Pi«e 8 



The lUinoi* Ag^ricultural Auodation Record 



May 5, 1924 



17th District Commends 

 i Thompson; Flays Rainey 



Representatives of the 17th 

 Congressional district* which in- 

 cludes the counties of Woodford, 

 Uvingston, Ford, Logan and Me 

 Lean, met at the McLean County 

 Farm bureau building in Bloom- 

 ington. April 23 with a good 

 delegation even though field work 

 was in, progress. Frank Barton 

 of Cornell, executive committee- 

 man of the I. A. A. from this 

 district, took a prominent part 

 in the meeting explaining many 

 points over which controversy 

 arose. 



George J. Stoll, president of 

 the Logan County Farm Bureau 

 was elected chairman for the day. 

 Succeeding meetings are to be 

 conducted by the other presidents 

 of the districts in order. J. H. 

 Checkley, farm adviser of Logan 

 county, acted as secretary. 

 Letters Express Sentiment 



Among many matters consid- 

 ered, the most outstanding ac- 

 tion of the day was the drafting 

 and adoption of three letters — 

 one to Congressman Rainey mak- 

 ing it plain that the 17th dis- 

 trict representatives were un- 

 qualifiedly behind their presi- 

 dent, S. H. Thompson ; one to 

 Mr. Thompson commending his 

 work for the I. A. A. and of the 

 work being done by the associa- 

 tion itself; and one to Congress- 

 man Frank H. Funk thanking 

 him for his expressed intention 

 to. vote for the McIfJary-Haugen 

 bill. The letters to Mr. Rainey 

 and Mr. Thompson follow: 



Bloomington. 111. 



^ April 23. 1924. 



Hon. Henry T. Rainey. 

 House of Representatives, 

 Washington. D. C. 

 Dear Mr. Rainey: 



We note that in your controversy 

 with President S. H. Thompson of 

 the Illinois AgricuUural Association 

 over the merits of the McXary- 

 Haugen bill that you are indulKine 

 in personalitieR and criticism of 

 such a character as to suggest that 

 your opposition to this matter is 

 not altogether an impersonal one. 



With reference to President 

 Thompson's conduct in this matter 

 we wish to make plain that Hie is 

 merely carrying out one of the 

 many duties of his office and func- 

 tioning as an energetic and able 

 executive should. 



As active farmer members of the 

 farm bureaus of the 17th district 

 we wish to inform you that Presi- 

 dent Thompson has our whole 

 hearted support and that your re- 

 marks will fail to destroy confidence 

 In him or the organization he repre- 

 sents. 



Very truly yours. 

 Faimi Bureaus of the 17th District. 



Bloomington. III. 

 April 23. 1924. 

 Pre*. S. H. Thompson. 

 Illinois Agricultural Assooiation. 

 €08 South Dearborn Street. 

 Chicago. Illinois. 

 Dear Mr. Thompson: i, 



We have noted in the farm press 

 extracts from a vicious attack made 

 upon you by Congressman Rainey 

 of the 20th district, in which he in- 

 sinuates that the Illinois Agricul- 

 tural Association and you in par- 

 ticular are guilty of extravagance 

 in the expenditure of funds en- 

 trusted to you. 



We believe this criticism is the 

 outgrowth of unreasoning anger on 

 the part of Mr. Rainey induced by 

 your able and aggressive support 

 of the McNary-Haugen bill: and we 

 are pleased to express herewith our 

 whole hearted support of your ac- 

 tion in this matter and pledge our 

 encouragement and cooperation in 

 the furtherance of the same. 

 Very truly yours. 

 Farm Bureaus of the 17th District. 



X^lncoln Fine for Picnic 

 Discussion of the 1. A. A. state 

 plcnfc which is to be at Lincoln 

 August 26 brought out from Mr, 

 Checkley and others from Logan 

 county that Lincoln has fine fa- 

 cilities for a large picnic of this 

 kind and that several thousand 

 people can be cared for on their 

 picnic grounds with good camp- 

 ing facilities. 



Discussion was taken up of the 

 work being done by each of the 

 departments of the I. A. A. It 

 was pointed out that the De- 

 partment of Information should 

 send copies of the I. A. A. Rec- 

 ord to all the Chambers of Com- 

 merce in Illinois. A resolution 

 was presented by P. E. Johnston, 

 farm adviser for Woodford 

 county, that endorsed the plan 

 of refunding 10 cents per ton on 

 li mestone to the County Farm 

 LvTrouus. One of the delegates 



brought out for discussion the 

 attitude that Farm Bureaus 

 should take in regard to the 

 teaching of agriculture in grade 

 and high schools. Although no 

 action was taken on this point, 

 all who commented on it were 

 favorable to such instruction and 

 believed that Farm Bureaus 

 should encourage and aid this in- 

 struction as much as possible. 



Favor McXaiT-Haagen Bill 



Frank Barton led a discussion 

 on the McNary-Haugen bill and 

 said that, in his opinion, the bill 

 would pass if brought to a vote. 

 The bin was endorsed by those 

 assembled. The next meeting is 

 to be the last week of June, ac- 

 cording to the program commit- 

 tee, and George Wicker, new 

 head of the auditing and account- 

 ing service, will be asked to talk 

 on cooperation lines. 



Farm Advisers present were: P. 

 E. Johnston. Woodford; H. O. Alli- 

 son Livingston; C. E. Hopkins. As- 

 sociate adviser. Livingston; George 

 Swalm. Ford ; J. H. Checkley, Lo- 

 gan ; and Harrison Fahrnkopf. Mc- 

 Lean. Delegates and presidents 

 present were; Woodford — J. Ira 

 Powell, Louis Powell. James Haas. 

 J. W. Ostler, A. C. Jones. George 

 Wermsman. Conrad DuBois and 

 William Beer; Livingston — F. D. 

 Barton. executive committeeman 

 for 17th district, William Aspen 

 Frank Reeves.. Charles Patterson, 

 Carl Barton and Louis Beeman: 

 Logan — George Stoll. Edgar Slsson 

 and n. C. Scheckler; McLean — H, 

 C. Dixon. John Kinsinger, A. O, 

 Convis. Allen Mclntyre. John Scholl. 

 Fred Armstrong. H. E. Hllpert, 

 Albert RengeC O. W. Fuller. E. D. 

 Lawrence and Homer R. Johnson, 

 Vernon Vaniman. who is in charge 

 of the field organisation for the 

 new auditing and accounting ser 

 vice established by the I. A. A. 

 attended, and spoke briefly and H. 

 C. Butcher, director of the depart- 

 ment of information of the I. A. A. 

 was also present. 



HERE'S ANSWER TO 

 PERPETUAL KNOCKER; 

 MORE LIKE IT, TOO 



Taxation Work Has Brought Laurels 



To I .A. A. and Saved Money 



For Farmers 



BREEDERS' CONGRESS 

 PLANNED IN LA. A. 



(Continu.d from page 7) 



dairymen of Wisconsin and we 

 will have cleaner, better cattle 

 in Illinois." 

 Cattle Acents Without Ethics 

 So, quite largely, according to 

 Mr. Peterson and Mr. Lynch, the 

 latter being the head of the dairy 

 marketing department of the I. 

 A. A., the matter of buying dairy 

 cattle from strangers becomes a 

 matter of faith. Faith and ethics 

 are closely linked, thej" say, and 

 especially in the dairy cattle 

 game. To build up ethics and 

 faith between the seller of dairy 

 cattle and the buyer, they have 

 proposed, in the name of the 

 Illinois Agricultural Association, 

 that there be a "Breeders' Con- 

 gress" at the next National Dairy 

 Show, which is to be held at Mil- 

 waukee, September 27 to October 

 4. 



Plans Breeders' Concress 

 According to the two progeni- 

 tors of the idea, dairymen from 

 all the states which are in need 

 of dairy cattle, such as Illinois, 

 Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North 

 and South Dakota, Ohio, Missouri 

 and Indiana, ' would gather at 

 the National Dairy Show next 

 fall, meet the sellers of the cat- 

 tle from Wisconsin and other 

 states, talk over their problems, 

 go on excursions to visit dairy 

 farms in Wisconsin and hear a 

 good program of speakers during 

 the days of the "Breeders' Con- 

 gress." W. E. Skinner, gen- 

 eral manager of the National 

 Dairy Show, thinks it's a good 

 idea, and plans are now being 

 laid whereby representatives from 

 all the states interested can meet 

 soon and get the first annual 

 'Breeders' Congress" under way. 

 Special trains of Pullmans could 

 carry and boose whole county 

 farm bureaus and more dairy 

 knowledge could be obtained by 

 the participants than could be 

 preaihed by exposition In a cen- 

 tury, Mr. Lyncb points out. | 



There is quoted below an edi- 

 torial from the "Champaign 

 County Farm Bureau," the news 

 sheet of Champaign county of 

 which C. C. Burns is farm ad- 

 viser. In it there is a point 

 which Is well worth the consid- 

 eration of every farm bureau 

 member. That th^ Illinois Ag- 

 ricultural Association is paying 

 dividends to its members, both 

 directly and indirectly, is a bona 

 fide fact. This is but one of 

 many instances which can be 

 quoted. The editorial follows: 

 The Farm Bureau Never Did 

 Anything! 



Here is a statement that will 

 raise you several inches oil your 

 seat, due to the taxation work 

 taken up by the Farm Bureau 

 and the Illinois Agricultural As- 

 sociation in Champaign County. 

 Land Valuation 



In 1922 130,986,425 



In 1923 25.354.505 



Difference....! 5,631,920 



While this reduction in land 

 was being secured you and your 

 representatives in the county 

 raised the county rate in Cham- 

 paign County 35c and the state 

 rate was raised 7.7c. Think 

 what you would have had to pay 

 with this increase, if the Farm 

 Bureau had not reduced the land 

 valuation 15,631,920. 



We Just worked this out this 

 morning at the Court House at 

 Urbana with Mr. John Watson, 

 statistician expert of the I. A. A. 



G. C. Williams of Condit said 

 that his land tax alone was 

 160.00 less this year than last, 

 due to the reduction on his 200 

 acres of land. 



Some of these fellows that 

 have been talking against the 

 Farm Bureau get quite aggres- 

 sive once in a while. It is about 

 time that Farm Bureau members 

 begin to defend their own or- 

 ganization. In fact, it might be 

 well to use a few aggressive 

 tactics in return. 



MURPHY HITS HARD 

 FOR McNARY BILL 



(Continued from page 1) 

 farmer and that farmers as a class 

 have developed an orgy of bor- 

 rowing money. Mr. Murphy made 

 it a point that agriculture is be- 

 ing held subservient to industry 

 and labor with the same as a ball 

 and chain around both ankles. 

 Fanner Sells at Prices Offered 

 Him 



"Let us start by considering the 

 present status of agriculture," 

 said Mr. Murphy in beginning his 

 address. "The farmer of today 

 must sell his products at prices 

 offered him. He must pay for 

 what he uses in his business prac- 

 tices, prices that are asked of him. 

 He has no alternative but to sell 

 for what Is bid and buy at prices 

 demanded. He has to deliver sub- 

 stantially two loads of almost 

 every product of the average farm 

 for what he secured with one load 

 of his products in 1913. The ex- 

 change value of his products is 

 but about 50 percent of the pre- 

 war values. 



"Let us then analyze the sub- 

 ject further and determine why it 

 is that the farmers' products will 

 only purchase one-half of what 

 they did 10 years ago. On the 

 whole, tke farmers of America 

 are receiving as high a level of 

 prices as they did in 1913. His 

 price is not, when considered in 



respect to normal conditions, de- 

 pressed. The answer to this dis- 

 parity in price is found in the fact 

 that the price of the things the 

 farmer purchases has increased 

 approximately 100 percent. It is 

 a case of the infiation of the prod- 

 ucts of labor and industry. 



What Causes This DLsparity? 



"It then becomes important to 

 ascertain what has happened in 

 the affairs of the nation that has 

 increased the prices of fuel, build- 

 ing material, machinery, clothing 

 and the like which the farmer 

 purchases to carry on bis business 

 and to exist. We find our answer 

 to this question in the protective 

 system which the nation has con- 

 sented to in such legislation as 

 the Adamson law, the restriction 

 of immigration, the tariff law, the 

 Federal Reserve Board, the Esch- 

 Cummins Act and other paternal- 

 istic legislation. These laws have 

 given great disadvantages to the 

 farmer. 



"Labor and industry can and do 

 pass laws on all increased prices 

 and costs, but when the farmer 

 purchases, he cannot pass on in- 

 creased costs and is compelled to 

 absorb the losses out of his busi- 

 ness — which is shown by the tre- 

 mendous increases in mortgages 

 and other indebtedness of the 

 American farmer. He cannot pass 

 the buck. Under the existing 

 law-made economic system, the 

 farmer is powerless to help him- 

 self and the basic industry li fac- 

 ing a complete collapse. 



Extend Protective System to 

 Farmer 



"Either ' the protective system 

 must be extended under the Mc- 

 Nary-Haugen bill or we will have 

 a peasantry on the farms of this 

 country. The farmer is not seek- 

 ing to tear down the existing pro- 

 tective system, but asks that the 

 same consideration be shown to 

 him by the enactment of the Mc- 

 Nary-Haugen bill. The protective 

 system has taken away his pur- 

 chasing power and he asks that it 

 be restored to him by law. He 

 does not ask for favor, but he 

 does insist that disfavor be abol- 

 ished. He wants an even break. 



"This nation cannot afford to 

 bankrupt and destroy its basic in- 

 dustry through the industrializa- 

 tion of the country. It is impor- 

 tant that we continue as an agri- 

 cultural nation. It is possible and 

 necessary that both agriculture 

 and industry be given the same 

 opportunities. We cannot pro- 

 ceed as a nation 35 percent slaves 

 and 65 percent free." 



In answering a question after 

 his address, he said that the scrip 

 clause had been removed by com- 

 mittee amendment and that the 

 provisions of the bill now called 

 for the issuance of receipts in 

 place of scrip which is, he said, 

 better than the scrip idea. 



AUDITING SERVICE 

 PLANS COMPLETED 



(Continued from page 1) 

 receive a more-or-Iess uniform 

 service with special auditors for 

 each group, but so systematized 

 that an auditor will be shifted 

 from district to district periodi- 

 cally. The control will be in the 

 membership. 



To Furnish Complete Audits 



"Every effort will be made," 

 says Mr. Wicker, "to build up a 

 reliable, efficient service on a cost 

 of service basis. The auditing 

 service of the Illinois Agricultural 

 Cooperative Association will dif- 

 fer from that service rendered by 

 commercial auditing companies in 

 that our auditors will stay in an 

 office until all the facts are 

 known. Many commercial audits 

 are based upon a time limit or a 

 salary limit, which can, in tnm, 

 be set by the manager of the local 

 cooperative. Audits made by this 

 organization will be thorongh. 

 The fact that a local cooperative 

 belongs to the "I. A. C. A." will 



FIND FACTS BEFORE 

 BOOSTING RATES ON 

 FARMER SAYS I.A.A. 



Quasey Shows that New Does Not > 

 Sanction Proposed Raise in \ | 

 His Own Department j i 



1, 



Opposition to the proposed 

 raise in parcel post rates now in / / 

 Congress is being voiced strenu- | i 

 ously by the Illinois Agricultural : 

 Association through L. J. Quasey, 

 head of the transportation de- ^ 

 partment. 



\ 



Mr. Quasey received informa- 

 tion which states that Postmas- ' 

 ter-General New has made it , 

 plain that "no such increases as 

 are carried in the bills now be- 

 fore your committee are war- 

 ranted." The letter in which 

 this statement was made was 

 sent by Mr. New to the chair- 

 man of the Congressional Com- 

 mittee which was considering the 

 proposed raise in r^tes. Mr. 

 Quasey is of the opinion that the 

 Postmaster-General knows more 

 about the needs of his business 

 than any Congressmen who have 

 not his close contact. 



These bills, the Paige and 

 Edge-Kelly, provide for extensive 

 increases in the rates on fourth ^ 

 class matter and on parcel post, 

 and it is particularly these two 

 classifications in which the farmer 

 is vitally interested. 



"Several years ago," says Mr. 

 Quasey, "an appropriation was 

 made for the study of the cost 

 of carrying various classes of 

 mail. Extensi\'e data has l)een 

 gathered and it will be several 

 months before the report is com- 

 pleted. If conditions require, an 

 increase in the revenue, any ac- 

 tion contemplating any changes 

 in the present postal rates should 

 be held in abeyance until the re- 

 port of the committee that In- 

 vestigated the cost of the mail 

 service is available. 



"It appears," continues Mr. 

 Quasey, "that there is a strong 

 effort on the part of friends and 

 proponents of these bills to pass 

 them without considering the 

 data collected by the especially 

 appointed committee. We urge 

 that, if you have not already 

 done so, to communicate with 

 your respective congressmen and 

 representatives voicing your op^ 

 position to these measures." 



»■- 



' 



mean, in time, that its books are 

 in good condition and that the 

 organization is sound. It will be 

 an iron-clad guarantee of protec- 

 tion to farmers." 



Members of the committee 

 which formulated the final plans 

 are as follows: George A. Fox, 

 executive secretary of the I. A. A.; 

 Vernon Vaniman. Virden; George 

 Wicker, St. Paul, Minn.; George 

 E. Frazer, consulting accountant of 

 the I. A. A.; I. A. Madden, farm 

 adviser of Sangamon county; 

 William A. McNeill, manager of 

 a local cooperative elevator at 

 Chandlerville, and A. R. Wright, 

 executive committeeman for the 

 I. A. A. from Congressional dis- 

 trict 16. 



Radio Fans Have 

 Chance To Hear 

 A. C. E'vering/iam 



A. C. Everingham of Hutson- 

 ville, who has done good work 

 for the I. A. A. as a member of 

 the legislative committee, deliv- 

 ered a series of radio lectures , 

 from the Sears-Roebuck .\gricul- 

 tural Foundation during the past 

 week. Mr. Everingham speaks 

 extensively at fanners' institutes ' 

 and has been on the Chautauqua 

 platform several seasons. / 



