The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1914-01-23
Mayor Meyer Hands
Visitors Key to Town

Mayor A. q. Meyer this AFTERNOON
delivered an address or welcome tc
the delegates who are attending the
triple convention. The mayor spoke
az follows:
Gentlemen OF the Convention: On
my own behalf, on behalf OF the
other city officials and on behalf oil
all the citizens of Mankato l bid
you welcome to cur city. want 10
assure yau. gentlemen. that we ap
preciate the honor you have done US
IN selecting our city as the place OF
your conventions.
You may think that do not
know anything OF agriculture, but a
mayor of city is not always neces'
sarily city man: am something
of farmer myself and some OF the
happiest hours of my lie are spent on
my farm.
81 not only know a little of pres
ent farming. but know little OF
farming as Il was I'm the
past. and know a little Of the de-
velopmeut OF Southern Minnesota for
the last quarter century and con-
siderably longer
Il am forced to confess that when
was a young man things vere
somewhat different than they are
now remember the log houses in
the timber. and the sod houses OF
- hAr ha
struggle against stumps and prairie
fires. When | was young the hand
row was considered a wonderful in
ventlon. We harvested with the
the reaper. whe nthe reaper came.
men thought human invention had
reached its limit. But the harvester
succeeded and finally the selfb.nder.
The Evolution on Farm.
"ThreshIng machines too have
shown the strength OF the theory of
evolution After the grain was ready
for market hauling began. And the
still ache when think of our old
corduroy roads. Put your shoulder
10 the wheel, is now figurative
manner OF speech. In those days 1t
had literal meaning. Another
thing. In those days when a wet
season came great many farms
were flooded and the farmer went to
zee the money lenders. and they
would sometimes help him out in con-
sideration of small rate OF interest.
30 per cent or more.
"And the mail. When one OF the
neighbors went to town and succeed
ed In getting ther, he would bring
out the mail for the neighborhood
and On Saturday evening" with great
interest. we would read what had
happened on the Monday before.
"Of course. under such conditions
land was not worth much. II Is a
wonder II was worth anything. and
that the farmer did not succumb TO
these difficulties. But these early
settlers were hardy set OF pioneers.
and II is just that we should ex.
press today the debt of gratitude and
honor which we owe them. Their
pluck nd perseverance overcame all
these difficulties and are the cause of
the change We now see
Things Have Changed.
For all these things have changed
The log house and the sod house
have been replaced by modern CON-
fortab'e homes equipped with tele-
phone, supplied With daily mail The
hand pillow Is gene. In its place is
the modern sulky p'ow.~The grain is
entrusted to the soil by drills and
is no longer scattered to the winds.
In tho place OF the soythe is the
modern se,fbinder.
Our roads have become public
thoroughfares that can be travelled
with ease and safety. II anything
Is needed or the farm the prosper
Gus farme- runs TO town I'm his auto
and gets II while his wife Is pre-
pairing dinner for him. Since drain
age systems and thing have been in
stalled the farmer no longer
trembles when no hears the rain
drops fall. The farmer Is no longer
borrower at the mercy of the money
lender. The banks OF our city are
filed with his deposits. As the re-
suit Of this great change our land
has become valuable. Such is the
past and such the present When We
turn TO the future We see another
change that Is coming. As our land
has grown In value we are now con.
fronted with a new problem. II is to
get all out OF this valuable land that
can be gotten out Of IL.
"a great change Is coming. This
convention shows II. The farmer can
no longer be satisfied with an aver
age crop. He demands the best of
seed. the best method OF cultivat. on
and the best and most profitable
marketing. We have already learned
that there is more money in changing
corn to the market and selling it. but
that there is ore money In changing
the corn into beef and pork and
marketing that That is only one
leaeou Thero aro dozeus of ofhere