A group o# (oufbarn llllnoh farm atlvlsert 

 maef during lAA convention. 



*High Cosfs, Falling 

 Farm Prices May 

 Bring on Disaster 



{Contiaued from page 17) 

 organization in implementing the Voice 

 for Agriculture consists of its program 

 to represent farm people effectively at 

 the seats of government in Springfield and 

 in Washington. Many of you have heard 

 our great former president, Sam H. 

 Thompson, tell of his early experience 

 in the halls of Congress when his author- 

 ity to speak for the farmers of Illinois 

 was questioned. Thousands of farmers 

 answered that challenge by giving him 

 their signed statement of support. 



Today the right of the Illinois Agri- 

 cultural Association to speak for the farm- 

 ers of Illinois is never seriously ques- 

 tioned. The influence of your organiza- 

 tion is so great that we must constantly 

 be on guard to see that our spokesmen 

 truly reflect the thinking of the farm 

 people who have rnade this power a 

 reality. 



While the State Legislature was not in 

 session during this year, your representa- 

 tives were in frequent consultation with 

 state government officials on many ad- 

 ministrative and planning matters affect- 

 ing agricultural welfare. 



Recently we witnessed a very hotly con- 

 tested state and national election cam- 

 paign. Your directors, officers and staff 

 have attempted to maintain a strictly non- 

 partisan attitude. At the same time we 

 would have been grossly unfair and un- 

 grateful had we not informed our mem- 

 bership of the attitudes and voting records 

 of their representatives in Gingress and 

 in the Legislature. 



The lack of activity on the state legisla- 

 tive front was more than compensated 

 for by one of the most active sessions of 

 the Congress in several years. While 

 the Illinois Agricultural Association co- 

 operates effectively with our national or- 

 ganization, the American Farm Bureau 

 Federation, it often becomes necessary 



Ru%t»n Park* (Mt), WLS announcer. Inter- 

 views If. r. Smith, lAA Director during lAA 

 convention. 



for the Association to supplement AFBF 

 efforts by working closely with the Illinois 

 delegation in Congress. 



Testimony was presented before several 

 of the major committees of the Congress 

 and personal contacts made with all Illi- 

 nois members of the House and Senate. 

 Not all of these efforts were successful 

 but we have had excellent cooperation 

 and support from practically all down- 

 state and several Cook County Congress- 

 men. Both members of the Senate from 

 Illinois were very effective in their sup- 

 port of the programs sponsored by the 

 Association. 



The most important issues which were 

 successfully supported by the Association 

 were the Aiken Long-Range Farm Pro- 

 gram, the extension of the Commodity 

 Credit Corporation, increased support for 

 the R. E. A. and the Extension Service, 

 further economies in federal government 

 expenditures and the return of the con- 

 trol and support of Federal meat inspec- 

 tion to the government. Issues on which 

 we failed to secure effective action were 

 coordination of the activities of the agen- 

 cies within the Department of Agriculture, 

 Agricultural credit legislation and com- 

 promise legislation on the oleomargarine 

 tax. The next session of the Congress 

 presents a challenging opportunity to 

 carry forward to completion much of the 

 program of the American Farm Bureau 

 Federation. 



With the forthcoming 66th Session of 



the State Legislature at Springfield and 

 the convening of the new Congress in 

 Washington, the year ahead brings a 

 heavy responsibility to the Association. 

 It is very important that the delegates in 

 this Annual Meeting give careful con- 

 sideration to a wide variety of issues. 



The Illinois Agricultural Association 

 has repeatedly taken a position of leader- 

 ship in attempting to secure revision by 

 amendment, of certain sections* of the 

 state constitution. The difficulty of this 

 approach is that the amending clause in 

 the constitution requires a favorable ma- 

 jority of all those voting in the general 

 election for the adoption of an amend- 

 ment. Amendments are invariably de- 

 feated by those who ignore the special 

 prop>osition. 



We have supported the party circle 

 method as a means of securing a change 

 in the amending procedure. Other 

 groups have urged that a constitutional 

 convention be called with the purpose of 

 completely revising the constitution. Your 

 organization has not supported these sug- 

 gestions because we have been convinced 

 that complete revision was unnecessary 

 and because of the very real difficulty 

 of securing sufficient agreement of all 

 groups on the resulting product of the 

 convention to secure adoption by the 

 voters. 



We are now faced with making a 

 choice as to whether we should continue 

 our attempts to secure amendment of the 

 constitution or whether we should sup- 

 port the efforts to call a constitutional 

 convention. The possibility of securing 

 satisfactory revision as a result of a con- 

 stitutional convention is not too promis- 

 ing. However, the need for revision is 

 so evident that we should carefully con- 

 sider this method. 



School reorganization activity has swept 

 over the state of Illinois at a remarkably 

 rapid pace. The Illinois Agricultural 

 Association was largely instrumental in 

 securing the enabling legislation which 

 gave the opportunity for much of the 

 progress attained. However, we have 

 been increasingly concerned with the 

 reckless haste that has characterized the 

 movement for reorganization in some 

 communities. A number of mistakes have 

 undoubtedly been made. However, I am 

 confident that the awakened interest of 

 the voters will assure early correction 

 of these errors. During this period of 

 intense activity a number of deficiencies, 

 duplications and conflicts have been dis- 

 covered in our cumbersome school laws. 

 Early action to bring about needed re- 

 vision and clarification of these laws is 

 essential. 



With the constantly increasing impor- 

 tance of motor transportation to modern 

 agriculture it is imperative that the prob- 

 lems of maintaining an adequate high- 

 way system be carefully considered. In- 



flationary p« 

 maintenance 

 of existing! 

 meeting of 

 the appoint! 

 mittee whiJ 

 report thati 

 consideratio 

 No single 

 will solve 

 the develop 

 to-highway I 

 problems tl 

 tions that 

 with our p| 

 ganization 

 efficient use 

 funds is cc 

 trols to prol 

 less destruci 

 enue for ro 

 must be ind 



Careful : 

 gasoline ta: 

 be sure tha 

 duly subsidi 

 ing rural re 

 established 

 and materi: 

 long-time p 

 system musi 

 City consur 

 a heavy per 

 teriorating 



Econc 



With thi 

 state treasui 

 all other st; 

 sibility that 

 tinue to pil 

 continue ti 

 economy b 

 governmeni 

 ployees on 

 would be ( 

 available f 



College 



Farmers 



state-ownei 



Illinois. ^ 



has been i 



culture by 



Experimer 



Illinois. 



Trustees f 



the operat 



entire Un 



tural Asso 



ing needs 



supported 



the huge 



athletic, • 



chemistry, 



Howev 



agricultur 



32 



L A. A. RECORD 



JANUAI 



