Apnl 21, 1924 



The PEnoM AgrJcnlhiral A«»€>q«tion Recorci 



Pace 3 



Thompson Asks Coolidge*s 

 ' Support of McNary Bill 



Chicago, 111., April 8, 1924. 

 The Honorable 



The President of the United States. 

 Dear Mr. President : 



In your address to the people of the United States, delivered 

 at New York on Febroarj- 12, you presented a clear picture of 

 the existing condition in agriculture and its effect on other parts 

 of our national structure. You identified the cause when you 

 said : 



"To this depression there have been other contributing causes, 

 but the main difficulty has been the price of farm products." 



The situation unmistakably 

 .^il^-iSads to this conclusion, and ag- 

 riculturally minded men endorse 

 It. 



You said on that occasion: 



"There Is no sound policy 

 which Is narrow or sectional 

 or limited. • • When there 

 is a difficulty which affects so 

 large a population, so large an 

 area, and so Important an in- 

 terest as that of agriculture, 

 it is distinctly a national ques- 

 Uon." 



"Real Gleam of Hope" 

 There is a real gleam of hope 

 for agriculture In your great dec- 

 laration in the metropolis of 

 America : 



"The people of these nu- 

 merous states cast an enor- 

 mous Influence on the making 

 of the laws by which you are 

 governed. * • ThiA problem is 

 not merely the problem of the 

 agricultural section of our 

 country, it is the problem of 

 industry, of transportation, of 

 commerce, and of banking." 

 Your remarkable address from 

 which we quote lays down before 

 the nation in language that may 

 not be misunderstood the con- 

 dition and the cause, and directs 

 attention to the common respon- 

 sibility of applying the remedy. 



Substance of Measure 



The hope of agriculture centers 

 upon the principles contained in 

 the McNary-Haugen bill now be- 

 fore Congrats. In brief, the sub- 

 stance of this measure is: 



1. To enable the proc^ucers, 

 through an agency created for 

 them, to purchase or to con- 

 tract with others to purchase, 

 the exportable surplus of cer- 

 tain basic crops at the same 

 exchange value compared with 

 other commodities that ot>- 

 tained for a normally represen- 

 tative period prior to the war. 



2. To protect that value by 

 an adequate tariff. 



3. To enable^ the producers 

 to sell this surplus at the best 

 prices ruling In the world mar- 

 kets. 



4. To collect the loss there- 

 on and the costs of operation, 

 from the producer. 



5. To return to the Treas- 

 ury any funds advanced by it. 

 This measure rests upon the 



promise laid down in your New 

 York address. It prescribes the 

 remedy for the basic difficulty of 

 discriminatory price. The ob- 

 jections that have thus far been 

 advanced against it rest alsiost 

 wholly upon misrepresentations 

 of the plan. They are that this 

 is price fixing; that It will im- 

 pair or destroy existing agencies 

 that perform useful functions; 

 that a circulating medium of in- 

 determinate value will ensue; 

 that international complication 

 will result; that increased pro- 

 duction will follow. 



Will Not Stand Analysis 

 ° Not one of these objections 

 will wlthsUnd the test of close 



I 



. 



analysis. They proceed mainly 

 from one source out of which 

 the element of selfish interest is 

 not lacking. It is only fair that 

 this organization of agricultural 

 producers be permitted to observe 

 that Julius Barnes, grain-export- 

 er, should not be permitted to 

 write the agricultural policies of 

 America. From everywhere in- 

 tellectual assent has been given 

 to your proposition that agricul- 

 ture is In distress and that a 

 remedy is called for. 



Have the objectors a better 

 plan to accomplish the necessary 

 end? It so, the common interest 

 demands that they make it 

 known. 



Asks President's Aid 



With deepest appreciation of 

 your great service in calling at- 

 tention to the critical situation, 

 we wish respectfully to ask you 

 for further leadership in aiding 

 as far as you properly can, the 

 enactment into law of this meas- 

 ure that provides equality for 

 agriculture in the network of 

 protective legislation that sup- 

 ports industry, and finance, and 

 labor, and transportation in our 

 present-day structure. 



Yours very respectfully, 

 Illinois Agricultural Association. 

 8. H. Thompson, 



President. 



24th District Asks 

 I. A. A. To Establish 

 Grain M^ktg Plan 



A resolution that the I. A. A. 

 get behind a definite grain mar- 

 keting program and that it ac- 

 tively cooperate in establishing 

 grain marketing work in Illinois 

 at an early date on a feasible 

 national plan was passed at the 

 first farm bureau district meet- 

 ing of the 24th district, March 

 24th, at Fairfield. 



The I. A. A. was also asked to 

 make an investigation toward se- 

 curing a cooperative outlet tor 

 eggs and poultry. Farm Ad- 

 viser W. E. Hart of Clay county 

 told of the experience of that 

 county with a cooperative egg 

 shipping association. It was dis- 

 continued due to lack of contracts 

 with members, small volume of 

 business and poor grading meth- 

 ods. 



The meeting requested the I. 

 A. A. Phosphate-Limestone de- 

 partment to take immediate 

 steps to secure a good strong 

 differential price on limestone 

 as between farm bureau mem- 

 bers and non-memi 



aq^K 



The McNary-Haq^R bill was 

 unanimously endorsed and an ex- 

 pression of appreciation was giv- 

 en to Congressman T. S. Wil- 

 liams of the district for with- 

 drawing his proposed amendment 

 to the Packers-Stockyards Act. 



Twenty delegates attended ^e 

 meeting, representing Wayne, 

 Clay, White, Oallatin, Johnson, 

 Saline and Pope counties. 



THE McNARY-HAUGEN BILL 

 An Act to Create Equalitjr 



FOR AGRICULTURE — ',. . . '" . j • 



In brief, the substance of this measure la— 



1. To enable the producers, through an agency created 

 for them, to purchase or to contract with others to 

 purchase, certain basic crops until the price thereof 

 rises to the same exchange value compared with other 

 commodities that obtained for a normally representa- 

 tive period prior to the war. 



2. To protect that value by an adequate tariff. 



3. To enable the producers to sell the quantity so pitr 

 chased (which constitutes the exportable surplus) 

 at the best prices ruling in the world markets. 



4. To collect from the producer whatever loss there may 

 be on the exportable surplus and the costs of opera- 

 tion of the agency. 



5. To return to the Treasury any funds advanced by It. 



WITH INDUSTRY— LABOR— 



Industry controls Its own marketing mechanism, is pro- 

 tected by the Tariff, encouraged by "legislative enact- 

 ments" to combine for export trade (Webb-Pomerene 

 and Edge bills), and stands its own loss of operations. 



Labor is protected by "legislative enactment," i. e., the 

 Adamson law and the restriction of immigration, j 



20th DISTRICT MEN 

 ASK RAINEY NOT TO 

 HINDER McNARY BILL 



Take Representative to Task For 



Opposing Relief Measure; 



Pass Resolutions 



Forty-two representatives of 

 the nine county farm bureaus 

 in the 20th congressional district 

 met at Jacksonville, April 10, 

 and drew up a letter to Con- 

 gressman Henry T. Rainey. ex- 

 pressing their disappointment in 

 his attitude in opposing the Mc- 

 Nary-Haugen bill and asking 

 him, if he cannot support the 

 measure, at least not to hinder 

 its coming on the floor of the 

 House for discussion and roll 

 call. 



The letter also made it plain 

 to Mr. Rainey that they are 

 supporting the measure because 

 they understand the bill and be- 

 lieve in it and it was upon their 

 advice and request, with other 

 farm bureau officers of the state, 

 that President Thompson has 

 taken such an active part in de- 

 manding that Illinois congress- 

 men support the bill. 



Chicago Sanitary District 



The meeting also went on rec- 

 ord recommending that the 

 amount of water dumped into 

 the Illinois river by the Chicago 

 Sanitary district be limited by 

 law and that the Illinois river 

 should not l>ecome a dumping 

 ground for all Chicago sewage. 



M. H. Petersen of the I. A. A. 

 told about the tuberculosis erad- 

 ication campaign in Illinois and 

 how the association is helping 

 in Its progress. A motion was 

 passed instructing the I. A. A. 

 to appoint a committee to in- 

 vestigate the present system of 

 obtaining abstracts for farm 

 property and, if possible, to work 

 out some method which would 

 be less expensive. 



The following is the letter sent 

 by the farm bureaus of the dis- 

 trict to Congressman Rainey: 



Rainey Letter 

 Our Dear Mr. Rainey: — 



We, the presidents, officers, 

 executive committeemen a.nd farm 

 advisers of the farm bureaus of 

 the 20th Congressional District, 

 in our regular quarterly meeting 

 assembled at JacksonviIlt> on this 

 the 10th day of April, ]$24, beg 



leave to present to you the fol- 

 lowing statement of facts; which 

 after careful preparation and con- 

 sideration set forth our indi- 

 vidual and collective feelihgs and 

 convictions as to what is com- 

 monly known as the McNary-Hau- 

 gen bill. 



' First, Sam H. Th<impson. 

 President of the Illinois Agricul- 

 tural Association, has not dictat- 

 ed to us in regard to this meas- 

 ure, but we have directed! him in 

 his former communications to you 

 and he has acted only upon our 

 advice and at our request, along 

 with the advice and request of 

 the officers of the other farm bu- 

 reaus of the state of Illinois, es- 

 pecially at the meeting In Chi- 

 cago, March 6th. 



Have Studied BUI 



Second, we have as individ- 

 ual farmers and meml>ers of the 

 farm bureaus carefully studied 

 this bill and thoroughly l>elieve 

 it is a long step in the tight di- 

 rection toward relieving the pres- 

 ent distressful state of Agricul- 

 ture. 



- Third, we felt after your 

 early endorsement of this meas- 

 ure that you would support the 

 same, representing as •yoU do a 

 large agricultural district; but 

 we are much disappointed to find 

 that you have not only ftiiled to 

 support the measure as written 

 and have also neglected ito offer 

 any friendly constructive amend- 

 ments to same and furthermore 

 have taken a very leading part 

 in opposition to this measure. 



Fourth, we feel that we have 

 a perfect right to ask you to 

 take one of the following posi- 

 tions; first, support the bill as 

 written, second, failing in that 

 assist in a friendly way in mak- 

 ing constructive amendments 

 or additions to the bill. Or, 

 third, at leAst permit the bill so 

 far as lies In your power, to 

 come on the fioor of the House 

 for discussion and roll call. 



— 20th District Farm Bureaus. 



BIGGAR LEAAIKG I. A. A. 



G. C. Biggar, who has served 

 the I. A. A. as Assistant Director 

 of Information for the past 14 

 months, has resigned to accept a 

 position with the Sears-Roebuck 

 Agricultural Foundation. He wiU 

 l>e connected with the agricul- 

 tural radio broadcast4ng station 

 which was recently established 

 His successor in the I. A. A. has 

 not been named. 



SCHOOL SURVEY OF 

 STATE LAUNCHED 

 I BY ASSOCIATION 



educational Committee Submits 



Plans; Farm Bureau Folks 



Asked To Help 



Plans for investigation of the 

 school problems of the state with 

 a view to bettering school con- 

 ditions were outlined by the ad- 

 visory educational committee at 

 the meeting' of the I. A. A. 

 executive committee April 4. 



These plans include a survey 

 of the state with the help of the 

 farm bureaus to determine the 

 attitude of the farmers toward 

 such educational problems as 

 consolidation, revenue relation- 

 ship, enlargement and unification 

 of administration. 



A questionnaire will be suit 

 to all farm bureau members Itr- 

 ing in consolidated high schoJI 

 districu. township high BCbool 

 districts and community high 

 school districts to determine 

 their attitude toward these in- 

 stitutions. 



Encage Supervisor 

 G. W. Willett, Superintendent 

 at Schools at La Grange, Illinois, 

 has been engaged as Supervisor 

 of Investigations to serve on a 

 temporary basis during the sum- 

 mer. 



The committee, which consists 

 of J. L. Whisnand. Charleston. 

 A. C. Everingham, Hutsonviiie, 

 and E. W. RuSk, Carlinville, will 

 make a study of rural school 

 problems from the standpoint of 

 rural school teachers and county 

 school superintendents. It plans 

 also (o work in cooperation with 

 J. 0. Watson of the taxation de- 

 partment insofar as school prol>- 

 lems are related to tax matters. 



Snggentions Wanted 



Definite suggestions from farm 

 bureau members as to needed 

 changes in school laws will be 

 welcomed by the committee. 



"We believe," said the chair- 

 man, "that we have an impor- 

 tant piece of work to do. We 

 also believe we have a workable 

 plan that will get for the I. A. 

 A. and for all cititeos of the 

 atate, much needed Information." 



First Farm Bureau . 

 Radio Community 

 Meet Big Success 



Farm bureau folks from all 

 ^ver the United SUtes attended 

 tile first farm bureau radio com- 

 munity meeting broadcasted from 

 SUtion KYW, Chicago, under the 

 auspices of the American Farm 

 Bureau Federation, Tuesday 

 night, April 8. 



Secretary Coverdale of the 

 A. F. B. F. was chairman of 

 the meeting. Songs, reports of 

 projects, agricultural news and 

 special talks featured the meet- 

 ing. It was. without doubt, the 

 largest attended farm bureau 

 eommnnity meeting in historj-. 



The A. F. B. F. is now Lroad- 

 eastlng from SUtion KYW at 

 t:20 on Tuesday and Friday 

 nights with special features each 

 time. Arrangements are being 

 made for the formation of a na- 

 tional radio forum, composed of 

 several leading farm organisa- 

 tions, to broadcast agricultural 

 programs from Chicago and oth- 

 er points. Secretary Fox of the 

 I. A. A. is chairman of the com- 

 mittee arranging the new plan. 



k 



