The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1922-03-30
First Annual Convention l.
Scene of umult Raised !
By Defeated Minority &
ECKHART rs DEFEATED
AS AGENCY TREASURER
Henry c. Lau Of Tracy Named
to Serve as New Director
MA for Minnesota

ss4s CnlcagO, Mafcn 3U--lne 1lfSC an
Hual convention Of the U. S. Grain
Growers, Inc, ended here last week
in tumult raised by. a defeated mi
nority, but new board Of directors,
elected during the meeting, has set
tied down to the practical work of
handling grain and going, ahead with
organization work. @ - &c &c., "a 4. B
.7S The atmosphere is gradually clear
ing, and the more important events of
the convention begin to stand out
over the sensational incidents of fac
tional pickering that marked the ses-
sion. So far, the definite results
of the meeting are the following: !
Frank Myers: secretary, and seven
other members Of last years board
were reelected. William G. Eek
kardt of Illinois, treasurer, whose
policies have been a storm center for
months, was defeated. s. ' " !
.s Henry C. .Lau, of Tracy, Mimi,
who cast the vote Of 479 Minnesota
members as one Of the states three
elected delegates, was elected to the
board to represent Minnesota Min
nesota representative on the board
last vera were w. F. Schilling and
j.. M. Anderson. a -.
J. F. Reed, president Of the Min
nesota Farm Bureau federation, at
tended the convention, and was sug-
gested as a candidate for the board
of directors. He declined; later his
name was presented anyway, and al
though not elected, he received 10 1855
votes in spite Of the fact that he is
not a member Of the Grain Growers.
the whole convention was marked
by repeated outbreaks of. hostility
between the delegates supporting
President Gustafson aud the faction
backing Mr.. Eckhardt, whose policies
appeared to have caused intense dis
satisfaction in. several Of the, states
represented. Mr.. Eckhardt was siren
uously supported by Illinois, whose
Agricultural association lis the chief
creditor Of the u. S. Grain Growers.
The dispute that broke in the annual
meeting involved also the disagree
ment between adherents Of, COM
pulsory pool and those who favored
giving farmers a chance to decide
whether they should pool their grain
or sell through the Grain Growers
by some other. method. Gustafson
stood for the latter method; Eek
shardt and his supporters stood for
compulsory pooling. After three days
of jockeying and >bickering, the whole
dispute came to head when ballot
ing for directors began. Gustafson
received Al, 785 votes, the unanimous
vote Of the membership as cast by
the delegates. Eckhardt received
618,940 votes, not enough to elect
him. II
Five Illinois men were elected to
the board; F. A. Nudge was chosen
in Eckhardt's place. 7.
q When the election results were
announced, r. "A. Cowles, one Of IL
linois directors, rose and protested
against Eckhardt's elimination. He
and other Illinois men said they
would decline to serve on the board.
In the midstSof bitter alteration,
adjournment was moved and the con-
yention ended. The next step was a
..rump'' meeting Of some Of the mi
nority directors and delegates; so far,
however, none of the protesting d..
rectors have resigned, and a majority
of the board has been meeting to get
the marketing machinery Of the Grain
Growers into working order. e..
IS. A rumor was spread that the three
Minnesota delegates were backing
the Eckhardt minority and took part
in the trump" convention" Mr.. Lau,
3Minnesota's new member on the
Grain Growers board, issued a state
ment emphatically denying that. the
Minnesota delegation had supported
the faction opposed to the admins
tration Of the U. S. Grain Growers.
The three elected delegates, Mr.. Lau,
Otto Nelson Of st, James, represent
ing SOC members, and H. L. Saverien
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