Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1922-03-08
A. S. OF EQUITY
PASSRESOLUT|0NS
Big Mass Meeting of Farmers Held
at Court House. Pass Many
Resolutions in Meeting
on Feb. Is.
WOULD ABOLISH
MANY OFFICES
Farm Bloc Endorsed by Them, But
Many Other Offices Come
Under the Ban.

| SHueE the DAN.
The mass meeting called for Feb
20, 1922, by the Winn. Co. union of
the A. S. of +. was very we'll at
tended as the large courtroom was
practically filled by wide awake men.
The meeting was called to order by
Phil Carolan, Pres. of the Winnie
shiek Co. union of the A. S. of +.
The secretary was then requested to
read the call of the meeting which
read in part as follows.
| In calling this meeting the board
of directors do not wish to give the
impression that we have anything to
dictate or any cut and dried formula
which we must all follow, but rather
for the purpose of hearing your
| know what line of work you would
think best to take up during this
year. Various subjects come up for
discussions at our several board
meetings. These l have endeavored
to summarize, as a foundation for
our wcrk here today. First, last, and
all the time we have of course the
subject of our ever increasing taxes
and if there might by any chance
be brought out any feasible plan by
means of which they may be re-
duced we should feel that our ga
Ithering here today had not been in
vain.
We note that meetings Of this
kind are being called all over the
state. This is as it should be. We
often hear the remark, that it won't
cost US so much the state pays and
is all well and good, but if in each
county of the state some reduction
/ is made, be ii ever so small, then
the sum total would certainly help
to materially reduce the taxes of
that same state, and after all, you
and | are the state.
Then there is the problem of roads
and roadbuilding. We all know
what we are up against in roads
here in Iowa. | believe you are all
agreed that some drastic measures
be taken, that the very annoying
state of our roads may be remedied.
At present it seems our state Of
ficials are trying to work out
system of roads and we feel
that we should be very careful
That they are not hampered in this
work by unjust criticism, let us bear
offered should at least be just and
fair, and above all, be constructive
rather than destructive. With this
subject in mind we have requested
that the chairman of the board of
supervisors be present to verify or
correct any statement made during
our discussions here today. Among
the farmers cooperative enterprises
we have first the farmers co-operat
i've creameries. This enterprise we
| feel is run in such a manner as to
produce an almost unlimited amount
of rivalry and dissatisfaction and
| we Leneve it will continue to do so
while run under The present system.
| We propose that we immediately get
u1er system whereby all the
creameries of Winneshiek Co. can be
consolidated under one head. We be-
lieve that by this means thousands
' of dollars would be saved annually to
| the farmers of Winneshiek to say
nothing of putting away the ever
present cause of rivalary and dis
content. And while on the subject of
creameries and dairy products, Win
neshiek Co. is unusually well fitted
for dairying purposes but we GER
tainly are not making the most of
our opportunities in this respect.
Few men can afford, for instance
the first cost of obtaining a full
blooded herd of animals or really
good cows. We would like to see a
centrally located cooperative pure
bred stock farm, where the best that
money could buy or careful select
ion could produce, could be used
whether it be a dairy or beef type
that we wanted. One more cooper
ative business which we have had
called to our attention which we
might improve by getting together
and that is the various telephone
lines within the country.
We do not flatter ourselves that we
can accomplish or even do more
than touch these numerous things,
but start thinking about them, talk
them over in your local meetings.
II YOU haven't any local meetings,
get together and have some anyway
and then please each one of you
won't you appoint yourself a COM
mittee of one to see that you are an
A. No. Co-operator every day OF
this year.
/ Legislation is going to be mighty
slow at best at helping us. In fact
we feel pretty sure that we will
never arrive unless we go right ahead
and help ourselves each one of our
little COMMITTEES working together toi
our own advancement.
We your committee on resolutions
, beg leave to report.
/ These resolutions cover the more
, important points of the discussions
of the afternoon:
1. Be it resolved. That we CON
. denim and protest. against the 5 -"
Continued on page sevenl