Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-02-09
OUR CANDIDATE IN 1900.
Mayor Kellow's Address of Welcome
at the Farmers Institute.

AT the FARMERS institute.
Another year has passed, and the
citizens of Cresco have seen fit to
continue your humble servant at the
head of its government. And you
farmers have again called upon me
as representing the city to welcome
tie meeting of your society. AS the
citizens of Cresco, after years trial,
have seen fit to renew their conf
dencet in me by continuing me as their
chief executive; and-as you have
againasked me for. few words of
welcome, feel justified in again re-
newing that pledge of friendship and
good win that should always abound
between city and county; and saying
to you who represent the progressive
farming industry of it's surrounding
country, that we, the citizens of this
fair little city, heartily welcome you
to all its privileges, and sincerely
trust that these fraternal annual
gatherings may be the means of
building up better understanding
and more friendly feeling between
city and county; and we further trust
that the benefits that you and our
farmers receive in these meetings, by
the interchange of thought and edu-
cation in your calling, may have
lasting social and financial benefit to
us all. .Yes,i another year has passed
and gone since we last met in this
same capacity; and with it's passing
days we have met the joys and sor-
rows that come to- all. We must-ac.
cept the record we have made,
whether it is good or bad. By our
record, don't mean what some peo-
pie may say or think it is, but what
it actually is. Perhaps with some
the past year has been one of SUM-
shine, pleasure and prosperity, while
with others it has been dark, gloomy
and disastrous. But it is gone, and
whether our lot has been bright and
gladstone, or one of trials and sad
ness, there.is no use of complaining,
but rather let us up and at it again.
Let our experiences in the past be a
lesson to guide us in the future far
from the mistakes and failures of the
past, and closer to what is right, Just
and successful.
Although time is too short to say
but little in my talk to-day, 1 have
thought of making a comparison of
farming business, and living now,
with the same in an early day in this
county. We all seem to think that
we have hard times, as it is called,
and.of course everybody thinks his
or her lot is harder than that of their
neighbor But believe a fair and
impartial comparison of our general
conditions now, the work we have to
do and the way we do it, the pay we
receive for our labor, the comforts;
yes, even Injuries we have, and all
we have to contend with in general
now, compared with thirty-five or
forty years ago, we shall be able to
see at least some bright spots In what
we now consider gloomy picture. L
don't expect to handle this subj ect as
some one else might, for am more
at q disadvantage than some others
might be. In the first place 1 am
compelled to go back to rather an
earlier date than is convenient for my
age, and in the next place when I'M
dertake to talk about farming, some
of you may think I am out of my
sphere: but I will ask you to excuse
poor knowledge of the subject and
poorer ability as a speaker, and you
to accept of whatever good Cf any
there is in what I say. There are but
few,.of the old settlers Of forty years
ego left and as your humble servant
is one of them, I thought I might as
well attempt to draw the picture,
otherwise it may not be drawn. am
not sure but what the farmer and all
others of to-day work just as hard in
most cases as they did thirty. five to
forty years ago, for our mode and
style of living has changed almost if
not quite as rapidly as our mode OF
farming and business. In an early
day about all the grain the farmers
raised to sell was wheat and there
was no great object in raising much
OF that. Now we raise oats, corn,
barley, flax and grass seeds to sell; and
while we think the prices are so low
1t is ALA failure. we must admit that
we get better price now than we
did then. Now we sell our grain at
home and can market from one to
Six loads a day; then we were com.
PEELED to draw it to McGregor, taking
almost q week. and sometimes longer
to market single load, and too
often not getting enough out of the
loAd,to pay the expenses Of the trip.
Ibelieye this is correct statement
Of grain raising, and while we all
think the prices low now, we must
all admit, considering expenses of
marketing it to be far better than in
the early days. a...5.g
Now in regard to stock and other
farm produce. In an early day we
raised but little stock, and what we
had to sell must also be take to Nc.
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