Page Four 



THE I. A. A. RECORD 



THE 



Story of the Houston Convention 



R. A. Cowles 



THE "Houston Convention" — the Na- 

 tional convention of the Democratic 

 party — has now been held and the party's 

 acknowledgments, dec- 

 larations and com- 

 mitments with respect 

 to ag-riculture and its 

 problems, have ap- 

 peared in the press re- 

 ports of the Conven- 

 tion. Representatives 

 of farm organizations 

 were there in attend- 

 ance throughout the 

 Convention, and the 

 Illinois Agricultural 

 Association was repre- 

 sented by Frank Bar- 

 ton, its Vice President 

 and Chairman of its committee qn Public 

 Relations, and by its Treasurer. 



Arriving at Houston Sunday evening, 

 June 24th, we were met by playing bands, 

 and host committees, on the job to wel- 

 come arriving delegates and the guests 

 of Houston over the Convention. The 

 beautiful new modern city, elaborately dec- 

 orated in the National colore, its streets 

 and hotel lobbies filled with the hosts ar- 

 riving, was at its best. The work was done. 

 The great convention hall had been dedi- 

 cated during the day by the people of 

 Texas. It was apparent that everything 

 was in readiness, waiting for the opening 

 hour of the Convention. The city and its 

 people of the south land, famous for its 

 hospitality, were "dressed up" ready to re- 

 ceive its gruests. 



Party Leaders Sympathetic 



We looked up George Peek and Chester 

 Davis as we arrived, and during the eve- 

 ning met representatives of farm organ- 

 izations and talked with friends in Con- 

 gress, and others who have supported our 

 cause in Congress, already on the ground. 

 Party leaders were generally reported to be 

 interested in our problem and sympathetic. 



The following morning we had breakfast 

 with the representatives of the American 

 Farm Bureau Federation there, Ed O'Neal 

 of Alabama, Vice-President arid Chairman 

 of the Legislative Committee, and Mr. 

 Chester Gray, Washington representative 

 of the Federation. -Favorable reports were 

 given by these men. We called at head- 

 quarters of the Hljnois delegation, in the 

 Rice Hotel, and talked with Mr. Brennan, 

 Chairman of the de^Iegation, and with Mike 

 Igoe, and others of the delegation. We 

 were cordially received and were pleased 

 to learn that Mr. Igoe was to be selected 

 by the Illinois delegation for the place on 

 the Platform and Resolutions Committee of 

 the Convention. 



During the day, representatives of other 

 farm organizations were arriving at 

 "Farm Headquarters" in the Rice Hotel. 

 Favorable reports were coming in to us in 

 regard to others, selected by state delega- 

 tions, for places on the important Com- 

 mittee on Platform and Resolutions. We 

 were gratified to learn that a number of 

 Senators and others, who have loyally sup- 

 ported our legislative program at Washing- 

 ton, were being selected by their respective 

 state delegations to be appointed on the 

 Committee. The Committee was found to 

 include such outstanding and able men as 

 Senator Key Pittman of Nevada; Senator 



By R. A. Cowles, Treasurer 



T. H. Caraway of Arkansas; Senator Sam 

 Bratton of New Mexico, and Messrs. 

 Thomas Cashman of Minnesota; John 

 Simpson of Oklahoma, among others who 

 have ably and loyally fought for our cause. 

 It appeared that the Committee was being 

 forme^ from those of the delegates best 

 informed and most able to draft a compre- 

 hensive platform for the party. Any sug- 

 gestion that the Committee was "picked" 

 or "packed" was conspicuous by its absence. 

 The Committee was later announced, with 

 Senator Pittman of Nevada as its chair- 

 man. The Senator always has been sym- 

 pathetic to our problem and program and 

 his selection, as its chairman, was there- 

 fore, pleasing and reassuring to us. 



Resolution* Committee Meets 



The Committee assembled and duly or- 

 ganized for its task, delegating to a small- 

 er sub-committee, the responsibility for 

 drafting the platform, for later considera- 

 tion and recommendations. The sub-com- 

 mittee included Senators Pittman, Cara- 

 way, Harrison, Wagner and Bratton, Gov- 

 ernor Dan Moody of Texas, Mr. Cashman 

 and others. 



As the Committee met and organized, a 

 group of our people, headed by Ed O'Neal 

 of Alabama, called on the Chairman of the 

 Committee, and respectfully asked that rep- 

 resentatives of farm organizations there, 

 be given an opportunity to appear before 

 the Committee and present their views on 

 the agricultural situation. Our request was 

 received and we were informed that a sub- 

 committee might be expected to set aside 

 an appropriate period of time for the hear- 

 ing. The sub-committee, as appointed, im- 

 mediately convened and directly announced 

 that three hours had been set aside for 

 those to be heard on this subject, before 

 the Committee on Platform and Resolu- 

 tions. The hearing was scheduled for 4:00 

 that afternoon. Our group retired to 

 "Farm Headquarters" and prepared its 

 program. 



Among those who appeared before the 

 Committee and addressed them, were: Mrs. 

 Verna Hatch and Bill Settle of Indiana, 

 both well known to our people in Illinois; 

 Ed O'Neal of Alabama; J. F. Reed of Min- 

 nesota; C. E. Huff and C. E. Brasted of 

 Kansas; Dr. B. W. Kilgore of North Caro- 

 lina and our Frank Barton. Congressman 

 Henry Rainey of Illinois also addressed 



THE GREAT SECRET 

 OFSUCCESSINLIFE 

 IS TO BE READY WHEN 

 THE OPPORTUNITY 

 COMES.— Disraeli. 



the Committee and urged the party to meet 

 the agricultural issue courageously and 

 squarely. Hon. Clarence Ousley of Texas, 

 also well known to some of our people, 

 spoke forcefully on the subject. 



Job Well Done 



Space does not permit a full report here 

 of our appearance before the Committee 

 that afternoon. It is sufficient for our 

 people to know that the job was well done 

 in every respect. The program was so 

 arranged that there was little repetition 

 and the subject was completely covered, 

 for the purposes of the hearing. As one 

 of those who "stood by," the writer felt 

 great pride in the splendid presentation 

 made by each one of our group. 



In the meantime, the Convention on the 

 evening of its first day's session had lis- 

 tened to the "keynote" address, delivered 

 by Claude G. Bowers, formerly of Indiana, 

 had heard the keynoter's plea to "give 

 farm equal chance with factory." And as 

 he developed the thought, that great Con- 

 vention arose to its feet and we witnessed 

 a demonstration that gladdened our hearts. 

 The Agricultural situation was to be the 

 paramount issue. It encouraged us much 

 in our undertaking, in which we were about 

 to appeal to the party to pronounce a na- 

 tional policy for agriculture and pledge its 

 support in putting it into force. 



Platform Is Presented 



The sub-committee concluded the draft 

 of the platform, in an all-night session, 

 and the following morning made }ts report. 

 Later in the day we were informed that 

 the sub-committees' draft had been ac- 

 cepted in its entirety and that the Com- 

 mittee on Platform and Resolutions was 

 ready to make an unanimous report to the 

 Convention. The platform was presented 

 that night and unanimously adopted by the 

 Convention as our people learned through 

 press reports. It may be fairly said that 

 the agricultural plank of the platform was 

 prepared with the collaboration of those 

 who had given the subject most careful 

 thought and study, included on the Com- 

 mittee. At all times our views were wel- 

 comed and were solicited by the party 

 leaders who were sympathetic and seemed 

 to want to make comprehensive acknowl- 

 edgment and commitment by the party. 



No attempt here is made to analyze the 

 agricultural plank, included in the plat- 

 form. Those of us who were there and 

 were informed of what the plank was to 

 include, as it was developed, were agreed, 

 and it seemed to us, to be comprehensive 

 in its acknowledgments of present day 

 problems of agriculture and the situation 

 as it actually exists, and particularly, in 

 its acknowledgment of the fundamental 

 problem confronting agriculture, the sur- 

 plus problem; and it seemed equally com- 

 prehensive in its pronouncement on behalf 

 of the party, of a national policy for agri- 

 culture, which by the language of the 

 plank, pledges the party to undertake to 

 carry out. 



We all returned from the Convention 

 greatly encouraged, appreciative of the con- 

 sideration given our cause, and of the 

 many courtesies extended us by party 

 leaders throughout the Convention. We 

 left the Convention, waiting the expression 

 and commitment of the man who was 

 selected as the party's standard bearer. 



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