The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-01-13
MRS. LUCAS TALKED LIKE OPT.
MIST TO GRAIN MEN.

Address; President n. A. Pat.
terson of Commercial Club Tells
Story; Former Judge lorin
Cray harks Back to the Past.
From Fridays Daily.
President Ii. A. Patterson of the
Mankato Commercial club was one
of the several gentlemen who adj
dressed the convention OF grain
dealers in session at the knights
of Columbus hall, last night. Mr..
Patterson stated that when he was
elected to that position that he was
given to understand that he was to
work and not to talk and that if
he should attempt to make a speech
that it would not be likely to turn
out as we'll as it ought to, and to
illustrate his meaning he told the
story that is told on Theodore Roose-
welt to the effect that when he WAS
boy in school he attempted one
day to rccite the poem entitled
"Marco Bazaras." When he came
to that part which says:
"The Turk lay dreaming of the hour,
When Greece her knee in suppl
ance bent
Should tremble at his power"
He got as far as Greece her
knee" and after twisting at his fin
gers and repeating that over three
or four times the old professor in
the back of the room called out,
Teddy, maybe if you will grease
/ her knee once more she will go,
| and he said that if he attempted to
make "a speech it would take consid.
cradle grease.
Judge Cray on Program.
| The next speaker of the evening
was Judge Lorin Cray and his ad
dress was of a reminiscent chara1
ter extending back to the times OF
the early settlement in this section
of Minnesota. He told how that Ia
the early years he, too, lived on the
farm and raised grain to be sold to
the grain buyers and how that now
he was glad Of an opportunity OF
getting even with them by theil
| having to listen to him for few
moments. He gave a very interest
ing account Of the way grain was
marketed in those days, how that il
was brought here and stored il
warehouses along the Minnesota
river, the farmers coming with i
from long distances from as far a.
~
far in other directions, and how thai
when they nearcd Mankato where
the roads convcrgcd, it was no
an uncommon sight to see forty o.
fifty teams in Il string hauling grain
II was brought in sacks and thes,
sacks were weighed Oh small scales
Il few at time, and then carried
away and empticd in the bins. Thel
when spring came and the littl'
steam boat came up the Minnesot;
river towing barges, that the grain
> was then again sacked up, taken ant
loaded on the bargcs and shippc'
: to Minneapolis.
Wheat Sold High.
Mr.. Cray told how that when on
year at the close Of the war Whea
was selling for So bushel and tn
people believed it was always goin
to stay high, vast amount Q
prairie sod was broken up and sowe
to wheat and that next year tn
prices dropped until it was wort
only As cents and so cents and a
the expense of raising wheat /
those early times without much IN;
q, chinery was much higher than
is now, that it caused Il great los
to the farmers. Then he told {
!, the crop failures later on, and hO'
: the farmers who were not accustOn
ed to scientific methods of framin
u were totally at a loss to know ho
to meet them. But now he said til
: time had come when more scientif
; methods were being used and mu:
be adopted and he believed TIL;
+ farming would become more intens
flying and more profitable. II
: thought such meetings as this cOul
not fail to be a good thing and til;
u InlS cooperative movement IluSC l
a great benefit, making for bette
't conditions.
Address BY Mrs. Lucas.
4 President Smith introduced Mr.
it Lucas, and this made an explanatiC
necessary as she was on the pr
- gram under the name OF Carr
Il Vaughan Anderson. She eXplaint
it very easily by saying that 81
- had recently acquired husbal
and with him new name. 81
l. said that perhaps they wonders
l. what woman knew about cooper
ton. Looking over the audience al
- seeing only one lady there besid
herself, she said she was sorry 4
- that large gathering of men, f
they were evidently either all o
- EY%3Ez1y THMI7z2T