The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-11-25
FARMERS HAVE
BIG MEETING
Session Was Held Yesterday at Don
Nelson and Drive to Enroll
Memberships TO Bureau
Started.
MANY SPEAKERS HEARD
.. f. Deems Addressed Farmers and
Urged OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Sends Representa-
tives.
MANY SPEAKERS HEARD
Especial to The Gate City.l

Especial to The Gate City.1
DONNELLS0N, Iowa, Nov. 25. -
One of the most enthusiastic and I'M
portant farmers meetings ever held in
Lee county occurred at Donnellson
Yesterday afternoon. when the big
drive to get every farmer in the coun-
ty on the membership roll OF the Farm
Bureau was started
Delegations were present from all
the sixteen townships in the county,
and each township sat at one table at
the big dinner served at noon IN the
Presbyterian church by the women OF
that congregation. Seven Keokuk men
were there and are still praising the
dinner and the entire program
After dinner program OF speeches.
was heard The speakers were j. r.
Deems, candidate for governor. George
B. Koch. captain of the teams In the
membership campaign, who lives near
Brighton, Willis Mathews. of Dan
vile, who made big hit with his
description of his experiences, VIII
liam Kitch, member Of the state exc
cutive committee and delegate from
Iowa to the big national convention IN
Chicago, who lives at Mount Pleasant,
T. nj. Hanna, of Vinton. and Don Fish,
county agent of Henry county. Frank
Coyne, president of the Lee county
Farm Bureau, presided excellently,
and r. r. Miner, Lee county agent.
was in charge OF the whole affair and
proved himself rare executive.
Heard a Real Humorist.
| The county executive committee
met in the morning and sent out a
iflyfng squadron of solicitors to put on
! a sample drive in the nearby COM
munity. This squadron signed UP
every farmer they tackled and got
back in time for dinner to report it
easy and hundred precent record
willis Mathews proved to be real
humorist. He told of his work in cam
paigns In three counties and kept the
audience in a roar of laughter. Withal,
The was a philosopher, as when ne
told of his being drafted by the state
Isecretary for the work. He thougnt
The could not leave his farm, but CON
lsulted his wife, the hired man ana hls
children about it. and told the as.
Isembled farmers at the dinner
/ "As long as keep hired man, I'm
going to consult him and not simply
order him around-and ! also consult
my wife"
i He told of his strenuous efforts e
find the location of Elkara, his hrs
lobjective, and its location in tnf
Switzerland of Iowa. up McGregol
iway. When he started out into tn
Icountry from there, he said, I,
cranked Fords and opened gates al
the way, for the roads all run througi
the draws and none of the houses ar
t. Nil he aY1i
and skunks, and on one corn crib wal
+ saw twenty-five skunk skins the fal
rner told me he had got out OF ON
lhole one Sunday"
The German Did Not Hear Alright.
He told of a German-American la
mer in Monroe county who rnisundel
stood one word The local man wit
Mr.. Matthews introduced the latter a
organizing a farm bureau, and tn
German thought he said farmer
? brewery. That Monroe county thirst
T farmer instantly Joined before tn
| canyasser could say a word and afte
signing on the dotted line and payin
d his fee asked, Can my old woma
! join it, too?"
William Kitch reported on the n
y ItionaIization Of the farm bureau
!, Chicago where thirty-three state
were represented, the interest grea
and constitution for national. Gel
. trail body was adopted.
/ Don Fish said the farm bureau
mot strictly educational, but is also II
e business betterment. The cost OF pr
Z iduction is unknown as yet on u
Z farm. he said. and much investigate
I and work is ahead along that line.
x emphasized that the farm bureau
J. constructive and not destructive.
!. M. Hanna described the propt
local canvassing for membership [
team work.
Farming on Business Basis.
f,eroge B. Koch made boosts
lspeech explanatory of the objects an
benefits of the farm bureau
II "The object is to put farming on
business basis" he said, and II
7, farm bureau is the only farmers
eantzation ever formed on true oas
IS principles of stabilizing the mark
s based on cost of production. The ia
II mer can not reduce the cost OF man
If featuring pork when the price OF hol
&c falls. and stability of the market
II essential to his prosperity.
Is he explained the reorganization al
q membership blank in detail and
e gwered questions and told OF the gre
J. benefit already felt in his home cou
It ~ where twenty-three cars OF lin
e have been shipped in this fall to fe
r. tilize the soil.
IS He stimulated the pep of the mel
n bership canyassers and told no
It teams working ten hours day in u
country townships obtained ne
member every ten minutes.
ID The Campaign In keokuk.
eel r. r. Miner expressed appreciate
FL of the interest in the farm bure;
q. shown by Keokuk, where sKty-fi'
members joined a year or SO ago
q. He said Keokuk will not be ca
. a IN this drive until the enti