Repository: UIHistories Project: Dedication - Ag Building [PAGE 13]

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11 rection and new life, when the people, the farmers—represented by the Illinois Farmers Institute, came to the rescue, took up the fight and carried on the struggle that has ended in the finest building devoted to agriculture in the world and an agricultural college with more students enrolled during the present year than in all of the previous years of its history combined. Having put hand to the plow, for the advancement of agricultural education and the building up of a college and experiment station that shall be a credit and an honor, as well as a perpetual benefit to the State, there has been noftturning back, but the past winter has witnessed the development of a new and heretofore unknown power for the promotion of public utility, in the concerted and harmonious action of the various agricultural organizations of the State. The Illinois Live Stock Breeders' Association—-the Corn Growers—Corn Breeders and Grain Dealers Associations—The Illinois Farmers' Institute—the Horticultural Society—the Dairymen's and Sugar Beet Growers'Associations— representing the bone and sinews of the land—the wealth and taxpayers of the State—the solid substantial men—the veritable salt of the earth, united and determined in the promotion of such measures as shall benefit the people and add wealth to the State, is a power that cannot be resisted or turned down. The times are propitious for the exercise of such a power. The people are sick at heart and nauseated with the babblings of would be politicians and statesmen and the constant parading of the great bugbear economy—not for economy's sake but for party's sake, when increased educational advantages and industrial knowledge and investigations for the benefit of the people are demanded. The time was when the pioneer friends of agriculture entertained great hopes for the building up of a great industrial institution of learning in Illinois, in which instruction in agriculture and kindred topics should be made as prominent as the superior agricultural advantages of the State demanded. They were met with the rebuff, that the people did not want it—that they were not asking for it and would not avail themselves of any advantages that might be offered, but above all the virtuous politicians and legislators were opposed to taxing the dear people to provide the necessary funds. Cheap reputation for economy, dearly bought at the price of ignorance, irrep-