The 

 Best Ever 



So Said Delegates Speaking of the 22nd Annual Conven- 

 tion in Chicago. Heavy Attendance Exceeds Expectations. 



y^^\ _ ILD, dry weather, low rail 

 ^^-Ay^ fares, the largest farm in- 

 ^ ^ Yl come since 1929, and gen- 

 eral enthusiasm combined to. bring out 

 the heaviest attendance at the 22nd an- 

 nual lAA convention in Chicago, Jan- 

 uary 27-28-29,- of any similar meeting 

 possibly in the past decade. The crowd 

 was estimated at 5000 or more during 

 the three days. 



Hotel and eating accommodations were 

 adequate. "It's the first time in years I 

 did not have to sleep on a cot," com- 

 mented C. T. Kibler, Jersey county. 



Despite the delay in getting room as- 

 signments, everyone apparently was com- 

 fortably housed and the novelty of meet- 

 ing in a great metropolitan center proved 

 an added attraction. 



overflow staying at the Sherman and 

 Brevoort. Arrivals on Tuesday, the day 

 preceding the opening of the convention, 

 were larger than ever. Many came early 

 to visit relatives and go to the theater. 

 Others found it more convenient to travel 

 in daylight. Special cars loaded with 

 delegates came from Springfield, Bloom- 

 ington, Peoria, St. Louis and other cen- 

 tral points. Special trains arrived early 

 Thursday morning bringing hundreds for 

 the meeting that day, leaving after the 

 night session. 



The beautiful "golden horseshoe" Au- 

 ditorium in the Civic Opera Building is 

 the most sumptuous meeting place ever 

 to house an lAA gathering. The Audi- 

 torium and stage together seated about 

 5,000 persons. At the big session on 



' HARVEY J. SCONCE 



"Nominations ara in order 

 for prasidant." 



SAM. H. THOMPSON 

 "I risa to nominate a 

 man who." 



EARL C. SMITH 

 "I can only tay what I have 

 said." 



"It was the best convention I have at- 

 tended in ten years," said Ray Doneghue 

 of McDonough county, "and I haven't 

 missed any in that time." 



"Our delegation was tickled to death 

 with the fine treatment we got," said 

 W. F. Coolidge of Morgan county. "We 

 had 31 from our county. We would 

 just as soon come back to Chicago next 

 year." 



Most of the delegates were quartered 

 at the LaSalle and Morrison Hotels, the 



Thursday night every seat was filled on 

 the stage and in the Auditorium except 

 a few hundred in the top balcony. 



Resumption of the afternoon confer- 

 ences on Thursday apparently proved 

 popular. Standing room only was avail- 

 able in the Public Relations conference 

 where a thousand or more assembled. 

 Marketing, organization - publicity and 

 rural electrification conferences had audi- 

 ences ranging from 300 to 600. In fact, 

 attendance throughout the convention ex- 



MAYOR KELLY 

 "We want to co-operate with you." 



ceeded expectations. There were more 

 women than usual, and they seemed to 

 enjoy attending the sessions with their 

 husbands. 



"They won't call hogs in Chicago. 

 I'm looking for a small crowd this year," 

 said an lAA fieldman the week before 

 the convention. He was wrong on each 

 count. The high spirits of lAA-Farm 

 Bureau members, unmatched anywhere in 

 America, expressed itself in the familiar 

 hog call. Promptly at 6:00 A. M. or 

 earlier many a sleeper was aroused by a 

 chorus of exuberant "WH-O-O-E-E- 

 YS." This call at an lAA convention 

 is more than a hog call. It means: "We're 

 here. We're happy. We're proud of our 

 organization. We're going places. We're 

 doing great things. We have the greatest 

 farm organization in the country. We'll 

 stick to it. We're determined to fight 

 for parity income for agriculture. We're 

 back of our leaders. So W-H-O-O-E-Y, 

 here we go." 



Begins Twelfth Tenn 

 It was Sam Thompson of Quincy, 

 veteran lAA and AFBF president, well 

 on toward his middle seventies, who had 

 the honor of placing the name of Earl 

 C. Smith in nomination for president for 

 his 12th consecutive term. "A man of 

 vision but not visionary, keen intellect, 

 courage and executive ability," are the 

 terms he used in describing the lAA 

 president. "A great agricultural leader," 

 said E. E. Stevenson of LaSalle county 

 in seconding the nomination. There were 

 no other nominations for president. Mr. 

 Smith was elected by acclamation. 



"I can only say what I have said to you 

 for each of the past eleven years," he 

 commented in acknowledgement of the 

 unanimous vote of confidence, "that to 

 the best of my ability and strength I will 

 serve what I believe to be the true inter- 

 est of this state and of this nation, and in 

 doing so try to direct your influences as 



L A. A. RECORD 



