The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1899-06-09
MCCORMICK DAY A SUCCESS


with all that took Place.
The efforts of Messrs. Grove & Payne
and District Agent Geo. M. Graham to
make Saturday, June Sd, a mccormick
Day" which should be in keeping with
the great size and immense output of
the Mccormick works was successful
one in every respect More machines
had been sold and were delivered Sat-
urday than year before. The parade
was more than a half mile In length.
The banquet at the New National was
all that could be desired. Addresses
at the banquet were short and interest
ing, and music good, while all day long
the weather was as perfect as a June
day could be.
| Early in the forenoon the store OF
Grove & Payne began to fill up with
customers and friends who were
promptly decorated with Mccormick
badges. The talk of machines, of
crops, farm stock, and the new store
building of the hrm whose guests they
were was heard on every hand, while
throughout the day the music of the
Junior Band pleased old and young
| alike. The chief source of wonder,
however, on every hand was that in
the face of the terrible fire of Septem-
Der Sd, 1898, this firm could this season
be in a much nicer, more commodious
and better arranged building than be-
fore with a largely increased list of
sales behind them.
There were ready for delivery thirty
four binders, some thirty mowers
besides hayrakes and other implements.
OF these, twenty-one binders were set
up and mounted on their own trucks.
The rest which were taken away were
loaded in wagons. The most of the
mowers we're carried away in wagons.
There were over sixty machines actu-
ally in the parade.
At one oclc ok the banquet began in
the New National where the large
dining room was filled to it's utmost
capacity and the wants of the inner
man were well taken care of, the cards
which each guest found at his plate
containing such advise as to test their
capacity" on "reeP' good dinner
| and when they could elevate no
mower" to leave the table"
Dinner over, Mr.. H. S. Hadsall called
the company to order, and acting as
POSTMASTER, spoke briefly and wittily
| of the part he was there to act, the en-
terprise of the firm whose guests they
were, and the peculiar characteristics
of the different speakers they were to
hear. The mandolin club furnished
music during the meal and the first
number of the after dinner program
was another piece of music by Duff's
male quartette, There is But One
Machine, The Mccormick"
The POSTMASTER then introduced Mr..
Robert Gibbons, of THE Michigan
Farmer" as a man who instead of
farming the farm, farmed the farmer,
neglecting to call especial attention,
however, to the fact that as a good
farmer improves his farm while farm
ing it, so Mr.. Gibbons may be fairly
said to be devoting his life to improving
the farmer.
Mr.. Gibbons said that he had told the
POSTMASTER that if it would make him
feel any better he would allow himself
to be introduced as Fitzgibbons and
would talk democracy but that his offer
had been refused so he would talk
neither politics, religion, or business.
He congratulated the farmers, however,
on their having such city as Owosso
in which to trade and such a firm as
their hosts with whom to trade. The
city and state and whole country have
been always expanding and are yet
| doing so. We never want to see any
backward step taken. Mr.. Gibbons
| talk was brief, it being, as he said, his
habit to write his thoughts for the farm
ers to read rather than to speak to
them at a public gathering While this
may be true, however, it afforded the
company no small pleasure. to see Mr..
Gibbons whom they have Come to con-
slider an old friend, before them and to
hear him speak.
After another selection by the quar-
tette the toast master introduced attor-
ney w. A. Norton, of st. Johns, roast
ing him for his alleged farm expert.
ences as he did so. Mr.. Norton came
back at the POSTMASTER in lively shape,
however, for his bantering. He then
said that when he had looked at the
wheat fields on his way to Owosso he
had wondered what there was this year
to make the farmers buy reapers, but
after look at the members of the firm
of Grove & Payne and the Mccormick
block agent, Mr.. Graham, he realized
that the farmers simply had to buy in
spite of themselves. He had great