American Agriculturist 
griculturist, December 27 , 1924 
A. F. B. F. Makes Little Progress ^ 
An Interesting Report of the Annual Meeting Held at Chicago m 
Chicago 
F OR THE third time, O. E. Bradfute, of 
Ohio, was elected President of the Amer¬ 
ican Farm Bureau Federation at its sixth 
annual convention which was held at Chi¬ 
cago, December 8, 9 and IO - The administration 
was endorsed further by the returning of ten 
members of the old executive committee. 
Although all campaigning was carefully kept 
off the floor, it was apparent that an effort was 
made to agree upon a candidate agreeable to 
the states. Before the conven- 
By GILBERT GUSLER 
Indiana paid no dues last year except $250 to 
seat W. H. Settle as a voting director. Indiana’s 
refusal to pay its full dues of about $20,000 was 
chiefly a protest against the administration’s atti 
arch enemy of the pools. Whether they are cor¬ 
rect in this view or not is a matter that must be 
left to the realm of individual judgment. 
Except by inference, the Grain Marketing Com¬ 
pany was given no endorsement by the convention. 
The fact that the old administration was returned, 
that one of the resolutions pledged support to co- 
tude toward cooperative marketing in general and operative marketing organizations already in the 
being 
its grain marketing program in particular 
was the rock which split the convention a 
This 
year 
all 
tion, Indiana, which had failed to 
pay its dues for the current year, 
T 
served notice that it would with¬ 
draw from the national organiza¬ 
tion if the old administration was 
retained. The sympathies of Illi¬ 
nois were generally Relieved to be 
with Indiana. 
When Mr. Bradfute’s name was 
placed before the convention, he was 
lauded for the completion of a suc¬ 
cessful year and as a man whose 
leadership had been recognized by 
his appointment by President Cool- 
id?e as a member of the Agricul¬ 
tural Commission. 
George C. Jewett, of Spokane, 
Washington, former president of 
the American Wheat Growers, Inc., 
was nominated for the presidency 
by Ralph Snyder of Kansas. In 
presenting Mr. Jewett’s name, Mr. 
Snyder scored personal ambitions, 
the secret caucusing, and politics 
which have characterized the con¬ 
ventions of the past few years. He 
nominated Mr. Jewett because he 
'had' not engaged in this factional, 
personal strife and was ably quali¬ 
fied to serve as president. Indiana 
Illinois, Kansas, California, Arizona 
and Alabama were believed to sup¬ 
porting Jewett who received 11 
votes against Mr. Bradfute’s total 
of 35. Following his reelection, 
Mr. Bradfute declared that he 
would be glad to relinquish the po¬ 
sition when the next election is 
held. 
Edward A. O’Neal of Alabama, 
formerly a member of the executive 
committee, was elected vice-presi¬ 
dent to succeed J. F. Reed of Min¬ 
nesota. S. FI. Thompson of Illi¬ 
nois was nominated for the position 
but withdrew his name. 
Members of the new executive 
committee are: Midwest section : C. 
E. Hearst, Iowa; J. F. Reed, Min¬ 
nesota; S. H. Thompson, Illionis; 
M. L. Noon, Michigan, was elected 
as a fourth member, to become 
active on the ratification by the 
states^of the new constitutional 
amendments. Eastern section : J. 
C. Brubaker, Pennsylvania; G. M. 
Putnam, New Hampshire; Enos 
Lee, New York. Southern section: 
E. P. Cohill, Maryland; H. Williams, Texas; W. 
T. Harris, Kentucky. Western section : A. C. 
Hardison, California; F. Evans, Utah; W. A. 
Hardy, Nevada. 
The Bells Are Ringing 
Rev. J. W. Holland. 
HERE go the bells again. It is New Year. Little children are 
singing and dancing their glee. To them, Time merely crawls 
along. Young people are together love making and counting the slow 
passing years, till their dreams come true. To them, time moves slowly. 
The middle aged are quiet. Time, to them, is moving faster, and they 
know that each year brings its hardships as well as its joys., 
The aged sit in silence, and brush aside occasional tears, as the 
ghosts of half forgotten scenes rise through ther mists of years.. To 
them, Time flies in lightning wings. 
So, each of us, in the time of his age, views the ever recurring sound 
of New Year Bells. 
If we are sensible there are many things we want to happen to us and 
our friends in NINETEEN HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE. 
We want to be kinder! Faces are certain to wrinkle with time, but 
whether they wrinkle Up, or wrinkle Down will depend on whether 
we are kind or unkind. 
This morning, I saw a man beating a poor horse because his feet 
would not catch in the snowy pavement. I am glad that my sister 
does not have to live with that man. In his heart he is unkind. 
Kindness will pay bigger heart-dividends than most any attitude of 
mind we hold toward Others. 
I bought an article in a store today. The Christmas rush is on. 
A young, inexperienced clerk was trying to tie up my package. The 
floor-walker saw her dilemma, and “called” her in harsh words. As 
I left the counter I said to the floor-walker, “Treat that girl kinder and 
she will do better.” He said, “Who the hell are you?” 
That man will never succeed. In his heart he has the nature of an 
animal, and not a kind gentleman. He is not fit to handle cattle, let 
alone sensitive young women. 
We are going to dig some new graves, this year, and bury our 
grudges there. Every now and then my good wife handles rather 
roughly the accumulated piles of papers and stuff that get on top of my 
desks. Sometimes I miss something that I wanted, but in the main, her 
-work is best, for “JUNK” will smother us if we do not destroy and 
bury it. Our souls get piled full of memories of un-neighborly acts and 
words. The deeper the accumulation, the harder to really live. Dig 
out that old grudge, and while the bells are ringing, and the children 
singing, bury it deep in forgetfulness. 
• We are going to quit pitying ourselves, if we are wise. I have 
worse than wasted every hour that I have spent in pitying myself, 
because I may have had a hard time. Hardship is the compliment a 
wide Providence hands to the plucky souls. 
The American farmer has, in the past four years, shown his ability 
to “dig in,” and now he is going to show the world his equal ability 
to “dig out.” Not self-pity, but a Chance, is the need of valor. 
We are going to go right on working for bettered conditions of 
life. We are going to sin less, and repent more; pray more sincerely, 
and look up more often; visit the sick, and encourage the hopeless; add 
a word of reproof to the careless, and extend a hand to the lonely. If 
we do, the year opening, amid the bells, will not close with the knells. 
organizations 
ago when an endorsement of the work of the 
National Wheat Marketing Advisory Committee, 
headed by Frank O. Lowden, was refused. At 
that time, Indiana was already going ahead with 
The failure of some states to pay up, and the plans to form a state wheat pool and Illinois ap- 
resulting handicap under which the organization parently headed in the same direction. The indi- 
has worked, was commented on by President 
jBradfute in his opening address when he said, 
“The A. F. B. F. cannot go forward without 
some definite knowledge and assurance as to what 
will be our income for the year. Faith in indefi¬ 
nite promises, which have not been fulfilled, has 
ana pool is claimed by its sponsors to be working 
successfully. 
In the meantime, the formation of the Grain 
Marketing Company by a combination of old line 
grain companies, under farm bureau auspices and 
with Gray Silver as president and John Coverdale 
gotten us into debt which should be liquidated at as secretary, has complicated the situation. It has 
once.” Again in his acceptance speech, he said been endorsed by the A. F. B. F. executive coni' 
that the directions of the delegates would be car¬ 
ried out “if the funds are provided.” 
mittee. The Indiana farm bureau leaders, how¬ 
ever, regard the Grain Marketing Company as the 
field, that the cooperative marketing feature of 
the convention program was devoted largely to the 
work of the Grain Marketing Com¬ 
pany, leaves little doubt as to where 
the A. F. B. F. will stand in the 
coming year. 
Under the circumstances, it is 
considered a settled matter that In¬ 
diana will withdraw from the Fed¬ 
eration. What Illinois will do will 
probably not be determined until its 
annual meeting in January. 
The Indiana Federation is defi¬ 
nitely committed to the pool plan of 
cooperative marketing and Illinois 
has refused to approve the Grain 
Marketing Company. Both states 
fear that the prestige and resources 
of the farm bureau- will be used 
to put over a campaign to sell stock 
in the Grain Marketing Company. 
They believe that this will bring 
discredit upon the A. F. B. F. and 
will cause it to lose its lofty posi¬ 
tion as a national farm organization. 
The resolutions passed as a pro¬ 
gram of work for the ensuing year 
provided for no active procedure. 
The failure of the convention to 
adopt an aggressive program also 
was a great disappointment to those 
who see the farm bureau settling 
back from a position of prominence 
in agricultural affairs. 
Support was pledged to 
operative marketing 
already organized and a national 
wool terminal agency was endorsed, 
but no positive program of action in 
cooperative marketing was adopted. 
The Grain Marketing Company was 
not specifically mentioned although 
it was believed to be covered in the 
first resolution. 
The McNary-Haugen bill was 
alluded to in endorsing of the 
“principle of a farmers’ export cor¬ 
poration created with broad powers 
under government charter to pre¬ 
serve the domestic market for the 
American producer at an American 
price.” 
The action of some of the states 
in withholding part or all of the 
membership fees due the national 
organization was scored in a reso- 
lution which regarded such action as 
•“misappropriation of funds” and 
believed that “The responsible offi¬ 
cers should be held accountable 
therefor under the law.” 
Other resolutions reiterated the Federation’s 
former position on Muscle Shoals, child labor, a 
truth-in-fabrics bill and certain tax legislation. 
Restriction of the issuance of tax free securities 
was recommended instead of their complete abol^ 
ishment as at former conventions. 
Several amendments to the constitution, de¬ 
signed to enforce the payment of dues to the 
national organization by the states, were passed 
on by the directors and sent to the states for rati¬ 
fication. They require that state treasurers shall 
give bond to insure the payment of dues to the 
national federation; that the Federation shall have 
authority to audit the membership accounts of 
state organizations, and also the accounts between 
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