180 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



who are demanding high-priced steaks has increased rapidly, and the eat- 

 ing mouths are increasing, doubling and trebling, the men who are actual- 

 ly out on the farms producing beef have not increased in number. On 

 the contrary, if anything, there is a gradual tendency to shrinkage. And 

 the question before the stockmen now for the future is. What is going 

 to hold the young men of this country to the stock producing business? 



Now I am not going to attempt to answer that question any further 

 than to say that rural life must be made attractive in the Mississippi 

 valley. In the open competition of opportuunities in life there must be 

 something just as attractive in rural life to the young men and the 

 young women of the future as there is to town life, because, my friends, 

 the money is going to accumulate here to such an extent that the young 

 men of the future are going to be in position to choose what life they 

 will pursue, and they are not going to remain on the farm simply because 

 they have to stay there. And unless rural life in the Mississippi valley can 

 be made attractive, the young men are not going to remain in rural pur- 

 suits. 



Now I could say something tonight on the general subject of how 

 to make rural life attractive in the Mississippi valley, but I presume it 

 v/ould be better, in the short time that we have, that I talk about some- 

 thing else. I am going to offer just one sentiment in connection with 

 rural life, and that is our life in this great state tonight, and that is 

 to encourage upon stockmen, upon all men, a more careful attention to 

 public affairs. 



Now it is very easy for us to flatter ourselves that we are giving 

 attention to public affairs, but the fact is, my friends, that our pri- 

 mary elections and our other references and referendums of public ques- 

 tions to the people have been disappointing, and with the tendency in 

 these later years of bringing government directly home to the people unless 

 the people are willing to assume the responsibilities which this increase 

 in rights brings to them, we are going to find ourselves seriously disap- 

 pointed in some of the results. Now we have had in this city within the 

 past ten days a referendum of the proposition to vote $500,000 of our 

 money to the schools of this city. There are not less than 20,000 male 

 voters in the independent district of Des Moines. There were probably 

 20,000 more female voters who were entitled to vote on that bonding 

 question. A great effort was made to interest the women in this elec- 

 tion. Out of a total number of votes in the district — certainly not less 

 than 35,000 — the highest vote polled was 5,000 votes, and that vote was 

 so distributed and so cast that it was evident on the face of it that it 

 was cast almost wholly with reference to local interests and local preju- 

 dices. As a referendum it was a farce. It cost this city $5,000 to hold 

 that special election. 



I say to you tonight that the initiative and the referendum will only 

 be failures and followed by disappointments unless the people can be 

 brought to a keener realization of the responsibilities of citizenship and 

 the necessity of interesting themselves in these public questions. Now 

 what has been the effect of the primary election? What have been the 

 results? It has been necessary for our legislature to actual Iv enact a law 



