The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1908-07-31
DAY OF oRAToRY
Farmers Clubs Enjoy II at McCurdy
Park-Big, Happy Crowd.

Farmers CIuoS ENJOY u AT MCSuruy
Park-Bis, Happy Crowd.
The annual picnic of the farmers
clubs of Shiawassee county was the
best ever held from the standpoint of a
social gathering and was also grand
success as to the program and the
weather was beautiful. The crowd
was variously estimated at from one
thousand to fifteen hundred and includ-
ed perhaps twenty candidates for Office
who were simply shaking hands and
meeting friends.
Up to 100 the crowd enjoyed social
visiting, lunch and the park.
The program was begun promptly
and proceeded without interruption for
four hours President Chandler intro
ducing each speaker at length and max
ing some comments on different sub
ject. Mayor McMullen welcomed the
people to the park heartily, being sorry
that all the people could not or did
not more often visit the beautiful
grounds. Rev. Woodlands offered a
short prayer. Music was furnished at
different times during the afternoon by
the Bennington Band and it proved
itself an up. to,date musical organiza'
tion.
DR.. r. c. Mahaney of Owosso read
a paper on the dreaded disease, tuber-
culosis, giving the crowd some idea of
the terrible ravages of the disease. its
unnecessary growth aud the methods
now being used to check it and the i'm
portance of everyone's doing share to
help.
Hon. Joseph w. Fordney put the
crowd in most excellent humor by his
pleasant manner, a couple of appropri-
ate stories and his stirring and patriotic
talk on national affairs, showing the
wonderful resources of the United
States, the excellent management of
its affairs, congratulating the farmers
on the prospects for unprecedented
crops which would be sold at good
prices. He filled the twenty minutes
allotted to him with good cheer, facts
and fun, not referring to politics except
to say that if anyone beside himself
was nominated for Congressman on the
republican ticket he would support him
heartily for election.
Fl. L. Burroughs, of the American
Farm Products Co., gave a short talk
urging more farmers to take up winter
dairying, showing the difference in
value of the products, the higher per
centage of butter fat in winter and the
making use of the time when the farm
duties were at the minimum,
DR.. J. B. bradley of Eaton Rapids,
one of the candidates for the republican
nomination for governor, said he
came more for the purpose of
shaking hands, renewing acquaintance
and friendships than for speech making.
Being born on a Shiawassee county
farm, earning money there to get his
education ne felt at home. He was
believer in rotation in crops and also
in the holding of public office, but pre-
ferred to talk politics at some later
date. President Chandler urged po
litical discussion, saying the farmers
had wished to hear such matters taken
up.
j. w, Fitzgerald of st. Johns, thanked
Mr.. Fordney for the kindly and gentle
manly way he looked at the formers
candidacy for congressional honors,
promising as had Mr.. Fordney his
fullest efforts for the election of the
nominee. He paid tribute to the late
Hugh McCurdy for his gift to the
people of the beautiful park which
would be an enduring monument to
one whom the people loved MIR. Fitz-
gerald believed the farmers were the
great people of the nation and re-
gretted the difficulties of keeping the
young men on the farm-the call of
the, factories, the colleges and the shops
being too strong for them. He thought
immigration would relieve the tiller of
the soil of the hardship thus caused,
saying that conditions would be bet
tered by the importation of class of
foreigners, who because of their sane
beliefs and good citizenship would not
be detriment to the country. He said