Mexico Missouri message., 1915-03-18
RUSK GIVES final STATEMENT
CONCERNING FARM BUREAUS WORK
(By Earl W. Ruskl

Il
leo Commercial Club with very little
support from the farmers Of the coun-
ty. In the very outset, which was in
the month of March, 1918, the Com
mercial Club decided to call a meet
ing of farmers to discuss the propo-
sition of hiring a farm adviser. The
method followed in carrying out this
plan was to notify the clerk Of each
rural district, asking that a meeting
Of the people of the district be called
for the purpose of electing a repre-
sentative to the meeting to be held In
Mexico under the auspices Of the
Commercial Club. The result was
that meetings were called in perhaps
little more than one half of the
school districts. 1t is safe to say that
the majority of men elected from
these various districts who were In
structed at all were instructed to vote
mo" when they got into the meeting
at Mexico. This was just what
should be expected since the people
generally did not understand at all
what the Farm Adviser movement
was. 1t is also fact that whenever
new projects are mentioned in
community the directors are the ones
who make the most noise.
The meeting was held and the
County Court was invited in to get the
feeling of the people OF the county
regarding the advisability of the
Court appropriating a small amount
of county funds to further this new
project. OF course, the majority or
the few representatives spoke out
against the movement However,
few went so far as to say that IL the
people of their district had under
stood the purposes and aims OF the
movement, they would not have in
structed them to vote mo-"
The County Court was there as one
man, and decided that II they were
expected to appropriate county mon
ey on the strength of the majority
there would be no such approprta-
tions in this case. In fact they have
held to this stand very consistently
for the two years which have passed
since that decisive meeting. The po-
sition of the Court has been that
their hands were tied at that meet
ing, which was to have been a rep
resentative meeting of the
farmers of Audrain Coun.
ty. Until this spell has been broken
by a petition bearing the names of
the majority of taxpayers, asking the
Court to appropriate county money,
the present Court at least will not
make any such appropriation.
The staunch hackers OF the Farm
Adviser movement woIld not be dis
heartened but went ahead thinking
that the Comfy CAlrt would surely
change in their attitude and event.
ually put the project on firm finan-
cial basis. The Commercial Club
therefore negotiated with the Univer-
sity for a Farm Adviser. The Club
agreed to guarantee the County
share of the salary with the under
standing that as sooG as possible the
Audrain County Farm Bureau would
be organized and take over the re-
sponsibility which the Commercial
Club assumed in the beginning.
On the twenty-third of May, 1918, a
big tent-meeting was held in Mexico
and the Audrain County farm Bureau
was organized. Before this meeting
closed, subscription was taken and
sum of between $500 and 5000 was
subscribed yearly for three years.
This amount was later raised to a
little over $1,000, which was a little
more than half as much as needed.
This bit of history is given in this
report because of the very important
bearing which it has had on the
work at all times. The fact that the
County Court did not see fit to sup
port the movement with county rev.
enue made the financial responsible
ity fall on the shoulders of a few.
Many who would have shown
an interest in the work had
the county as whole been
paying the bills. were disposed to
feel that unless they paid out 5, 10 or
more dollars year toward the move
ment they should not call upon the
Farm Adviser in any way. Many peo-
pie have expressed themselves as be-
ing in favor of the movement if sup
ported by the County because the
average cost would be only few
cents per farm.
1t has therefore been necessary to
wage a continuous campaign for
funds and to keep down expenses on
all sides. This has hampered the
work along some lines especially
along the lines that were educational
and that would give publicity to the
work.
In spite Of these and a few other
limiting factors the work has gone on
and is right now at a point where /
regret very much to see It discontin-
ued. People in general are coming to
understand the purposes of
the project and in a measure
the benefits to be derived are being
realized. Prejudice has been overcome
in almost every case where the one
with such prejudice has got acquaint-
ed in one way or another with facts
rather than suspicious. 1t is the unani-
nous testimony of those acquainted
with the work that the sentiment of
the people has changed in a very
marked degree in favor of the move