172 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



my friends, who are seated here, that the state of Iowa owes to you men 

 and the efforts of you men a debt of gratitude that it will be hard to pay, 

 because as Iowa affords the best, it is thru the efforts of you men that 

 that best is accumulated at your county fairs and at the great Iowa state 

 fair. 



Speaking of fairs, my friends, you know that if there is one thing that 

 should make the Iowa farmer proud of his business and his occupation, 

 if there is one thing that should make the Iowa stock-breeder proud of 

 his position and his occupation, it is the wonderful exhibits he sees as he 

 walks thru the county and state fairs. I want to say this to you, that I 

 never go out to this state fair and see the wonderful productivity of the 

 state, but I feel on leaving that I am prouder that I am an lowan than I 

 "was before I went in, because when I see the wonders that the soil has 

 produced, when I see the wonders that the stockmen have produced, I 

 say that any man should say, and say it proudly, that he is proud to be a 

 citizen of a state that can do those things. ^ 



Now, my friends, since you last met around these banquet boards, we 

 have witnessed a wonderful war, and we have come to the end of it. I 

 will never forget the last day of the state fair (of which, thru the courtesy 

 of the fair management, I was one of the timers), after the last race was 

 run, I looked over that crowd, that magnificent crowd of loyal Americans, 

 and said to myself, "Well, goodbye old fair, we won't have any more until 

 this war is over". But I know you are pleased tonight, my friends, to 

 know that thru the efforts of the boys in khaki and the prayers and the 

 wishes and the hopes of the people at home, that on the opening of the 

 next state fair and your next county fair, you will not have the proposi- 

 tions to meet that you had to meet this year, for under the dome of the 

 skies of heaven we will have our fairs under peace conditions and apart 

 from the things that have worried you in the past year or two. I want to 

 say this to you, if any one went out to this Iowa state fair and sat there in 

 that magnificent amphitheatre, and the only thing that you saw or heard 

 was the band striking up the "Star Spangled Banner" and the display of 

 that great service banner with its 86,000 and more stars representing the 

 Iowa boys in the service of their country, I say that that alone paid for 

 all of your trouble in coming and for all the expense that you were put 

 to, because you went away feeling a lot prouder that you are an Amer- 

 ican citizen. 



Now, my friends, I say that you are welcome in Des Moines. I know 

 that the officials here will take good care of you, and I see a double-bar- 

 reled contingent here from the Chamber of Commerce who will look after 

 you and all your interests, Mr. Faxon and Mr. Hamilton, as well as. the 

 Glee Club — Faxon will steer you out, Hamilton will bail you out, and the 

 Glee Club will sing you out — and I only hope that we will see you again 

 next year, so I will bid you goodnight, and I thank you. 



The Toastmaster: The program announces a response by J. C. Beck- 

 ner, but as he was unavoidably detained at home, I am going to call on 

 Mr. C. E. Cameron for a response at this time. 



C. E. Cameron: Mr. Toastmaster, Governor, and Gentlemen of the 

 Association of Fairs of Iowa: 



