Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-02-15
Mayor Ke11ow's Address at the
Formers Institute.


l was called upon few days ago, by
your energetic young secretary, to say
something at your institute. We fell
lows who are elected mayor here from
time to time, know about as much
about farming as we do about making
speech, but as it seems to be a sort
of fashion to have the mayor, who
usually holds his office because no one
else wants it or will take, try to say
something at some public meetings, l
suppose we must get up and punish
our hearers for few minutes at least.
Now ladies and gentlemen as honored
citizens of this community, and | mean
honored citizens in its fullest sense, for |
know Of no more ,porthy or intelligent
class of people than the tillers of the soil
of the present times. AS mayor of
this nice little city, | welco ON e
you. l welcome you here for
the discussion of the problems that in
terest you in your honored calling.
Your secretary told me as the time was
short, and my time shorter, he would
not ask me to say very much, and l
will try and fill the bill in that respect,
l understand you are not looking for
me to make speech en- agricultural
lines, as you have representative men
here for that purpose, and you farmers
most all understand an hundred fold
more about it than do. am much
pleased to see so large an attendance
at this early stage of your meeting, for
these meetings certainly ought to be
very beneficial to farmers who will att
tend and BECOME interested in the
work, and hope you will have still
larger attendance later on and interest
to correspond.
l think I will be safa in saying, as
they say our democratic friends said
abont one of their county conventions
in an early day, that your present at
tendance insures you a large and re-
spectacle institute. The story is that
the democrats were holding a mass con-
vention in this county in an early day,
and only two turned out to the cenvea=
ton, one Of course had to be chairman,
and the other secretary, and the larger
of the two was made chairman, and
the smaller secretary. When they
were about to adjourn the secretary
asked what he should say of the con-
vention, and the chairman who was
equal to the emergency said, tell the
people it was large and respectable
convention. That somewhat puzzled
the modest secretary, and he wanted
to know how he could do that, but the
chairman who was again equal to the
occasion, explained by saying amt 1
large; and amt you respectable.
Now ladies and gentlemen, l am not
going to try to tell you how to farm,
you all understand so much better than
|, what to do and how to DO it. I will
leave the whole matter in your hands,
but will try and say a few words about
a problem I feel we are all interested
in, and were it not for the fact that on
its face it seems | might be more di-
rectly interested than you | would say
more, but as I am already almost a
played out crank, l am not sure, but
most of you are about as much inter-
ested as l am. Now if l am not play
ed out, | am in about the same con-
dition they say the man who went out
west was in, when his friends came to
visit him. His friends were very much
interested in his welfare of course, and
asked him how he was getting along,
and he said flrst-rate, he said when he
came there he didn't have a cent, and
now I am owing ten thousand dollars.
! want to call your attention to an
issue that is before the people, and
that in my judgment is of enough i'm
portance to be entitled to our earnest
consideration. 1t is not a subject or
, condition for the attentions of farmers
any more than other citizens. but as
this audience is not farmers alone, but
a fair representation of all classes,
know of no better place to present it
then right here.
To commence l want to concede to
all Of you the right to do as your judg-
ment tells you is right, and for your
own best interest, but what l say is
simply on the line of advice or rather
suggestions, to impartially and care
fully consider the questions, not merely
in the light of present benefits or in
terests, but for your own, and others
welfare in the future, and as l said be-
fore, it is no more for farmers than
other classes of citizens, and while you
may not wholly approve of my views,
nor see the question in the same light
that / do, shall find no fault, but
fully concede to every one the right to
their own opinions.
The question or conditions want to
call your attention to, is the strife in
this country between the catalog or
mail ordes houses in the large cities,
and the small merchants in the small
cities and towns throughout the coun-
try. 1t is not question of how it
will affect your humble servant, for
man now is not Supposed to he able To