ELEVENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART IV. 185 



Mr. Ames : There is a matter that I want to bring up at this 

 time. I want to call the attention of the association to the fact 

 that the past seven years — the life of this association — have shown 

 the most unprecedented advance in agriculture and values in the 

 history of Iowa. There are only a few classes of individuals that 

 have not received a part of these advances, and I want to ask if, 

 in your opinion, they ought not to be included in our prosperity. 

 I refer to the minister in the pulpit, the teacher in the schoolroom 

 and the clerk behind the counter. You can readily see that it costs 

 them more to live the three hundred and sixty-five days in the 

 year than it did seven years ago. Included in that class of indi- 

 viduals is the president of this association, who has labored faith- 

 fully upon a salary that is not commensurate with the dignity of 

 his office. I believe I voice the sentiment of every member of this 

 association when I say that it is our will that Mr. Sykes' salary 

 should be increased sufficiently to in some degree compensate him 

 for the work that he performs. It is not an easy position that he 

 occupies, and the meager sum of $1,000 a year does not go very 

 far today. I therefore move that it be the sentiment of this asso- 

 ciation that the board of directors increase the salary of the presi- 

 dent of this association. 



Mr. Ryan: I want to second that motion, and also to make a 

 few remarks. I want to say that I realize that a man can't sup- 

 port his family on a salary of $1,000 a year if he hasn't any other 

 means. The boy that I took into my office five or six years ago, 

 at a salary of $30 a month, I am now paying within $60 of the 

 salary that we are paying Mr. Sykes, and he struck me the other 

 day for a raise ; and for fear of losing him I believe I will have to 

 give it, because, on inquiring around a little, I don't know as I 

 can do any better. You can't hire a good farmhand for much less 

 than what Sykes is getting; and in view of the fact that he was 

 patriotic enough to stay with us and help us when we didn't have 

 the means to do any better, we ought, now that the prospect looks 

 good for money enough, to pay him somewhere near what he is 

 worth. I really don't believe we ought to make it binding on the 

 board of directors, but simply make a recommendation, because I 

 have the utmost confidence in the board. (The motion was put by 

 Senator Ames, and declared carried.) 



President Sykes: I hope you people will not think that I was 

 holding out because I wanted a raise in my salary. That wasn't 

 what I was after, and I don't want it to appear in that way. This 



