Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1919-05-16
GRANT COUNTY FIRES
AGRICULTURAL AGENT
Will Still Have to Pay Tax to Help
Support Agents in Other
Counties


have to do without the services of a
county agent for the coming year,
according to the following article
from the Herman Review of last
week:
THE county commissioners of
Grant county celebrated the First of
May by killing the county agent pro-
position in the county, at the same
time Gripping the Farm Bureau and
the Grant County Pure Bred Live
Stock Association so that neither is
likely to survive.
''The vote was there to two. Jones
of Herman and Adams of Wendell
voted in favor of progress but the
other three commissioners we're solid
for oblivion.
cit happened this way: The state
contributes $1,000 toward maintain
ing county agent and the Govern
ment adds $500 to this amount pro-
viding the county will appropriate
$1,000, and providing the county has
an efficient Farm Bureau organiza-
ton, which it has. The only thing
necessary was the thousand from the
county. This $4,000 would not ex-
actly foot the bill, but the balance,
amounting to about $500, is made up
by the Farm Bureau and by popular
subscription.
commissioner Coleman of the Ell
bow Lake neighborhood led the fight
against the appropriation. His prin-
cipal grievance was what he called
the way 1.-The county agent was
thrust upon the county, some six
years ago. He said he couldn't get
over that. 1t was an insult to the
them a county agent-at that time
without their consent. Possibly if
Mr.. Coleman had gone back farther
into history he could have made his
position stronger. He might have
discovered that Nero had a HoIstein
cow or that Nebuchadnezzar owned
a Poland China pig, which would
seemingly have been, to an intellect
Of the Coleman calibre, sufficient rea-
son for keeping such varmints out of
Grant county!
'"The fact is that the first county
agent in this county, whose appoint
ment riled Mr.. Coleman, was an en-
tirely personal affair between a Chi
cagO mail order house, which put up
$1,000, and the business men and a
few farmers Of the county who dug
up the rest of the money needed.
The county was not asked to pay a
nickel and no farmer was Obliged to
use the service if he did not wish to
do so--and is not yet, for that mat
ter.
The lovely thing about it is that
Grant county people will have to pay
in taxes to the state and,to the Gov
eminent toward supporting every
county agent in the United States
without having one of it's own! The
Pure Bred Live Stock Association,
which alone is worth to the county
many times $1,000, can hardly be
effective without a county agent, who
has the ability as we'll as the time to
act as expert stock judge. The Farm
Bureau may continue it's organiza-
ton, but it will have no expert to de-
pend upon for information that does
not grow upon the farm. 49,
'The United States Department of
Agriculture believes that a county
agent in connection with a Farm
Bureau is mighty good thing to
have. The Department of Agricul-
ture of the State of Minnesota be-
lieves the same. But Mr.. Coleman
does not think so. On July LIST the
present county agent arrangement in
this county will cease.
There is one ray of hope. Ger
tain prominent farmers and business
men believe that enough can be
raised to keep the agent without
the aid Of the commissioners. It will
be tried.
"The Review takes this occasion
to express an appreciation of o. W.
Jones of Herman and Mr.. Adams of
Wendell, who fought a good fight and
were only overcome by superior num-
bers. Presevere. The march of civil
ization is often checked but it can
not be stayed"