THE 



ILLINOIS AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION RECORD 



To advance the purpose for which the Farm Bureau was organized, namely, 

 to promote, protect and represent the business, economic, social and educa- 

 tional interests of the farmers of Illinois and the Nation, and to develop 

 agriculture. 



THE STATE FARM 

 UIREAU PUMJCATION 



LET'S GET OUT OF THE MUD 



(a3u f-^ resident i^narlei Z5. ^h 



untun 



MY GRANDMOTHERS account of her journey to 

 Springfield to attend the funeral of Abraham Lincoln 

 remains a vivid memory throughout the years. 

 Through a steady rain which fell, like an ill omen, for 

 more than three days and nights pre- 

 ceding the funeral, the four-horse team 

 dragged the wagon and its bedraggled 

 occupants through mile after mile of 

 axle deep mud. Through seventy 

 miles of mud it took three long days. 

 with countless stops to rest the team 

 and push the mud from between the 

 spokes. 



Today we can whisk over a rib- 

 bon of concrete that follows approxi- 

 mately the same route and be at Lin- 

 coln's tomb in less than two hours. Yes. we are justly 

 proud of the wonderful network of modern trunk high- 

 ways that serves our state. We have in Illinois one of the 

 best of state highway departments and an outstanding Ex- 

 periment Station at the University of Illinois, but these 

 well -financed institutions have done very little research on 

 secondary road construction and materials. Today, more 

 than eighty years after Lincoln's funeral, thousands of 

 farmers in many sections of Illinois are still plowing 

 through mile after mile of axle-deep mud to get from their 

 homes to these super-highways, paid for in part by taxes 

 on the gasoline they burn. 



For months during the winter and spring many rural 



communities live under conditions not much better than 

 their ancestors of three generations ago. Thousands of 

 rural families are beyond the reach of modern medical and 

 health care or adequate fire protection because of the con- 

 dition of our farm-to-highway roads. Countless numbers 

 of farm boys and girls have been denied educational op- 

 portunity beyond the eighth grade because the road to high 

 school was impassable. Rural churches have died, local 

 business and industry has been throttled, progress of all 

 kinds has been bogged down by mud roads. Violent price 

 fluctuations result from feast or famine market supplies, 

 and whole areas are barred from the production of perish- 

 able commodities. 



What is being done to remedy this intolerable situa- 

 tion? With the support of your organization, the Illinois 

 legislature in 1945 appropriated 515,000,000 for improve- 

 ment of township roads. This has helped but it appears 

 that much of the money has been used for maintenance 

 rather than permanent improvement. The desperate need 

 of today is for a carefully planned, long time program for 

 local road improvement. Pouring additional millions into 

 a farm-to-highway road program without a plan will result 

 in more and more waste. 



The time has come for the farmers of Illinois, through 

 their organization, to take stock of the road situation and 

 to demand a program of action. Effective action geared to 

 a plan — a long range plan, based upon research and 

 study — this is the long overdue need of today. 



MARCH, 1 947 



VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3 



ILLINOIS AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION OFFICERS and BOARD OF DIRECTORS (By Congressional Districts) 



Preiidsnl, Charlaa B. Shuraan Sullivan 



Vic«-Prasidant. Floyd E. Morris Buifalo 



Sacretary, Paul E. Mathias Hinsdala 



Fiald Sac Gao. E. Matzgar Chicago 



Traasurar. R. A. Cowlas Bloomington 



Asst. Traas., A. R. Wright Vama 



CompiroUar. C. C. Chapalla Chicago 



Ganaral Counsal, Donold Kirkpatrick Chicago 



Ist to 11th Eari M. Hughas. Woodstock 



12th - C. I. Elliott. Stieator 



13th _ Homar Cuitiss. Stockton 



14th _ Otto Sta&ey, Stronghurst 



15th Xdwin Gumm. Galasburg 



ISth Russall V. McKee. Varna 



!7th _ E. T. Culnan, Lincoln 



18th „ lehn T. Evans. Hoopaston 



19th 



20th 



21st 



22nd 



23rd Chastar McCord. Navrton 



24th Xyman Bunting. EUary 



2Stfa _ Albart Wabb. Ewing 



Milton W. Warran. MonsJiald 



E. T. Smith. Groaniiald 



J}an L. Clarka, Naw Barlin 



..-J. King Eaton. EdwardsviUa 



Editor, Creston Foster. Ass't. Editor, James C. Tiiomson. Field Editor, Lewis A. Reisner. 



Tha Illinois Agricultural Association RECORD is publishad monthly except August by the Illinois Agricultural Association at 1501 W. Washington Road. 

 Mendota. 111. Editorial Otiices, 608 So. Dearborn St.. Chicago. 111. Entered as second class matter at post office. Mandota. 111.. Sept. 11. 1936. Acsapt- 

 anca for mailing at special rate of postage provided in Section 412. Act of Feb. 28, 1925. authorized Oct. 27. 1935. Address all communications for 



fiublication to Editorial Offices. Illinois Agricultural Association RECORD. 608 So. Dearborn St., Chicago. The indvidual mambershp fee of tha 

 Uinois Agricultural Association is five dollars a year. The fee includes payment of fifty cents for subscription to the Illinois Agricultural Association 

 RECORD. Postmaster; Send notices on Form 3578. Undelivarabla copies returned under Form 3579 to editorial offices, 608 So. Dearborn St.. Chicago. III. 



MARCH, 1947 



