FORTY-SECOND ANNUAL CONVENTION 193 



President Smith in his address compHmented the work be- 

 ing done in Southern lUinois by the banks and through the Illi- 

 nois Dairy and Food Department. 



Extracts from his address are as follows : 



"No doubt you have told many what a great man a farmer 

 is. Probably you will hear more oi it between now and next 

 November, this being a Presidential year. I am not running foil 

 an elective office, still I would like to bring to your attention 

 seriously for a few minutes ai,pK6iblem"''that does lie close to my 

 heart — the problem of the railroads. To solve that problem wc« 

 need your sympathetic co-operation. 



''The farmer is especially interested to see that his trans- 

 portation needs are fairly met, and they cannot be adequately 

 without fair treatment of the corporation which have undertaken 

 to serve you in that capacity. 



"Down in the Metropolis district of New York City there 

 are five million adults and two million babies. Transportation 

 lines must be kept open in order to feed that vast population. If, 

 a great storm delays milk trains which come from distances hun- 

 dreds of miles away the babies are threatened with hunger. The 

 dairy and meat trains must come in regularly and almost con- 

 stantly or the population could not live where it does. 



"The railroad has not only brought the farm to the market- 

 place, but it has opened the markets of the world to almost every 

 farmer. Illinois butter is consumed throughout civilization and 

 your meats and cereals help to feed the workmen of our great 

 cities who are devoting themselves to making your shoes, cloth- 

 ing, machinery, tools and what not. 



"Realizing the importance of agriculture to their own in- 

 dustry — transportation, railroads have established Agricultural 

 Departments to promote the welfare and success of farming com- 

 munities along their lines. 



"We are co-operating in every way we can with the Dairy 

 Committee of Illinois Bankers' Association and the State Dairv 

 Commissioner in the plan which you have been extensively using 

 for overcoming the difficulties in getting started in dairying ir 

 Southern Illinois, namely : the wholesale purchase of good milk 



