Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1912-01-25
WE RE GETTING TOGETHER.
The Cities and Rural Districts in
a Great Development
Movement.

week, with delegates from all the
counties and important towns Of
the State. 1t is gathering of
the Missouri Federation of Com
mercial Clubs. WIN. Hirth is
president, and, by the way, Hirth
used to reside on a farm near
Rush Hill, this county.
"The assembling OF this con.
vention," said President Hirth,
should mark an important mile
stone in the agricultural and com.
progress of this great
state. The Federation of Mis-
souri, Commercial Clubs is an or
ganization which resulted from a
call sent out by the Hannibal
Commercial Club last summer,
and if | correctly understand the
things which prompted it, il has
three great general objects in
view:
ITO impress upon the farmers
of the older states who are look
ing for new farm homes, that,
quality considered, Missouri farm
lands are today the cheapest in
the United States.
"To impress upon the capital
lists and manufacturers of the
country, that Missouri has I'M
limited stores Of coal, lead, zinc,
iron ore and lumber, vast unde-
veloped water power; 5000 miles
of railroads and more navigable
streams than any other state III
the Union.
"And, to mark the beginning
of closer and more cordial bond
between all our interests, big and
little, that will help to teach us
that the interests of our farmers,
our railroads, our manufacturers,
our merchants and our schools.
are mutual, and that in the end
we must rise or fall together"
William Hirth, president of the
association, dealt a blow at the
expression "T'm from Missouri:
you will have TO show me-" He
said this idiotic expression should
not be encouraged. He followed
up its denunciation by declaring
it to be on a par with the pro-
found hound song entitled "You
gotta quit kickin' my dog
around" now sweeping the
Ozarks.
Mr.. Hirth dealt upon the agri-
cultural possibilities of Missouri
and the inducements in the way
of unlimited but undeveloped
water power and other advan-
tages which the state holds out to
prospective investors in manu-
featuring pursuits.
He declared that outside of the
large cities no smoke ascends
from smoke stacks of manu-
featuring plants. eve should tell
to the world the advantages
which Missouri possesses for
manufacturers through a syste-
matte plan of publication" he
said.
"The time is past for making
speeches. We should raise $4,000
for advertising the resources Of
Missouri throughout the world
If the newspapers Of the state
would run a column in each ISSUE
for a period of six weeks the
story of the states wonderful
resources could be so exploited
that the next decennial census
would tell quite a different story
than the last, which indicated al
actual decrease in rural popula
ton and only a nominal increas
in the cities" lie advocated in
tensive farming both for tn
benefit of the farmers and tn
consumers. The old wastefu
methods and broad-acre plal
must be abandoned, he said.
Judge George Robertson o
Mexico expressed himself in OF
position to the idea of Fedora
control of public roads, but wa
in favor of state aid, and advC
Gated the organization of spccif
road districts and the issue G
bonds.
Judge Mccall of Kirksville, a