Americus times-recorder., 1920-02-15
CABINET MEMBER
BEGAN PENNILESS
Integrity, Industry, Imag-
nation Meredith's
Rules of Success
BY w. E. BATTENFIELD,
Editor The Des Moines News.

bLO hO1ANILO3 1d.s GU. IL
From a penniless boy of an Iowa
farm to Secretary of Agriculture in
President Wilson's cabinet and a
millionaire farm paper publisher.
Such has been the rise of Edwin I.
Meredith, in his life span of 43
years.
Born on a farm near AvOca, Ia,
Dec. %, 1876, Meredith of necessity
early became interested in the game
of making money. His first chance
came when his father gave him a
little runt of pig and told him that
with proper care the pig might be
raised and sold at profit.
Meredith thought it the opportun-
ity of a lifetime. Boylike he jump
ed at the chance and from that mo-
ment the runt of pig was handled
watched over, sheltered and protect
ed. 1t grew and waxed fat and
young Meredith soon sold it at nice
profit.
Leaving the farm, Meredith enter
ed Highland Park College, at Des
Moines. He had no money from
home except a little he had saved,
SO he paid his way through college
by tending furnaces and waiting on
tables. Mathematics was. his favor
ite study.
His first job after leaving college
was as a printer with a Des Molnes
firm. In 1899 his uncle, Thomas
Meredith, started the famous Trlb-
une here and young Ed became his
assistant, doing everything from
writing news and chasing advertise
ments to setting type.
The paper was started as polltl-
cal organ to support the Greenback
party. Neither the paper nor the
party gained much strength in Iowa
and Meredith and his uncle had a
grim struggle to make expenses. In
1901 Meredith and a printer friend
bought the paper. In 1902 Mere
dith founded Successful Farming,
now one of the largest and most pros
porous farm publications in the coun-
try.
At the start it was little sheet,
scanty in news and scantier in ad-
vertising, but it had certain princi-
pies and the. young publisher was a
fighter.
The initial number carried the an
n0uncement that only clean adver-
Using would be accepted. The first
few issues were refused by the deliv-
cry wagons hired to take them tC
the postoffice until payment was
made. The postotfice would not mai
them until the postage was paid
Few believed in the ultimate success
of the magazine. But Meredith "haC
a way with him and it was but ;
few years until farm publishers o.
the country were forced to reckon
with a conner"
His publication today has owe,
100000 circulation and the net prof
it from each monthly issue is esti
long ago summoned up his rule fo
success" in three words: Integrity
industry and Imagination.
Imagination spells the difference
between small success and big sue
cess" Meredith said.
Service to his readers is one o
Meredith's hobbies. One of the big
gest things the farmer can do is t.
keep the boys interested in the farm
Meredith says.
"in this way the drift to the cite
can be checked" he says. Il believ
the boy will be interested in tn
farm if he has a stake in it. H
wants to make money"
So Meredith will lend any bo
money to carry on farm work.
boy can borrow $25 or $50 or $40
to buy a pig or a COW or whateve
he may want. The note bears pc
cent interest and natures in one
year. If he has bad luck his note
extended and he is urged to tr
again.
Meredith also loans money t
young men working their wa
through college. So far he claim
he lost comparatively nothing and h
feels we'll repaid for having helpe
hundreds of young men get a star
III life He got the idea from hi
fathers plan of giving him a pig t
raise.
Meredith married Edna C. Elliot
in Des Moines, in 1896 They hav
two children. A son and a daugh
ter.
At present Meredith is presiden
of the Associated Advertising Club
of the World and a director of tn
seventh district Federal Reserv
Bank
He was Democratic candidate fo
United States senator in 1914 AM
Democratic candidate for governo
in 1916. Both times he was de
feated.
He was a member of the Indus
trial War Labor Commission tha
toured England and France in 1895
and later was chosen as a member o.
the public group in the first Indus
trial Round Table Conference a
Washington
Meredith will bring energy and
vision to his new position as Secrc
tary of Agriculture.
Il believe agriculture is the basis
of all the permanent prosperity /
the country" Meredith has otter
said. ''The chief difficulty of the
farmer in recent years has been ir
marketing his crops There has been
too much lost motion between pro.
ducer and consumer. / hope to work
ont some Sol1tiOn of tbic JiAio,,I4,, >,