Puf/c Four 



tnt I. A. A. RECORD 



THE 



Story pf the Houston Convention 



R. A. Cowlis 



iiiul I h;iiii)i;iii of 

 R^.•lati()n^^ 



'■pilK "Houston Convontion" - the Na- 

 J. tional. convontion of the Democratic 

 Iiaity — has now been hfld and the party's 

 acknowledgments, dec- 

 larations and com- 

 mitments with respect 

 to uffriculture and its 

 Miljleins, have ap- 

 . :ired in the press re- 

 rts of I the Conven- 

 or). Representatives 

 of farm organizations 

 were thete in attend- 

 ance throughout the 

 (■(jiivention, and the 

 Illinois -Agricultural 

 Association was repre- 

 sented hyf Frank Bar- 

 ton, its Viice President 

 its committee on Public 

 .•lations, and by its Treasurer. 

 Arriving at Houston Sunaay evening. 

 June 21th. we were met by playing bands, 

 and host committees', on the job to wel- 

 come arriving delegates and the gu<*sts 

 of Houston over the t'onvOntion. The 

 beautiful new modern cit.v, ela[)oiately dec- 

 orated in the National colors, its streets 

 and hotel lobbies filled with t^e hosts ar- 

 riving, was at its best. The wo(rk 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, faipious for its 

 hospitality, were "dressed up"lready to re- 

 ceive its guests. 



Party Leaders Sympathetic 



We looked up George Peek and Chester 

 Mavis as we arrive<i, and during the eve- 

 ning met reprtsentatives of farm organ- 

 izations and talked with friends in Con- 

 gress, and others who have supported our 

 c.iuse in Congress, already on the ground. 

 Party leaders were generally reported to be 

 interested in our problem and sympathetic. 



The following morning we hpd breakfast 

 with the representatives of t^ie .American 

 I'arm liureau Federation there, Ed O'Neal 

 ol .Alabama, Vice-President and Chairman 

 o! the Legislative ComniitteK', and Mr. 

 (■h<'ster dray, Washington representative 

 of the Federation. Favorable reports were 

 given by these men. W« called at head- 

 i|uarters of the Illinois delegation, in the 

 l;ice Hotel, and talked with Mr. Brennan, 

 Chairman of the delegation, arid with Mike 

 Igoe, and others of the delegation. We 

 were cordially received and \|iere pleased 

 to le;irn that .Mr. Igoe was tii be .selected 

 bv the Illinois delegation for the place on 

 the Platform and Resolutions (Jomniittee of 

 thi- Convention. 



During the day, representatives of other 

 farm org.Hnizations were arriving at 

 "Farm Headquarters" in the ' Rice Hotel. 

 Favorable reports were coming in to us in 

 legard to others, selected by state delega- 

 tions^ for places on the important Com- 

 mittee on Platform and Resolutions. We 

 were gratified to learn that U number of 

 Senators and others, who have, loyally sup- 

 pc rted our legislative program at Washing- 

 ton, were being selected by their respective 

 *tate delegations to be appointed on the 

 (. ommittee. The Committee w,as found to 

 include such outstanding and hble men as 

 .^i nator Key Pittman of Nev;uda; Senator 



By R. A. Covvles, 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 

 formed 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. 



Resolutions 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 exjiected 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. 

 \erna Hatch and Bill Settle of Indiana, 

 both well known to our people in Illinois; 

 Kd 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 

 OF SUCCESS IN LIFE 

 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 forcefull.v on the subject. 



Job Well Done 



.Space does not permit a full report here 

 of our apijearance 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 tof 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 dr^ft 

 of the platform, in ah all-night session, 

 and the following morning made its 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 

 p,ress 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 

 agricyltural 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- 

 l>rehensive in its pronouncement on behalf 

 of the party, of a national policy for agri- 

 culture, which by the language of the 

 jilank, 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 

 Naders throughout the Convention. We 

 left the Convention, waiting the expression 

 and commitment of the man who was 

 selected as the party's standard bearer. 



I i 



