Carroll-Howard County IN Archives Biographies.....Smith, William Cadid 1857 - 
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Author: John C. Odell (1916)

WILLIAM CADID SMITH.

   William C. Smith, mayor of Delphi, the county seat of this county, a
well-known and successful lawyer of that city, who also is acknowledged to be
one of the highest and most competent authorities on the problems of modern
agriculture, is a native Hoosier, having been born on a farm in Howard county,
this state, nearby the city of Kokomo, on April 17, 1857, last born of the eight
children of William B. and Sarah Ann (Canine) Smith, well-known residents of
that community, the former of whom, a native of Ohio, died in 1905, and the
latter, a native of Kentucky, of Dutch descent, died in 1896. Mayor Smith's
great-grandfather on the maternal side was a soldier in the army of the patriots
during the Revolutionary War.

   William C. Smith received his early schooling in the common schools of Kokomo
and was graduated from the high school in that city with the class of 1878. He
then took a course in the University of Indiana at Bloomington, following which
he entered the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and was graduated from the
law department of that institution, with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. Thus
admirably equipped for the practice of his profession, Mr. Smith opened an
office at Delphi in 1881, and ever since has been engaged in the practice of the
law. In recent years, however, his remarkable experiments in soil and crop
development oh his fine farm near Delphi, together with the literary labors
connected with the numerous works he has published, embodying his conclusions
based upon those experiments and his constant contributions to the best
agricultural journals in the country, have taken much of his attention away from
his law office.

   Mayor Smith is an ardent Democrat, and ever since locating at Delphi has
given his earnest attention to civic affairs and the promotion of the cause of
good government hereabout. Within a year after he had begun his practice at
Delphi he was elected prosecuting attorney for the thirty-ninth Indiana judicial
circuit and served in that office for four years, 1882-86. He was master
commissioner of the Carroll circuit court for six years, 1888-94; city attorney
of Delphi, 1894-1902; city councilman, 1904-10, and in 1913 was elected mayor of
Delphi, which important position he is now filling with honor and dignity, his
course as chief executive of the city receiving the unqualified indorsement of
all thoughtful citizens. Mayor Smith was chairman of the Carroll county
Democratic committee in 1906 and was candidate for elector on the Democratic
ticket that year.

   But it is not his professional and official honors that have brought to Mayor
Smith his chief title to distinction, for as a farmer he has created for himself
a name that is known from ocean to ocean and from the gulf to the lakes and is
recognized, as well, in some European countries. Even from the days of his
youth, Mayor Smith has been interested in the important problems of soil culture
and crop development, and years ago provided himself with a farm near Delphi, on
which for years he has been testing out his admirable theories along the lines
of scientific agriculture. He long has held that farming is our biggest
business. It feeds the nations of the world, and is the basis of all prosperity
and happiness, and therefore should receive our biggest consideration and be
safeguarded by our best brains and legislation. He also holds that in these days
of worn and worn-out soils and the abandoned farm, with the most improved
labor-saving machinery, the business of farming needs brains more than brawn,
that our soils may be rescued from the wilderness of wasted fertility that has
stifled them. In keeping with these conclusions, Mayor Smith has written a
series of the most convincing books that have attracted practically world-wide
attention and which have caused him to be regarded as one of the closest and
most valued advisers of the agricultural department of the government at
Washington, and President Wilson seriously considered his appointment as
secretary of agriculture The list of these works include "The Business of
Farming," "How to Grow One Hundred Bushels of Corn Per Acre on Worn Soil," "The
Book of Vetch" and "Alfalfa, the Money Crop." In addition to these works, Mayor
Smith for years has been a valued contributor to the columns of the Country
Gentleman and other high-class farm journals, and is recognized as an authority
on the topics with which he treats. Concerning the book above first named the
New York Sun says: " 'The Business of Farming' combines practical information
with preachments on the dignity, happiness and material prosperity that may be
made a part of farm life. Old-fashioned farmers may not find the book so
appealing as will those who, hankering for country life, want information on the
possibilities of farming as a 'business proposition' in which management is the
decisive factor, labor simply a commodity." Concerning the second-named book,
the Boston Transcript commented as follows: "The author is a determined enemy of
the soil robber. * * * To the possessor of worn-out land Mr. Smith offers the
fruits of long experience, and he has certainly accomplished wonders. He treats
exhaustively of soil, drainage, organic matter, ventilation, soil covering, etc.
* * * His chapter of 'Don't Forgets' is a rich garden of agricultural epigrams,
and not the least forceful warns the farmer: 'Don't forget that the soil robber
is the highwayman of agriculture.' " Mr. Smith possesses a singularly happy
style in the presentation of his forceful truths regarding his thoughtful
conclusions, his books being, as the Lexington Herald points out, "as
interesting as any romance, as beautifully written and as overflowing with
enthusiasm as any story of great deeds ever written."

   On January 1, 1883, at Kokomo, this state, William C. Smith was united in
marriage to Julia A. Gwin, who was born in Wayne county, Indiana, March 25,
i860, daughter of Pleasant and Hannah Gwin, and to this union seven children
have been born, all of whom are living save one. Mayor and Mrs. Smith are
members of the Methodist Episcopal church and ever have been regarded as among
the leaders in the social and cultured activities of their home city. They are
interested in local good works, taking an active concern in all proper movements
designed to advance the common interest, and are held in the highest esteem
throughout this entire community. Mayor Smith is a member of the Delphi lodges
of the Knights of Pythias and of the Masons, and takes a warm interest in the
affairs of those organizations.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

Biographical Section of
HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY INDIANA

ITS PEOPLE, INDUSTRIES AND INSTITUTIONS
BY
JOHN C ODELL
With Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and
Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families

ILLUSTRATED
1916
B. F. BOWEN & COMPANY, Inc.
Indianapolis, Indiana


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