhere that they were leading in 

 something, yet in Iowa we go along and pay no attention to these things. 

 What we want is better co-operation for publicity. What we want is 

 better co-operation among organizations of this kind and our newspapers 

 They want the news. The public wants the news and the news will help 

 Iowa. 



I have had in a small way experience on the other side of the question. 

 I was a reporter once and I know how hard it is to get news out of the 

 fellow who really has information to give out. The newspapers of Iowa 

 would gladly print many of the important facts that have been displayed 

 here this afternoon by our friends, but nobody gives them to the papers. 

 The reporter is a busy man. The sensational story is easy to write and 

 is eagerly sought by the public. The result is the sensational story is 

 furnished rather than the cold, hard facts. We need publicity in Iowa 

 and the fair association of the state owes a duty to the state to see to 

 it that the information that is gathered because of its position here is 



