Volume 5 



Issued Every Month for 63,000 Thinking Farmers — February, 1927 



No. 2 



ALL RECORDS BROKEN WHEN 2000 ATTEND 12th ANNUAL CONVENTION 



Disloyalty To Middle West Is Charge 



Hurled At Colleagues By Congressman 

 Brand In Speech Before Crowd Of 1700\ 



Scores Opponents of Surplus Control Measure and Predicts 

 Issue Will Become Political Football Unless Solved By 

 Present Congress. 



Flays Opponents 



GONGRESS:\IAX Charles Riand of Ohio broupht his 

 heavy artilleiy and amnuinitloii into play ajjrainst op- 

 ponents of surplus control k'<rislati(m before 1,700 delegates 

 and visitors at the Friday luncheon during the I. A. A. con- 

 vention at Peoria last week. 



Before finishinfr his interesting two-hour address to the 

 greatest crowd ever assembled at an I. A. A. meeting, he 

 jtoured volley after volley into his fellow congressmen from 

 Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, ^Finncapolis, St. Paul, and 

 Milwaukee who voted against the McXary Haugen measure. 



"These men are traitors to the 

 great llidillc We.^t which they art- 

 supposed to represent," he said. 

 "If they had voted for agriculture, 

 the industry that supports these 

 cities, we would have had the 

 needed majority to pass this legis- 

 lation in the last congress." 



Traylor and Jardine Scored 



Jlelvin Traylor, president of the I 

 .\merican Bankers Association atid 

 Secretary .Jardine likewise came in 

 for a round of condemnation for 

 their opposition to the surplus con- 

 trol plan. 



"The bankers have their McNary 

 Haugen bill in the Federal Reserve 

 Act, the railroads have theirs in the 

 Transportation .-^ct, and labor has 

 the Immigration Act," said Mr. 

 Brand. He commended labor, how- 

 ever, for its friendliness to the 

 farmers' cause, and John Walker, 

 president of the State Federation 

 of Labor, and an interested listener, 

 smilingly acknowledged the rec- 

 ognition. 



"The analogy between the Fed- 

 eral Reser\-e Act and the McNary 

 Haugen plan is perfect," said the 

 speaker. "That Act stabilized 

 credit in this country." Then he 

 compared the two point by point 

 and showed how the member banks 

 pay 10 per cent of their deposits 

 and six per cent of their capital 

 into the Federal Reserve Bank. 



"It is unbecoming of bankers to 

 oppose this legislation for farmers 

 when the government di<l so much 

 for them," said the congressman. 

 "Mr. Traylor may be one of the 

 money changers in the temple." 



Farmers Lost 20 Billion. 



After showing how agriculture 

 had lost 20 billions of dollars be- 

 tween 1920 and lil25, the speaker 

 started an explanation of the sur- 

 plus control plan showing how it 

 might be used to stabilize prices of 

 such crops as cotton, wheat, corn, 

 and livestock. 



"The fear expressed by .some op- 

 ponents that the price of food 

 would be raised is groundle.-is," said 

 the speaker. Then to prove his 

 point he showed how bread had re- 

 mained at eight cents per pound f..r 

 the |jast eight years while wheat- 

 varied from 80 cents to .$1.8.5 per 

 bushel. "Cotton goods haven't 

 changed in price since the price of 

 cotton went so low," he continued. 

 "The only difference is that the cot- 

 ton planters of the South get less 

 while the manufacturers and spin- 

 ners get more." 



Before concluding his address the 

 congressman predicted that if the 

 surplus control plan is not adopted I 



Congressman Chai^les Brand 



by the present Congress it would be 

 thrown into politics. 



"If that hapi)ens don't vote for 

 anyone who isn't your friend," was 

 the concluding word and directly 

 following it the vast autiience arose 

 and cheered the speaker for fully 

 five minutes. It was the greatest 

 exhibition of enthusiasm and un- 

 animity <*f sentiment ever expressed 

 at a farm gathering in Illinois. 



Cooperatives Assn. to 



Indianapolis in 1927 



Dofinito plans to o|ien a branch 

 office at Indianapolis in the coming 

 year were lai<l at the annual meet- 

 nig of the Illinois Agricultural Co- 

 operatives .Association held at 

 I'eoria on Wednesday, Jan. 20. 



Sixty-two counties were repre- 

 sented in the meeting which w-as the 

 largest held in the short history of 

 the .Association. .Among the organ- 

 izations rep!'esented were 24 county 

 I'arm bureatis, 15 farmers' eleva- 

 tors, live shipping associations, six 

 insurance companies, four farm 

 supply companies, three dairy or- 

 ;ianizations, tme livestock terminal 

 commission association, and three 

 seed and cotton cooperatives. 

 300 Members Coal. 



The goal I'or the coming year is 

 -100 acti\*e member associations as ' 

 announced by Ceorge R. Wicker, 

 manager. Kighty-four more niem- j 

 bers are required to reach this num- I 

 bor. 



(Continued on col. 5, page 4.) ' 



Sam H. Thotnpsi 



Our Sam Asks For 

 Continued Support 

 To Relie f Prog ra m 



More Than 1,200 Attend Ban- 

 quet On Thursday Night In 

 Shrine Temple Building. 



'"piIF. attitude which society takes 

 *- toward agricidture depends upon 

 larmers the m- 

 selves. If we 

 have the projier 

 respect for our- 

 selves and our 

 calling, with 

 faith enough to 

 s t a n d together 

 through trials 

 .1 n (1 adversity, 

 we will write a 

 story that will be 

 the pride of our 

 children and 

 those to come 

 after them. We 

 canoht fail if we 

 <lo this. 



This is the sage advice .<ani 11. 

 Thompson, i>resident of tin- .Amer- 

 i-an P'arm Bureau Federation, anti 

 the pride of the Illinois .Agricul- 

 tural .Association, banded out to his 

 fellow citizens and friends at the 

 annual baniiuet in I'eoria on Thurs- 

 da.v, Jan. 27. 



Tn!!:c ?!a;.il/. 



Our Sam was talking to his home 

 folks and he talke.l plainly. The 

 home folks responded with a power- 

 ful ovation thafi thre.-itened to raise 

 the roof otf the Shrine Temple 

 iinilding. 



.After admonishing the great 

 audience of delegates and vi-^itors, 

 many vi whom he had wi»rkt-d >iile 

 by side with in building the I. -A. 

 .A. about the necessity for main- 

 taining a strong i-rganization and 

 a united front, Mr. Thompson 

 launched into a discussion of the 

 economic situation of agricultwre 

 ami the need for enabling Kgi^a- 

 tion so the farmer may help him- 

 self out. 



"Lack of stabilization is tihe 

 trouble with our business," said tb<- 

 speakc;r, "and lack of bargaining 

 power on the part of farmers is the 

 root of all the evil." 



Answers Criticism. 



Answering the criticism of 

 "price-fixing" and "i:'con<,niically 

 unsound" l>i>th of which have been 

 used in describing the surplus con- 

 trol legislation asked b.v farmers, 

 .Mr. Thomps.m .stated that if this 

 were true, the same might be said 

 for the whole pr'itective system as 

 applied to other groui>s. | 



The last six years, the speaker 

 pi)inted out, have seen the steady 

 transfer of wealth from the farm 

 to th'; city becau.se the farmer had 

 no way of securing fi>r himself a 

 fair price for his iiroduct. Farmers 

 have lost while others have gain<d. 



James (loddard of the Foreman 

 National Bank, Chicago led the 

 community singing an<l later sang 

 negro melodies whicli drew tremen- 

 d<»us applause. R. Bra^lley, "the 

 talkative taiK)r" from Peoria was 

 the humorist of the evening. 



Earl C. Smith Unopposed for President 

 Is Elected by Un animous Vote. Frank 

 Barton Wins Over W. C. McQueen 

 for Vice-President. Four New 

 j I Men on Executive Committee 



Congressman Charles Brand of Ohio Gets Glad Hand and" 

 Vociferous Applause From 1700 Delegates and Visitors at 

 Friday Luncheon in Shrine Temple As He Flays Oppo- 

 nents of Far'm Measure. 



Congressman Brand's • complete 

 speech as well as ecipies of ".A Sh<irt 

 Story of the I.'A. A. and Report for 

 |y2G" may bt had by writing the 

 Department o^ Information. Illinois 

 Agricultural -Association, C0>* So. 

 Dearborn St., Chicago. They will 

 i'e sent free as long as thev last. 



THE greatest asinual convention in the eleven years' his- 

 toi-y of the Illinois Agricultural A.ssociation is over. It 

 Was gieatcst i i alleixlancc in siiiril, in enthusiasm, and in 

 the inii)re.<siiin made upon those who .saw this mighty exhibi- 

 tion of the strtngjh and loyalty of the organiztNi farmers of 

 Illinois. 



P("oiia. the' inetropulis of downstate Illinois, was taxed to 

 lai-f for the cr iwd that cxcivdod all exi>ectations. ' One thou- 

 stind was the njinibi i- yirodicted. but more than 2.000 deleirates. 

 \ isitors. and tli^ir v.ivi s tame from the 0."? organized coimties 

 "( the .state to jiai'ticipate in the three-day jirogram. 



— \ ~\^ — -- ^z^^ -^ Twenty ne\vsp;'.per. farm papei 



ami pn'ss correspondents from Chi- 

 cago, Wa.-hington, |). C, Indiana. 

 aiid the down.state cities of Illino!> 

 who attended the convention broad 

 cast its proceedings -.into ever\ 

 state in the Union. It was a repro- 

 scntative gathering. 



Many Guests Present. 



Mr. and Mr.s. J. A. Miller drovt 

 to the iiicelia^ frot4 Denver, Colo- 

 rado. 



John Walker, the vigorous presi- 

 dent of the Illinois State Federation 

 of Labor. Wm. H. Malone, chair- 

 man of the Illinois Tax Commission. 

 .Mrs. H. C. Rodenh..u.<er of the Illi 

 nois Federation of Women's Clubs. 

 .Mrs. .Arthur .Smith of the Illinois 

 League of Women Voters, R. C 

 .Mooro, secretary cf the Illinois 

 .Stale Teachers' .AsSociatii>n, H. K 

 Voung, secretary of the Illinois 

 I'arnjers' Institute. K. A. Kckert, ot 

 the Illinois State (irange, and Jus- 

 tice of the supreme court of Illi- 

 nois. Clyde E. .Stone'were all guests 

 at the Friday lunch<y)n. Telegrams 

 from eight Illinois congressmen, 

 who were utiable to att»'nd were 

 read by President Eijrl Smith. 



Herman Danforth, tir.st president. 

 Howard Leonard, and Sam H. 

 Thompson, all past jwesidents of the 

 1. A, .A. were other prominent 

 guests thire to celebrate the twelfth 

 birthday of the oi-ganization which 

 they helped build. 



Beginning Tuesday afternoon, a 

 steady stream of ikk-gates Snd vis- 

 itors poured into the city on the 

 banks of the Illinois, by train, trol 

 ley. bus, and auto until by Thurs- 

 da.v all hotels were crowded to 

 capacity. It was the first large con- 

 vention held in the new Pcre Mar- 

 quette hotel, but five of Peoria's 

 largest buildings wore required to 

 hold all the sessions of the meeting. 



Smith Unopposed. 



Rumor* ■'.'garding opposition to 

 President Smith for reelection which 

 were heard about tno lobby prior to 

 the ele(ti'>n iivver materiali7.ed 

 When Frank Barton arose to nom- 

 inate .Mr. ."<niith following the call 

 for candidates by \. C. Everinghani. 

 Presiileiit .Smith'> nanK' was re- 

 ceived with loud aci laim. A few 

 minute- later the secretary was in- 

 structed by the voters to cast a 

 unanimous ballot for the popular 

 candidate. 



The vice-presitieiitial berth, held 

 la^t yea"- by Chas. R. I'inley was 

 (ro!itlliued-<»li col. 2, pape 4.) 



McNARY DETAINED 



.Senator Cbarl 

 was scbe<luled t< 

 day luncheon Ci 

 tance teb-pbone c 

 that it was impe 



Washington in tt:o interest of the 

 McNary farm reli« f bill 



L. McNary who 



peak at the Fri 



alleil by long <li-— 



1 T^lu^sd:ly to .-a.\ 



atiie he --tay in 



7. A. A. Exectftive 

 Committee Votes 

 For "Bureau Farmer" 



The BUREAU FARMER, oflicial 

 publication of the Ailierican Farm 

 Bureau Federation, wiil! be si'nt to 

 all memb(-rs of the 1. ,.A. .A. acc<u"d- 

 ing to a unaninoius decision reached 

 by the Executive C^omniittee at its 

 regular meeting held pn Jan. 7. 



The BUREAU FAU-MER «,i.h 

 apiK-ared olliciall.v Jaiiuary 1, is a 

 -';2-page magazine is>iied one- eai h 

 month. It is pul»l^^lled by J**hn 

 Wilding. Ft. Wayne, jffuliana. who 

 --igneil a contract witli the -Ameri- 

 c:ln Farm Bun-au tVderation by 

 which th<- forinor a>slimes all ri>k 

 and responsibility for a<l\:eiti-ing. 

 I. A. A. News lacluileel. 



Xcws of the Illinoi:| .Agricultural 

 .Association and the |county farm 

 bureaus will be inclu()<Hl in a four 

 to eight page insert 1 each month. 

 The magazine will ajipear the lirst 

 of the month. ] 



The Illinois .Agriculiural .Associa- 



(Continued on col, ]!. page 4-t 



