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1. A. A. Record — February, 1934 



Macoupin County Boys 

 . Get Vaniman's Balloons 



The attending nimrods had a fine 

 opportunity to test out their pin shoot- 

 ing marksmanship on Vaniman's bal- 

 loon exhibit. The best record was 

 made by a delegate from Macoupin 

 county who finally managed to hit 

 four balloons in five tries. Other dele- 

 gates declared this to be unfair inas- 

 much as the Macoupin delegation 

 stayed up three nights to make the 

 record when other people were in bed, 

 though not sleeping, thanks to the 

 yodelers from Macoupin. 



IS 



Hog Haven Brown's Plan 

 For Paying His Debts 



H. E. (Hog Haven) Brown came to 

 the convention with his debt-paying 

 formula that has stumped financial 

 experts and legal experts. At any 

 rate it has enabled "Hog Haven" to 

 be the first borrower in the United 

 States to make a payment on a new 

 farm loan taken out in October 1933. 

 In explaining the formula, all who 

 listened said it went something like 

 this — "Hog Haven" sells hogs to him- 

 self at a low price and buys them 

 back when prices go up. Then he takes 

 the profits of the sale, pays his debts 

 and still has the hogs. It certainly 

 sounds sure-fire. 



Pres. Smith Reviews — ^— — 



(Continued from page 14) 



with the Tax Department and quit or 

 do something else with the money now 

 spent on tax problems. 



"Did we believe there is no need for 

 farmer representation before rate- 

 making bodies, that we as farmers 

 can always depend upon fairness from 

 those who fix prices on the services 

 and commodities that farmers must 

 buy, we could say there is small rea- 

 son for organization. But we are 

 forced to recognize that we are living 

 in a highly organized world, a world 

 in which power and influence are con- 

 centrated in huge corporations and 

 trade groups. You know and I know 

 that the complexities of our economic 

 and social order are such that, without 

 a powerful voice speaking for farm- 

 ers, without the influence of organiza- 

 tion behind that voice, agriculture 

 would gradually drift into and remain 

 in a condition of poverty that would 

 be as bad for the Nation as for those 

 engaged in the business of farming. 



"We must not only maintain the or- 

 ganization but greatly strengthen it 

 if we are to perpetuate the recogni- 

 tion thus far accorded agriculture by 

 Government. ;'.r . ' :'■'■'■ 



Cites Farm Bureau s 

 Part in New Deali 



Pres. Edw. A. O'Neal Makes Stirring Address 

 On Banquet Program 



In a stirring address delivered in 

 his customary colorful style, Edward 

 A. O'Neal of Alabama, president of 

 the American Farm Bureau Federa- 

 tion, discussed the philosophy behind 

 the Agricultural Adjustment Act and 

 cited numerous incidents illustrating 

 the contribution being made by or- 

 ganized agriculture to the relief pro- 

 gram. He spoke at the I. A. A. annual 

 banquet in Danville the night of Jan. 

 25. 



After reviewing the benefits already 

 received by cotton, tobacco, and wheat 

 farmers and the payments to be made 

 to corn-hog producers in the next 

 year, Mr. O'Neal said: "We are living 

 in history-making days. Out of the 

 ruins of the old order we are building 

 a new order. In this national recon- 

 struction the Farm Bureau is playing 

 a leading part. It has educated public 

 sentiment and brought about a na- 

 tional consciousness that the nation 

 cannot prosper unless agriculture is 

 prosperous. It has aroused the nation 

 to action." 



Constructive criticism is one of the 

 jobs of organized agriculture, he said, 

 and we are not hesitating to point out 

 the holes in the program as they ap- 

 pear. He stated that the Farm Bureau 

 is insisting that American grain be 

 used in the manufacture of alcoholic 

 beverages rather than imported black- 

 strap molasses. The tariff is one of 

 our big problems, Mr. O'Neal said. 

 American agriculture cannot afford to 

 to go on a national basis. Our future 

 lies in the restoration of international 

 trade and we are supporting the work 

 of the administration through George 

 Peek and others in working out re- 

 ciprocal trade agreements with foreign 

 nations and finding outlets abroad for 

 our surplus farm products. 



Mr. O'Neal paid tribute to the Illi- 

 nois Agricultural Association for its 

 outstanding work and its contribution 

 in building public sentiment which led 

 to the New Deal program for agri- 

 culture. He praised highly the set-up 

 of the Illinois Agricultural Association 

 and the effectiveness of its organiza- 

 tion which he said constituted "an in- 

 spiration to the entire Farm Bureau 

 movement." 



He also gave high praise to Presi- 



dent Earl C. Smith, for his "outstand- 

 ing qualities of leadership" not only 

 in his own stage but nationally. Re- 

 calling Mr. Smith's prominence in the 

 long struggle for equality for agri- 

 culture, and his constructive part in 

 formulating the new program, and 

 advising with the national leadership 

 in carrying out the program, he gave 

 much credit to Mr. Smith for getting 

 such a large part of the Farm Bureau 

 program carried out. 



Summarizing the program which 

 the American Farm Bureau Federa- 

 tion has recommended, Mr. O'Neal de- 

 clared: "That program, for the large 

 part, is now being carried out. The 

 Farm Bureau, however, is seeking ad- 

 ditional legislation to strengthen the 

 program for agriculture. It seeks to 

 broaden the Agricultural Adjustment 

 Act to include additional commodities 

 as basic commodities, particularly 

 beef cattle and sugar. 



"Among the other recommendations 

 which it favors are: the appropriation 

 of a fund not less than 200 million 

 dollars to be used for benefit pay- 

 ments to dairy farmers and beef cat- 

 tle producers, to supplement benefit 

 payments that are paid out of process- 

 ing taxes; the further reduction of in- 

 terest rates on farm mortgages and on 

 production credit, the government to 

 guarantee the principal as well as in- 

 terest on bonds to provide funds for 

 farm mortgage relief at low interest 

 rates; the strengthening of the mar- 

 keting agreement section of the A. A. 

 A., in order to require processors and 

 distributors to co-operate if they re- 

 fuse to cooperate voluntarily in the 

 program for agriculture; a provision 

 to penalize non-co-operating farmers 

 who refuse to co-operate in the acre- 

 age reduction program adopted by the 

 majority, but no requirement to put 

 every farmer under a license; and the 

 completion of monetary reform by es- 

 tablishing the value of the dollar at a 

 normal level, based on the index of all 

 commodities, so"* that it will be a stable 

 medium of exchange." 



Mr. O'Neal praised President Roose- 

 velt for his steadfastness in carrying 

 out the policy of restoring agricul- 

 ture to prosperity as the essential pre- 

 requisite to national prosperity. 



