SMITH CALLS FOR 



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Excerpts from speech "OSSERVAr/ONS" delivered to 

 Annual Meeting of Illinois Agricultural Association 



1 GREATLY appreciate the pleasure 

 and the honor of appearing on this 

 important occasion in the life of the 

 Illinois Agricultural Association. I have 

 greatly enjoyed the past three days in 

 being permitted to mingle at ease among 

 you, and to renew many old and make 

 new acquaintances. It has been a rather 

 unique experience for me. 

 . . . While there have been some disap- 

 pointments, such as the failure to secure 

 the adoption of the Gateway Amendment 

 by the voters on November 5, it is with 

 a deep sense of pleasure and satisfac- 

 tion that I congratulate all of yOM on the 

 over-all progress and results of the lAA 

 during 1946. 



I am sorry that I cannot speak so as- 

 suringly of the progress or transition of 

 our nation from a war to a peace basis. 

 Whether we appraise our national gov- 

 ernment from the standpoint of its moral, 

 spiritual or financial position and stand- 

 ing, it gives cause for great and serious 

 concern. I do not speak as a partisan 

 or as a prude, but solely from the stand- 

 point of an interested citizen. I am 

 sure you all know that I am neither an 

 opportunist, an alarmist, or a crusader, 

 but I have observed government, both 

 from the front and behind its scenes of 

 action. I have witnessed political ma- 

 chines in operation, both in private rooms 

 and on the platform. 



Recognize Sinister Influences 



We have all recognized the sinister in- 

 fluences of machine politics on the radio, 

 in the newspapers, in the enactment of 

 laws and in the administration of gov- 

 ernment. We are all living witnesses 

 of the results and never have I seen or 

 felt the confusion of people in all walks 

 of life, over the trends and activities of 

 government, as during the past year. 



I have made several trips into the 

 South, into the West and into different 

 sections of the Midwest, and whether 

 talking with men of large affairs, workers 

 in various lines of business, pullman port- 

 ers, cab drivers, bell boys or farmers, I 

 have found that one word would well 

 describe their state of mind — "confu- 



sion." Everywhere farmers have been 

 bewildered at the ever changing and con- 

 flicting rules, regulations and statements 

 emanating from Washington, and I am 

 well within the facts in stating that from 

 • the same source came rules and regula- 

 tions even more seriously affecting many 

 in other walks of life. Everywhere people 

 were asking, — why or how could gov- 

 ernment do this, or do that, because of 

 some of the announced rules affecting 

 the lives and activities of people and 

 business, when it seemed so apparent that 

 current problems could be much more 

 simply solved? Then, I got to thinking 

 of the great address delivered a year ago 

 at our convention by the Honorable 

 Everett Dirksen. You will remember he 

 discussed the subject — "Communism 

 On The March." He told us of his 

 trips around the world and the condition 

 he found in so many countries. He clear- 

 ly portrayed how those with communistic 

 tendencies were infiltrating into the af- 

 fairs of government of many countries 

 and through carefully conceived plans 

 were bringing about, — first, confusion 

 in the minds of the people, — second, 

 distrust of government and lastly, — 

 despair, and he forewarned the Ameri- 

 can people, in that address, of similar 

 trends within this country. I sometimes 

 wonder if many of the complex and con- 

 flicting rules and regulations affecting the 

 lives of our people were not conceived 

 by a given few operating within some 

 Qf the bureaus and divisions of govern- 

 ment, where rules and regulations are 

 actually written, for the exact purpose 

 of bringing about confusion, distrust and 

 finally despair on the part of the Ameri- 

 can people. 



Necessarily I can speak here only in 

 the broader sense relative to the confusion 

 I have mentioned. 



It is well to remember that immediate- 

 ly after V-J Day, just a little over a year 

 ago, many top government leaders ven- 

 tured the prediction that America was 

 destined immediately for a long era of 

 the greatest prosperity in history. We 

 were told there would be forthcoming, 

 very soon, blue prints for action that 



lAA Poft President Earl C. Smith Addresses 

 Wednesday Night Session. 



would co-ordinate our resources and the 

 efforts of the people in a manner that 

 would culminate in this high degree of 

 prosperity. Tonight I ask, — have you 

 seen or heard of such a blue print.' We 

 were told of the great need for continu- 

 ing the Office of Price Administration as 

 a means of avoiding inflation; we were 

 informed how imperative it was to keep 

 wages, prices and profits in balance. With 

 this requisite for a balanced economy, 

 farmers were generally in accord. Even 

 with some misgiving, organized farmers, 

 with very limited exception, gave their 

 support. Authority for action was given 

 by Congress and it is therefore appropri- 

 ate to mention the results. Strike after 

 strike occurred; demands were made, at 

 least in some cases, for an exorbitant in- 

 crease in wages. This is notably true 

 with the steel, automobile and coal min- 

 ers' unions. Have you forgotten the 

 statement of Mr. Reuther, now presi- 

 dent of the United Automobile Work- 

 ers, in demanding not less than a 30 

 per cent increase in wages, and that no 

 increase in the price of automobiles be 

 permitted ; or the demands of steel work- 

 ers for a very substantial increase m 

 wages, which they stated, would not re- 

 quire any increase in the price of steel.' 



The break came when government re- 

 sponded to these demands. Immediately 

 the price of basic steel was increased $5 

 per ton. Official pronouncement, at the 



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I. A. A. RECORD 



