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EARL C SMVTH , .. the Man^ the 

 Lmder, the Realist, the Forward -Looker 



A PRACTICAL ESTIMATE OF HIS WORK — BY ONE WHO WORKED WITH HIM 



IT CAN safely be predicted, that as 

 the years go by, the stature of Farl 

 C. Smith as a farm leader in the state 

 and nation will grow rather than lessen. 

 As the shock experienced at his retire- 

 ment diminishes, there will come time 

 for reflection upon his contributions 

 and services to the farmers of America. 



The printed word can add little to 

 the true estimate of the man which is 

 already written in the hearts of those 

 who have come to know him during the 

 past 20 years. But it is appropriate 

 at this time to recount briefly something 

 of his achievements in the interest of 

 better farm life. 



While much has been written in the 

 nation's press about Earl Smith as a 

 farm leader in business and legislative 

 fields, less attention has been given to 

 him as an individual. This in itself is 

 no small tribute to the man. 



Perhaps to best understand the man 

 it is necessary to go back to the nrst 

 words he spoke upon assurrting the 

 presidency of the Illinois Agricultural 

 Association in 1926. As he accepted 

 the gavel from the hands of Sam 

 Thompson, he said, "To the best of my 

 strength and ability, I will serve what 

 I believe to be the best interests of the 

 farmers." Earl Smith has been doing 

 just that for the past 20 years. There 

 is no other job he would have rather 

 done. As he has often said, "It's true 

 that I have worked hard, but I have 

 enjoyed it. I feel sorry for a man who 

 works at something he doesn't like." 



Those who have known of the high 

 positions in government which have 

 offered Mr. Smith under both Republi- 

 can and Democratic administrations 

 have often asked him why he refused 

 such honors. He has said that he re- 

 fused them for "selfish reasons." Sel- 

 fishly, he explains, he preferred to serve 

 Illinois farmers in his present position. 



Why then did Mr. Smith resign his 

 position at this time? Again the an- 

 swer can be found in his devotion to 

 the organization. He believed that this 

 was an opportune time to step aside 

 and let a younger man take his place at 

 the helm. With the counsel and advice 



of older officers, a young man, he be- 

 lieved, could develop and grow and 

 lead the Illinois Agricultural Associa- 

 tion into even greater fields of service. 

 Only a big man could make the deci- 

 sion that Mr. Smith made. 



Another insight into the character of 

 the lAA's retiring president can be 

 found in the fact that the door of his 

 office was always open to anyone who 

 •wished to see him. A man occupying 

 a position comparable to Mr. Smith's 

 in a private business corporation would 

 have surrounded himself with a barri- 

 cade of secretaries. Mr. Smith did not. 

 The door was always open and mem- 

 bers of the staff felt free to approach 

 him on any subject and offer construc- 

 tive criticism on administrative matters. 

 Another distinguishing feature of Mr. 

 Smith's personality was his way of get- 

 ting things done. Rather than issue 

 orders, he accomplished the desired end 

 through suggestions and recommenda- 

 tions. This was not a studied approach ; 

 he did it unconsciously because it is 

 part of his nature.- 



Another of the attributes that marked 

 Mr. Smith as a leader was his ability 

 to iron out differences of opinion 

 among leaders of various groups seated 

 around a council table. Many times 



after long discussions which had failed 

 to arrive at any conclusion, Mr. Smith, 

 who had been listening quietly, would 

 step in and in a clear-cut summation 

 state the problem and offer a sugges- 

 tion for its disposal. He wasted no 

 words in his summary, and what pre- 

 viously had appeared to be a mass of 

 tangled strands, suddenly became un- 

 tangled. 



Another obvious part of Mr. Smith's 

 personality was his outstanding ability 

 as a platform speaker and as a repre- 

 sentative of the farmers' cause in the 

 halls of Congress and before the Gen- 

 eral Assembly. This was not an in- 

 herited ability. He developed as a 

 speaker after becoming president of the 

 lAA. As one farm adviser recalls, 

 shortly after Mr. Smith became presi- 

 dent he was suggested as an annual 

 meeting speaker for a County Farm 

 Bureau. Local leaders said, "No, not 

 Smith. He can't speak for sour apples." 

 Today he is one of the most sought- 

 after speakers on the public platform. 



Persons who had only a casual 

 acquaintance with Mr. Smith may have 

 never realized his love of people and 

 the high value he placed on true friend- 

 ship. This was because of Mr. Smith's 

 reserved nature. This natural reserve 

 was deepened by his concentration on 

 the many and serious problems and re- 

 sponsibilities that he had to study and 

 bear. But those who came to know 

 Mr. Smith through travelling with him 

 to County Farm Bureau meetings or in 

 working with him, found a delightful 

 companion and one who was truly in- 

 terested in them as individuals. 



Some may have thought Mr. Smith 

 was headstrong, and at times he was 

 misunderstood. This misunderstanding 

 grew from the fact that Mr. Smith had 

 certain deep and fundamental convic- 

 tions. He would listen and weigh the 

 facts carefully, but he would not com- 

 promise on his fundamental beliefs. 

 Again this characteristic had much to 

 do with his development into a great 

 leader. 



It is without a doubt that Mrs. Smith 

 was a constant reservoir of inspiration 



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