January, 1933 



THE I. A. A. RECORD 



Page Fifteen 



Bond Issue Vote, Victory for 



Organization 



Downstate Leads Cook County In Giving Overwhelming Approval To 



Tax Reduction Measure 



A GREAT victory for organiza- 

 tion aided by a well-direc- 

 ted and effective campaign of 

 publicity characterizes the favor- 

 able vote on the Emergency Relief 

 Bond Issue in the election on Nov. 

 8. The effect of this cecislon by the 

 voters will be to remove $25,000,000 

 of taxes from property in 1933. 



Results of the smashing drive for 

 passage of the measure led in most 

 of the downstate communities by 

 the County Farm Bureaus, finally 

 have been tabulated by John C. 

 Watson. They show that the meas- 

 ure received better than a 90 per 

 cent favorable vote over the state 

 as a whole; in the downstate coun- 

 ties 93.64% and in Cook county 

 86.70%. 



The table beginning on this page 

 contains the best information ob- 

 tainable although there is still some 

 doubt about the accuracy of the 

 vote reported from several counties, 

 said Mr. Watson. "It is believed 

 that the table is substantially cor- 

 rect and that the counties are listed 

 in the correct order." 



What Table Discloses 



The table discloses the following 

 facts which are believed to be un- 

 matched in the vote on any other 

 bond issue or public policy question 

 in the history of the State: 



1. The bond issue received a con- 

 stitutional majority of the highest 

 legislative vote in every county of 

 the State. 



2. In twenty counties more votes 

 were cast for the bond issue than 

 for candidates for the legislature. 



3. In the State as a whole, the 

 bond issue received 90.35 per cent 

 of the highest legislative vote. In 

 Cook county the percentage was 

 86.70, and in the remainder of the 

 State was 93.64. 



Mercer County First 



Mercer county gains first place 

 with the highest percentage of its 

 legislative vote given by any county 

 of the State. The thirty-third sen- 

 atorial district, consisting of Mercer, 

 Henderson and Rock Island coun- 

 ties, secured first, second and thir- 

 teenth places respectively in the 

 order of the counties, and first 

 place in the order of the senatorial 

 districts. 



In districts which either voted for 

 State senator or had more than 

 three candidates for State repre- 

 sentative, and hence had a real 



legislative contest, Henry county 

 gained first place, Effingham coun- 

 ty second place, and Pike county 

 third place. 



Menard Ahead Here 



The highest percentage of all 

 votes on the bond issue cast in its 

 favor was secured by Menard coun- 

 ty, with 98.27 per cent, followed 

 closely by Mercer county, with 98.14 

 per cent, and Effingham county, 

 with 97.78 per cent. 



The campaign for approval of the 

 bond issue removed $25,000,000 from 

 this year's tax bill on property, 

 more than $5,000,000 of which 

 would have been on farm property. 

 It was a worth while project for 

 this purpose. However, it was much 

 more worth while as a demonstra- 

 tion of what organization can do. 

 It showed clearly that whenever 

 properly drawn public policy ques- 

 tions which the Illinois Agricultural 

 Association and other organizations 

 can support, are submitted to the 



people, their approval. by a consti- 

 tutional majority, even against sel- 

 fish opposition, can be assured by a 

 well-planned campaign of educa- 

 tion and organization for that pur- 

 pose. 



Tax Amendment Next 



With the experience gained in the 

 bond issue campaign, the Illinois 

 Agricultural Association believes 

 that the time is ripe for urging the 

 long overdue modification of the 

 State constitution in the revenue 

 and one or two other articles. 



President Earl C. Smith served 

 as chairman of a representative 

 State-wide committee to pass the 

 bond issue. Much credit for the 

 favorable vote in Chicago should go 

 to Douglas Sutherland of the Civic 

 Federation of Chicago who acted as 

 secretary of the committee and to 

 Fred Sargent, president of the Chi- 

 cago & Northwestern Railway, who 

 served as chairman of the bond is- 

 sue committee in Cook county. 



HOW COUNTIES VOTED ON THE EMERGENCY RELIEF 



Senatorial 

 Couaty District 



Mercer* 33 



Henderson* 33 



Henry 37 



Effingham* 42 



Whiteside* 35 



Pike* 36 



Pulton* 43 



JoDavless* 12 



Menard* 30 



Moultrie* 24 



Tazewell* 30 



KendaU* 14 



Rock Island* 33 



Knox* 43 



DeKalb* 35 



Stark ?7 



Putnam* 16 



Piatt* 24 



Brown* 30 



Marshall* i . . 16 



Washington ^4 



Bureau 37 



Livingston* 16 



Bond ^7 



Cass* 30 



Mason* 30 • 



McDonough 32 



Montgomery 38 



Adams* 36 



Cumberland 40 



Schuyler* 30 



Carroll* 12 



Logan 28 



Stephenson 12 



DeWltt* 28 



Ogle 10 



Alexander 50 



Ford* 26 



Iroquois* 20 



Greene 38 



■,~'r ;,•.";. (Continued next page) 



