<^ 



' 



The 



Dlinois A^cultural Assodatioa 



RECOI^D 



Fubilstied nioutbly by tbe lUlnoi* Agricultural Association at 165 So. Main Street, Spencer, lud. Editorial Offices, 608 So. Dearborn St., Cbicago, 111. 



Entered as second class matter at post office, Spencer, Ind. Acceptance for mailing at special rates of postage provided In Section 412, Act of Feb. 28, 



W25. autlioi-ized Oct. 27, 1925. Address all communications for publication to Editorial Offices, Illinois Agricultural Association Kecord, 60S So. 

 Dearborn St., Chicago. 



Number 10 



OCTOBER, 1933 



Volume 11 



It's Time To Mobilize For Action I 



County Leaders at Decatur Unanimously Endorse Fall Cannpaign For Greater Unity ot 

 Agricultural Forces, Higher Farm Prices, Lov/er Taxes, Adequate Credit the Goal 



MORE than 2000 Farm Bureau 

 leaders representing every or- 

 ganized county in the state 

 unanimously voted to launch a state- 

 wide campaign beginning Oct. 1 "For 

 the Mobilization of Illinois Agricul- 

 ture," at a mass meeting in the Deca- 

 tur Armory, Monday Sept. 18. 



Meeting at the call of President 

 ^^ Earl C. Smith, leaders from every sec- 

 tion of Illinois had arrived by noon. 

 j^ The armory, gaily decked with huge 

 i signs bearing slogans suggesting the 

 objectives of the drive, and banners 



- for each organized county, was near- 

 er ly filled by 12 o'clock. A band pro- 

 vided entertainment while the leaders 

 assembled under the banners of their 

 respective counties and waited for the 

 call to order which came shortly after 

 12:30 by President Smith. 



To Fight for These 



"Give Us a Price and We'll Buy the 



Nation Back to Prosperity," "Cut 



Property Taxes in Half," "Make the 



■.:■:. Farm Credit Act Effective Without 



Delay," "Mobilize for Crop Planning, 



■ . Co-operative Marketing, Lower Taxes, 

 : and Higher Prices," were the chal- 

 ': lenging slogans which not only ex- 

 ; pressed the aim of the drive for great- 

 er organization, but also the spirit and 

 determination of the conference to 

 fight for their achievement. 



Following short opening remarks by 



the President, Secretary Geo. E. Metz- 



ger read the report of the Board of 



' Directors of the I. A. A. to the boards 



- of directors and executive committees 

 of Illinois County Farm Bureau as 



' follows: 



Serious problems confront the agricul- 



■ tural people of the United States. Illinois 

 f- has its share of these difficulties. A new 

 '.'■ deal is on nationally which contemplates 



raising price levels of agricultural com- 

 modities with the consequent widening 

 of industrial margins and increasing 

 wages. 



Trade agreements and industrial codes 

 are a part of the program and are now 

 being worked out by industrial and pro- 

 ducer groups for approval by adminis- 

 trative heads in Washington. Practically 

 all these codes and trade agreements in 

 so far as industry is concerned are being 

 handled by trade organizations. Usually 

 these trade organizations are in a posi- 

 tion to appoint a small committee that is 

 in position to speak for its industry. Ag- 

 riculture faces a serious handicap in this 

 respect. 



Why Organization? 



Agriculture's danger may be set forth 

 briefly under five heads: 



1. That trade agreements involving the 

 practices, ethics, method of handling and 

 price of agricultural products may be 

 largely worked out by processor or han- 

 dlers of agricultural products without 

 proper producer representation. 



2. That if there are to be higher price 

 levels, the price of manufactured and 

 processed products may rise out of all 

 proportion to the price of agricultural 

 products, because of the better organiza- 

 tion in those industries. 



3. National legislation enacted by the 

 Congress and intended to restore agri- 

 culture contemplates a parity price on 

 the farm, but farmers are not in position 

 to assist in the administration of these 

 laws which make a parity price at the 

 farm possible, without strengthening their 

 organizations and action through them. 



4. New Federal agricultural credit 

 legislation has been-designed to refinance 

 agriculture through long time, inter- 

 mediate and short time credit at lower 

 rates of interest. The aim and intent of 

 the law is that farmers should ultimately 

 own and control their credit machinery. 

 Apparently administration of the Act is 

 failing to get underway with the result 

 that many mortgages are being foreclosed 

 and many farmers are losing their homes 

 and their property, most of which appears 

 to be unnecessary and uncalled for. 



5. Illinois farmers are in danger of los- 

 ing such advantage as they have gained 

 in their past organized tax programs and 

 have additional taxes loaded on them un- 

 less immediate organized effort is made 

 to curb public expenditures and spread 

 the tax base so as to make possible dras- 

 tic reductions in the present taxes im- 

 posed on agricultural property. 



To this end the Board of Directors of 

 Illinois Agricultural Association sets forth 

 for your consideration and your approval 

 A FALL MOBILIZATION CAMPAIGN 

 FOR 1933 with the specific purpose of 

 raising farm prices, lowering property 

 taxes and speeding the administration of 

 credit legislation; so that agriculture can 

 be placed on a parity with increased price 

 levels and wages in other industries. 



The Farm Bureau is the dominant farm 

 organization in Illinois. The Farm Bu- 

 reaus and Illinois Agricultural Associa- 

 tion for years Kave had a program which 

 would justify a much larger membership 

 than we have experienced. The time is 

 here when the Association and the Coun- 

 ty Farm Bureaus should take an aggres- 

 sive lead in mobilizing the agriculture of 

 Illinois for its economic betterment. 



Therefore, the Board of Directors 

 strongly recommend that a campaign be 

 launched for the purpose of arousing the 

 farmers of Illinois to the existing situa- 

 tion and take the responsibility of point- 

 ing out to unorganized farmers the need 

 of their immediate support in order to 

 measure up to the grave situation con- 

 fronting agriculture. 



The Board of Directors of Illinois Ag- 

 ricultural Association authorized the call 

 of Farm Bureau leaders and recommends 

 to County Farm Bureaus the following 

 plan for the immediate mobilization of 

 agriculture throughout the State: 



Here is the Plan 



(a) That improvement of farm prices 

 be obtained through co-operation to the 

 fullest extent with existing federal 

 agencies, and the more complete develop- 

 ment of our co-operative marketing ma- 

 chinery. 



(b) Immediate, effective and sympa- 

 thetic administration of the Farm Credit 

 Act to the end that farmers may ulti- 

 mately control credit machinery and be 

 benefited by lower interest rates intended 

 by the Congress. 



(c) To mobilize the man power in the 

 industry of agriculture in Illinois in an 

 organized way to the end that the prop*- 

 erty taxes be limited and public expendi- 

 tures reduced. 



That a suitable petition be circulated 

 among the farmers and property owners 

 in the State of Illinois, petitioning his 

 Excellency, the Governor of Illinois, to 

 call a special session of the Legislature 



