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About La Grande evening observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1904-1959 | View Entire Issue (June 2, 1921)
e si 1 . . 60 THlHsfMl JUNE 2, 1921 O . I,A OHkhutj jsvSNINCS OBSe-KVK 0 o - a. 11 George B.; Mars'den Gives Keynote Address Cicorffe B. Warsdcn, of Seneca, Or-f-(fon, u .cattleman who nut only pro duce the rial stuff for the market, hut who knows every phase of the livestock industry of today, (fave one of tiie most interesting addresses of the convention recently at Prairie City of the Oregon Horse and Cattle Kaisers' association. His address fol lows: lt.. II- :.i..i. M,.miuva 4kn R (.'atlle and Morse Raisers' Association of Oregon; Ladies and lientlemen: I, Mle Satunlay night I arrived home from a nine day trip delivering cat tle at a distant railroad point, phy sically weary and mentally fagged. In glancing over my mail before re tiring I discovered the following let ter from our esteemed Herrotnry: ! " 'You will appear on our program to lead a discussion in the forenoon of the first iliy, viz: May 24th. The subject is to he selected by you and should be such as you deem of inter est to the livestock growers.' I "To say that I was completely dis mayed would be altogether too mild. 1 am only a common rancher with limited experience, a dearth of ideas .ltd no bent toward oratory and :u such u short time there was no cliar.ee to cill in assistance, especially be cause I had to spend most of it in 'working roads to get here. However, I was fortunate in being confined to no narrow field to pick my subject for itheie has never been a time when there have heen so many ipicsuons 01 ' vital importance confronting the live I slock industry. There is the question of marketing in all the different phns , es; restricted demand through cur- tailment of export Trade; Imported meats and the tariff; decreased con ! sumption at home; increased railroad 1 rates; higher taxes, and above all, ! credit, the one issue in which we are all most concerned and it is to the 1 present finnnclol condition of the in- duslry that I will confine this dis 1 cussion. Rverey Sheep ftolden Fleered. "For a little over two years the livestock industry passed through a 1 period of frenzied finance which we ! should hope will never be chronicled in 1 Its history. Kvery sheep hnd a gold I en -fleece, beef reached the highest figures ever recorded, and the lowly 1 hog was responsible for many a plush lined limousine. Any man with n 1 wide beaver hat and a pair of high heeled boots had n credit running high in the thousnnds. Lawyers, doc j tors, real estate brokers, butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers bought I fine farms at fancy figures nnd stock ' id them with hundred dollar steers 1 and twenty dollar ewe. The credit J limit was the sky a"!;' technical ex 1 porienee and business ability were nn J necessary factors. Livestock loan companies sprang up in everv nuar J ter nnd sent their representatives 1 scampering over the highways and by i,ways in a mad search for patrons. I A ,11, nttin tLilh ti f fiin.mt rrrer-irv tn buy something from somebody at some price was welcomed to their fold with open .arms The majority of ou" larger b'.uil:- were encoeraging their patron to herrow nunc and more find were wine" with e:ii'h other Nifor increased business with higher credit as the templing bait. Country banks were loaning far beyond their limits in order o rediscount the po ller to their correspondents and Ihe Federal ltos.rv Hanks. A train and again we were told th'it the only per quisite for maU'ng money was ere lit and the government continuously urg ed increased U'Tdnct ion. Few, in deed, were h. stoeknen with suf ficient wisdom to view things in thior real perspective and .?vr:d the pit fall. Spending wen h in' in hard with eredit-niid the. old come e 's? e easy spirit of the enrlv mining days returned to life. To further acgra .vate this top-hia-.y condition both f 1 ed and labor were staree and high. supplies,har.lwai'j and machinery had doujilcd in Jir'c; anj la;-s fciiot sky ward. : i vj j Alrjn It. 1 11 1: in 1!'20. I Early fn the "piiiifr of !9?n 'he alarm rang annoPKir.t; tne corl irray dawn of 'h? niomiii,? aftei. 'line, many of us overslept for a time, but (we are now fully awake,' rick and ; shuddering from the effect of our f.nancial spree Wool came down witn Ja crash, beef an J hog.i descended more leisurely lull Just as suiely nnd wheat joineo the procession, In lime the bottom fell out of the lumber murket and i!w mines of the wen closed. Our h".'i ers discovered thai they were loei:d np t. eiguiy per cent of their deposits and much of the cash that should have been available in their vaults had goa east for au tomobiles, tire, machinery, clolhing and so forth.. Tne trad.? channels tha: i would normally bring it back were 'closed and there were few investors :who were willing to buy western se curitiis. The producers were all in need of funds to conduct their enter prises rind none were available. An emergency appeal was made to :he Federal Keserv! Board but !hnt august body turned a deat ear. Thy ' investors who had hojght livestock loan paper grew uneasy about their security and promptly called for their money as the not.'S Ml due. This icompelled these companies to force thousands of stock on the nvirkot, crowding the values lower and to in crease the interest rates to hotel a few of the bolder investors. Their losses were enormous and hundreds of their patrons were shoved to the wall. .Many Itorrowers Not (. K. , "A perusal of the st,.ten:;nts of the stockmen held by the banks showed that there were many borrowers that were not worth fifty cents on the dol lar after the shrinkage in valuations, fo force these men out meant disris jter for the bonks and the only alter native was to bear down hard on the men who were in much better shape j in order that these first fellows might be carried along that they might in lime brijig the banks clear. The re built is that the more conservative men have been made to suffer along iwitli the plungers and all are now on ari equal footing. "Our industry is at its ebb tide and we must face the conditions squarely anil not delude ourselves with a false optimism. Keonomy and thrift must be our daily watchwords. We must curb our desire for luxuries and I spend more time with the hoe nnd less behind the steering wheel. We iniust strive in every way to keep tax 'es down and make it our duty to see that our county and stite business is jconducted with as much respect for economy as our own. We must dis courage profiteering by refusing to ideal with merchants who are unwill jing to give us our supplies at a rea sonable profit. Kmergency Tariff Awaited. II U fn,v t,l,.UfU nf irht ,are beginning to show upon the east ern horizon, giving promise of the ap proach of a brighter diy. Congress will, in time, pass the emergency tar iff. At the request of President ! Hauling Ihe Federal Reserve Hoard has altered its attitude toward the 'stockmen nnd has apportioned forty linillion dollars to our industry. Al though this is but a drop in the buck it, it is a stop in the right direction. The Supreme Court has terminated three years of litigation in deciding the net was valid creating the Fed ' thI Farm 1.nnd Ranks and. though they have had some trouble in sell ing their bonds these have increased in value In the last few weeks from !2 to 111! and it looks as though some money should be forthcoming from that source soon. However, the farm loan and mortgage companies are making & stubborn fight again' these hnnks and Senator Rmnot has The Outbursts of Everett True 'recently inn educed a bill in congress I to repeal the act creating these insti ,tulions. itjr Association should go on record protesting this bill and ev- ry member should write his repre- j imitative in congress asking them to j 'take a firm stand in favor of these 1 Institutions, dace they are firmly es- I tablished every stockman and farmer who in carrying indebtedness on hie j ireal estate should make application . for a loan through them. Their in- ! tercst rate is only -seven per ceni one per cent of this amount is applied on Ihe principal each yer. In that ! m'inner the loan is paid off ut the end of forty years. This is, by faf, the most sensible plan for financing the producer that has ever been worked out anil, from the present outlook, is the one and only method that can save him from disaster. It is vitally es sential that we put forth every effort to have our industry properly financ ed in the future but we must never 'again permit the haphazard methods Ithat prevailed during the late war ilinie, to be revived. Every stockman ; 'is entitled to a reasonable amount uf ' credit in proportion to his holdings j nnd ability at a fair rate of interest 'and for a proper period of time. No mm i justified in buying a herd of I jcattle or band of sheep on six months money without ubsolute assurance of 'renewal for it does not give him lime to get the benefit of either the in- : 'crease or growth and places him en tirely at the mercy of his creditors. I We must employ clear methods of ac counting, work on a budget system and be in a position to convince the capitalists that our business is basic ally sound, that we are hard, honest Jworkers anil not wildcatters, and that jwe are just as much entitled to a fair credit as the merchant, manufacturer or railroader. I Concerted Effort Necessary. "There is but one way in which we can bring these things about and th.it 'is by concerted effort through our or ganizations. Hut John II. Kendrick sized the situation up well when he said that so far the cattlemen have association without organization. 1 We are nearly all members of the 'Association after a fashion. We pay our dues and once a year, if it does not require too much effort, we attend the convention. Hut, my friends, the time has come when we 'must be better members than this. I We must devote far more thought to the questions affecting our industry; ,we must keep abreast of the times and must be ever ready to stand squarely behind our officers and as sist them in every way possible. We imust shake off the mental apathy that has enveloped us' and be better prepared to express ourselves on any matter that may affect us. Surely jwe are ns smart as the dairymen and orchardists and can do just as much for our industry through organization as they have done for theirs, j "The general public must be educat ed in many ways to the needs of the producers nnd we can all assist in this work by n(ver overlooking an oppor tunity to discuss the facts pertaining to our industry. There is a crying meed for the spreading of healthy pro ipaganda and need for better legisla tion. We can and must all assist in these matters, 't ,-- r..r. enough for us to meet here once a year to dis cuss a few matt'.vn;, pass a few re oiu tions and then fall b 'ck into a state of inaction until another convention comes lllong. Through energetic, in dividual effort we can combine our separate forces ami, through the able direction of our officers, we can make out's an u.::oitti'.l r:,! f-uveful organization whose power will be felt throughout the entire land. ' A bitter struggle is ahead of us but we must heir up and avoid the quagmires of apathy and the sloughs of despondency. We must remember that the same old sun is shining ov erhead, it is spring, the buds are bursting with promise of new life, 'he grass, is finer than it has been for years anil Ihe birds sing as sweetly as ever. So let us "carry on" with en ergy atod cheerfulness our weapons !aml "organized effort our guiding star. Miv a bttle lost has been wen at the ebVenth LAXATIVE Aged Beoplei 1 . . . mUF TlANF. of old ae Is constipation. I ne dow- els Mspmc weak sftd unable to perform their functions without ad. For this purpose only the mildest aSd gen tlest laxative should be used. The use of harsVcathartils aggravates the trouble and makes the constipation worse. Chamberlain's Tablets are a favoriwiti people of middle age and older on account cf-tfieir gentle L:tion. , This monument, erected to the memory of Joseph Bradford Curr, in Oakwood Cemetery, New York, is a combination of classic and modern ideas in monument work. $H CcirrZ? e 'lave mae a Profound tileinorial. Jroi y monum!nt twnamir, and an order placed in our hands is sure to receive faith ful, intelligent execution. We Will Gladly Furnish Estimates Blue Mountain 1 Marble & Granite ompany. 302 S Ave.. La Grande, Or. UK) CLOSING OUTl ENTIRE STOCK OF NEW AND USED PIANOS, PHONOGRAPHS and SMALL MUSI CAL INSTRUMENTS, SHEET MUSIC AM) RECORDS TO BE SOLD BEFORE JUNE 1st, REGARDLESS OF COST I fit r- ! -- Uti r AvT- j . "I li M! j V " i K l : . -' .,t I - - - ft n "T3S 1 IKsINS ASJU Ct.ll . "Hfev-V" , '. l.ightnilg Bry.." the best West- ; em serial cleB maib starts at .Sherrys f Thursday aid: KridaV 5-.ll :f ' TERMS IF DESIRED Eastern Oregon Music Go LA GRANDE, ORK(;0.t IUHWKWM AOS H ITS I ! Tall the lin tlrafcle I Employment Office for yonr help. 1 Afway.i at your sei-viee. I'lione HlaA fcOI. 4-19-tf Thirteenth Annual Exhibit of the UNION LIVE STOCK SHOW ASSOCIATION June8, 9 and 10, 1921 Fine Slock Exhibit Wild West Shows, Horse Racing, and Special Almisemt'snts of Varioie; Kinds. Ijirjfer premiums aid mose special prizes. than ever before. Three bands will furnish the mhsic. Bajid ConcevU, Street Carnival and dans- ii.jr at night. j "&rm Ample hotel accomnnilalionsliH Uniofl's net f ll'i.OOO hotel the finest in fsatern Oregon. Stu Vnu'n 'should nrra Wlo, tdiB uf th fcirst BtaeM tll' I'tiio'i bw. . ; , . , Makr'Tm i.lhT jfatTrrfnt fof "Jurg H, 9.'uy 10, and come to'the Ull-nim rly. mge W. L. Car-, in Amrir.' tlj.judgp live'stoct tit I I' 'I'' iff V ! f ; i fc'iiion T.v Mk . l'nr n twrh4 lViilr, ) e .W. B. Davis, Seer e Uijjon, Ortri . v ,."i. . - r s - -j
