The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1919-08-27
CRAWFORD COUNTY FARMERS
UNION PICNIC
(By Theo. c. Blume)

" :
CRAWFORD COUNTY FARMERS
UNION PICNIC
(By Theo. C. Blume)
The basket picnic of the Farmers
Educational and Cooperative union in
Carsten's grove near Charter Oak was
held on schedule time, and to say that
it was success is modest in the SUI.
perlative degree. The day was perfect
and by noon the roads from all parts of
the country led to the little country
town with the historic name, and by l
o'cloci, a throng of several thousand
filled the grove. On the field reserved
as an auto park more than 500 cars
were parked at one time.
When Pres. o. p. Wilson rose to
speak at about O'Clock, he found HIM
self face to face with an audience OF
perhaps, more than 5000 people, SO
that he declared he had undertaken a
very, very big job when he agreed TO
speak to the picnic visitors that after
noon. Mr.. Wilson does not seem to
be much given to the use of frills and
platitudes employed by too many pub
lie speakers, but goes straight to his
subject and is clear and concise In
his statements. He uses language all
can understand. and aneccodte and
specific instances as apt illustrations.
He began the subject of his address by
saying that the country was facing
one Of the most critical periods in the
history of the republic. That 1t was
ND to the sober thinking minority to
straighten out things, to quiet the UNI
rest caused by the high cost OF living.
He declared that the reason big bust
ness and the interests objected to
farmers organizing was because they
realized that agriculture would then
be "a power they must reckon with.
Thatsthe five big packing firms were
now too big for the government to
handle Only the organized farmers
could handle them. He observed that
the interests of the farm and the coun-
try town were Identical and that the
townsman should not think that be-
cause the farmers organized 1t was to
destroy the country town, but that the
farmers organized for the same reason
the townsmen did. He also took time
to call attention to the fact that Iowa,
the greatest agricultural state in the
union, had but few farmers in the leg
islature. e.,
The address was listened to from be-
ginning to end with the greatest inter-
est. 1t was replete with hOmely wis
dom and sound advice.
Tie merry-go-round, the lunch stand,
the refreshment booths, and the amuse
ment stands all were most literally
patronized. The field sports attracted
much attention and many of the young
and some not so young, people, partici-
pated the winners receiving liberal
prizes.
In the evening there was dancing
forsthose who enjoy tripping the light
fantastic, and here, too, an immense
crowd was present.
The event was one long to be re-
membered in Farmers union circles.
Every one seemed to be bent on hav-
ing good time and to help others en-
joy the day also. Too much praise
can not be given those who had the
arrangements in charge. They had "a
big job" All cars on arriving at the
grounds were checked in so that the
owners had no difficulty in identifying
their own. A number of extra police
were sworn in, but they seemed super
fluOus, as the writer observed not
single instance of boisterous or disor-
derby conduct or rowdyism, nor could
he obtain report of any. ~. ss.
Noticeable among these thousands
was the large number of returned SOL
diers, some in uniform, but most of
them in the Simple garb of an Ameri-
can citizen" Some from concentration
camps, some from the hell-plowed
fields of Europe. Some with their
faces bronzed and hands calloused by
toll in the fields, some with the flush
on face and hand of the homeward !
voyage from overseas. Some with the
strained, tense look Of suffering and
awful experience still there, some OK
ultant and happy to be once more with
friends, kin, wife and family. 4
And then l wish that all your read
ers could have seen and observed the
self poise, the self reliance and the
many fine, nay magnificent, specimens
of manhood and womanhood in this
vast throng of farmers. 4
Here are some figures connected
with the picnic. The number OF auto.
luOUflCS luCTe Wis lOl 1. Inc lunch !
stand used 200 pounds of meat. The
refreshment booth sold 100 gallons Of
ice cream and vast quantities Of pop
corn, oranges, bananas, etc. The re.
ceipts at the merry-go.round alone I
were $500. How many truck loads Of
pop the crowd drank your correspond
ent could not learn up to the moment,
but the number was fully up to stand
ard. Not less than five thousand PEG.
pie visited the grounds during the day
and evening, and the number was per-
haps eight thousand. Long live the
Farmers Union of Crawford county.
Many Of our farmers have been in
specting their fields of corn during
the past week, and those with whom
we have talked report the crop ont of
danger of frost. Many fields are dent,
ing. and getting dry 1t is predicted
by some that Crawford will experience !
one of the biggest corn crops inathe
history of the county, some OF the
Gn1Ac uNino a iub 49, IL