Vafje Six 



THE I. A. A. RECORD 



June, 1931 



I liLilNOIS 



CUL TURAL ASSOCIA 



RBCORD 



To advance the purpose for which the Farm Bureau was organized, 

 namely, to promote, protect and represent the business, economic, political, 

 and educational interests of the farmers of Illinois and the nation, 

 and to develop agriculture. 



George Thiem, Editor 



Published monthly by the Illinois Agricultural Association at 165 So. 

 Main St., Spencer, Ind. Editorial Otlices, 608 So. Dearborn St., Chicago, 

 111. Application for transfer of second class entry from Marshall, 111., to 

 Spencer, Ind., pending. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage 

 provided in Section 412. Act of Feb. 28, 1925, authorized Oct. 27, 1926. 

 AddreES all communications for publication to Editorial Offices, Illinois 

 Agricultural Association Record, 608 So. Dearborn St., Chicago. The in- 

 dividual membership fee of the Illinois Agricultural Association is five 

 dollars a year. The fee includes payment of fifty cents for subscription 

 to the Illinois Agricultural Association Record. Postmaster: In returning 

 an uncalled for missent copy please indicate key number on address as is 

 required by law. 



Preaidem, Earl C. Smith. 



OFFICERS 



_ _ Detroit 



Vice-President," a' R."Wright ;;-,X"""" 



Secretary, Geo. E. Metzger Chicago 



Treasurer, R. A. Cowles — Bloomington 



BOARD OF DIRECTORS 



(By Congressional District) 



1st to 11th H. C. Vial. Downers Grove 



12th. _ G. F. Tullock, Rockford 



13th. C. E. Bamborough, Polo 



14th M. G. Lambert, Ferris 



15th _ Charles Bates, Browning 



1 6th. Geo. B. M uUer, Washington 



17th A. B. Schofield. Paxton 



18th. _ W. A. Dennis, Paris 



1 9th. I.e. J . Gross, Atwood 



20th _ _ Charles S. Black, Jacksonville 



2l8t _ _ Samuel Sorrells, Raymond 



22nd Frank Oexner, Waterloo 



23rd W. L. Cope, Salem 



24th Charles Marshall, Belknap 



25th Fred Dietz, De Soto 



DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS 



Comptroller _ J. H. Kelker 



Finance _ R. A. Cowles 



Fruit and Vepretable Marketing A. B. Leeper 



Grain Marketing Harrison Fahrnkopf 



Information George Thiem 



Insurance Service J. V. Vaniman 



Legal CounseL Donald Kirkpatrick 



Limestone-Phosphate J. R. Bent 



Live Stock Marketing _. Ray E. Miller 



Office C. E. Johnston 



Organization „ _ G. E. Metzger 



Produce Marketing F. A. Gougler 



Taxation and Statistics. _. J. C. Watson 



Transportation _ L. J. Quasey 



ASSOCIATED ORGANIZATIONS 



Country Life Insurance Co _ L. A. Williams, Mgr. 



Farmers Mutual Reinsurance Co J. H. Kelker, Mgr. 



Illinois Agricultural Co-operative Ass'n...T....:. F. E. Ringham, Mgr. 



Illinois Agricultural Mutual Insurance Co A. E. Richardson, Mgr. 



Illinois Farm Supply Co L. R. Marchant, Mgr. 



Illinois Grain Corp Harrison Fahrnkopf, Mgr. 



Mid%vest Grain Corp _ Chas. P. Cummings, Gen'l. Mgr. 



Soybean Marketing Ass'n J. H. Lloyd, Mgr. 



Mr, Thompson at Quincy 



1 N HIS first address since becoming a member of 

 the Federal Farm Board Sam Thompson spoke 

 plainly and pertinently to the home folks at 

 Quincy about those who oppose farmers' efforts 

 at helping themselves in the field of marketing. 

 "The opposition, while not large in numbers, is 

 keeping itself very much in the public eye," said 

 Mr. Thompson. "I would like to suggest to you 

 farmers that when you hear attacks on co-opera- 

 tive marketing, the Agricultural Marketing Act, 

 and the Farm Board, that you do a little investi- 

 gating and find out the motive behind the attack. 

 For the most part this opposition comes from 

 handlers of farm products who fear that their 

 business will be injured if these products are mar- 

 keted by the producers in their own interest." 



Precisely. And because Mr. Thompson spoke the 

 truth, he and the Farm Board have been viciously 

 attacked by an arrogant Chicago newspaper noted 



for its prejudice in championing the vested in- 

 terests. ^ . 



., . ^— ■ — — ' ;^ ■ — ' — ' ' ■; ^r — p ■ ' ,' : ■' •■ — • — 



Under similar circumstances, Alexander Legge, 

 former chairman of the Board, would have spoken 

 more bluntly, less discreetly than Mr. Thompson. 

 He probably would have said, "The middlemen 

 think they have a God-given right to market the 

 farmer's products for him. A small pack of 

 wolves can make a lot of noise." The opposition 

 would have swallowed hard, but Mr. Legge would 

 not have been belabored. He has important con- 

 nections with influential people who buy much 

 white space in the press of the country. 



But Mr. Thompson is a farmer. He belongs 

 to the so-called "squirarchy" which believes that 

 a property tax which takes 2 5 to 40 per cent of 

 the farmers' net income is unfair and unjust. We 

 congratulate him and the Farm Board for their 



enemies. 



In Fairness 



npHERE is little disposition on the part of think- 

 ing farmers to minimize the service performed 

 at present and in the past by those who make 

 or have made their livelihood in handling farm 

 products. .. : ' 



There are estimable gentlemen In the ranks of 

 the so-called middleman. Many of these men have 

 served the producer with honor and integrity. 

 Many are open-minded, some are even sympa- 

 thetic toward the efforts of producers in helping 

 themselves. 



But the minority that Is bitterly resentful does 

 most of the talking. By fair means or foul they 

 would destroy attempts of producers to set up 

 and control their marketing agencies. So do the 

 few cast an odium on the entire trade. 



If co-operative marketing as a new system of 

 merchandising farm produce is to achieve perma.- 

 nent success it must make a contribution, and 

 perform a service better or at less cost than the 

 system It replaces. Farmers fully realize this fact. 

 All that they ask is that the way be left open 

 without discrimination for the test. 



"A drop of ink makes millions think." — Lord 

 Byron. 



Some people notice that the days are getting 

 longer, others that the nights are getting shorter. 



Uncle Ab says we could get more done In the 

 present if we did not have to spend so much 

 time telling what we have done in the past. 







^y| 



' ;] 









