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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 



BULWARK AGAINST COMMUNISM 



It must have been quite gratifying to all 

 Farm Bureau members to read of tlie success 

 of the convention in San Francisco. It really 

 goes to show how big our organization really 

 is, how really important it is when nearly 

 10,000 persons attended it. We are fast ap- 

 proaching a point where the Farm Bureau 

 organization will be one of the most powerful 

 agencies in the country. We are getting to 

 a point where we will become more impor- 

 tant than industry. 



The American fanner is the backbone of the 

 nation, he is the worst enemy of communism, 

 nay, the main bulwark against communism. 

 We have seen communism penetrate into ag- 

 riculture. 



Communism is a grim reality in many coun- 

 tries of Europe, the peasant populations of 

 those countries offered very little resistance to 

 the communists. Why.' Simply that they 

 were in a state of misery so low, that even 

 communism seemed like a way out. Their 

 own govenunents to them were failures, and 

 as far as they were concerned, they didn't 

 hardly care what type of government ruled 

 over them. 



The one main thing that has prevented 

 communism from penetrating into American 

 agriculture, has been the Ainerican Farm Bu- 

 reau. Through it and because of its power, 

 the American farmer has to a great extent 

 been able to plot out his own future. We 

 were not forced to take what we could get, 

 as the farmers of the rest of the world were, 

 through the American Farm Bureau we placed 

 our demands, and they were met. We had no 

 cause to even start thinking that a communist 

 government would be better for us, sure we 

 had to put up with strikes, manpower short- 

 age, all kinds of regulations, but we were 

 still a favored group, and the power of the 

 American Farm Bureau helped make us a 

 favored group. The American people owe a 

 deep debt of gratitude to the Farm Bureau, 

 if only because it remained a bulwark against 

 communism, when all others were becoming 

 its victims. 



Miloiad Konjevicfa 

 Will County 



UNHEEDED BELL 



We've been reading with interest the arti- 

 cles on the "Treasured Bell." Thomas Andy 

 Walk, 2 1/2 yr. old son of ours, finds it no 

 problem to enjoy his favorite stunt of ringing 

 the bell even though daddy placed the fresh- 

 ly painted bell on a high post, minus the 

 rope. 



Yes, the men heed the sound of the bell at 

 meal-time and when within answering distance 

 but find it usually one of the three youngsters. 



I found from bitter experience the bell isn't 

 very effective when it's far from the house. 

 Our year and half old girl, Janice, once got 

 a nasty gash in her head and I needed the 

 truck to take her to a doctor. After a hurried 

 trip by foot to the place where the men were 

 filling up an old pond, they told me they 

 heard the bell but didn't pay much attention, 

 as it's usually the children, which is very true. 



The old bell has been used many a time, 

 probably very effectively by Tommy's great 

 grandfather, Andrew Walk, 89, of Sigel. 

 Mrs. Foster Walk 

 Cumberland County 



Letters to the Editor are welcomed 

 from readers on any subject related to 

 agriculture. Writers should sign let- 

 ters with name and address. Names 

 may be withheld if desired. Address 

 Letters to the Editor, Illinois Agricul- 

 tural Association Record, 608 South 

 Dearborn, Chicago 5, ///. 



BOUQUET FOR lAA 



I visited a few hours in Chicago recently 

 with some of the officials of the Illinois Agri- 

 cultural Association and was quite pleased to 

 hear of the progress they have made during 

 the past five years. When I left for army 

 service here some five years ago the total 

 membership in the lAA was between 90,000 

 and 100,000. Now I find that it has increased 

 to about 135,000. This is a fine record of 

 accomplishment and only goes to prove that 

 the lAA is founded on sound principles and 

 organization and is giving its members the 

 service they desire. 



G. Edwin Popkess, Jr. 



Editor, Dairyman's Journal 



MEMBERSHIP DRIVES 



At the end of the 1947 membership cam- 

 paign we had a total of 162 new members 

 added to our Farm Bureau rolls. This ex- 

 ceeded our 1946 quota by 86 new members. 

 The Old Timers were defeated and had to 

 eat baked crow while the Up Starts dined on 

 turkey. 



Charles E. Webster 

 Will county C.O.D. 



We just signed 134 new members on our 

 spring membership drive. 



Ed Henderson 

 Fulton County C.O.D. 



Our membership drive worked out very well. 

 The boys brought in a total of forty-one mem- 

 bers — some of them will be reinstatements. 

 They also brought a list of people they had 

 contacted who talked as if they might become 

 members soon. 



Chelsea S. Williams 

 Massac county C.O.D. 



We completed our drive with exactly one 



hundred contracts. Although I know we 



could have surpassed this number, I am well 



pleased with the cooperation of every worker. 



D. Dwight Thomas 



Kankakee county C.O.D. 



We are pleased to report that since the 

 membership drive began, we have brought in 

 106 new Farm Bureau members. Eighty-one 

 were reported at the report meeting and the 

 rest have come in since then. We extended 

 our drive in the form of an intensive follow- 

 up campaign for 60 days longer and the work- 

 ers are still going after these prospects. We 

 are having a very spirited campaign, I must 

 say. 



CaroU G. Johnson 

 Pike county CO.D. 



OUR CALENDAR AGAIN 



At a friend's home this evening I saw • 

 copy of your 1947 calendar displaying i* 

 color a most desirable portrait c^ LiocolB. 

 I wonder if by any miracle, hook, or crook, 

 I could persuade you to kindly send me one 

 of those calendars. 

 Your kindness will greatly oblige. 



Rev. Milton M. AUtmo, 

 Presbyterian Churdi 

 New Concord, Ohio 



I am a teacher in Central school. Sterling, 

 and have a collection of pictures to use in 

 my classroom. 



Recently a friend showed me the very fine 

 collection of Lincoln pictures on your 1947 

 calendar. 



1 would be very happy to have them for 

 use in my classroom and am writing to ask 

 if it is possible to purchase this calendar. 

 Bemice Miller 

 Sterling, 111. 



We thank you for the Lincoln calendar yoa 

 sent us. It came in time for our pn^ram, 

 and the pictures fitted in very well for • 

 background. Later, we put them on the 

 bulletin board in our school library to be 

 admired and enjoyed by all the classes. 



Sixth Grade 



Stuart School 



Springfield, IlL 



FRISCO TRIP 



Since returning from the AFBF convention 

 at San Francisco 1 have wanted to write and 

 thank you and others who helped so much to 

 give the Illinois folk the most wonderful trip 

 of my life. Words cannot express my thank- 

 fulness. 



Mrs. Elizabeth Hill also of Poplar Grove, 

 whom I asked to go with me, and I have 

 written a little story of 10 pages on "Calif m- 

 nia Here We Come" to help us remember as 

 the years go by, the grand folk who shared 

 the trip with us, the wonderful service even 

 to Henry Harris our porter, the bcautifai 

 country we passed through and the wonderfol 

 food on the trains, etc. 



Mrs. Maud W. Hoover 

 Boone County 



THANKS, ILUNOIS 



Received your list of the passengers on the 

 lAA Special to the AFBF Convention is San 

 Francisco. We sure enjoyed our trip and i 

 possible when there is another trip we wii 

 be on it. You people sure did a wonderfol 

 thing in planning such a lot of interesting 

 places to visit in such a short time. The 

 meals and service were wonderful and we do 

 not see how anyone can have anything but 

 praise for the courtesy shown eveiyeae. 

 Thanking you for the list and the booklets 

 sent us. 



Mr. & Mrs. Ray R. Pinnow 



R. 1 



Brodbead, Wia. 



Thank you very much for sending nc • 

 copy of the names and addresses of the peo- 

 ple aboard the two special trains enroote to 

 the San Francisco convention, and also the 

 January publication of the Record. They 

 are both fine remembrances of our trip and 

 I join with you people in saying it certainly 

 was a wonderful trip. 



Edward O'Brien 



Route 3 



Madison, Wis. 



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APRIL I9i7 



