(TRACESpuren, Youtube, Jan. 10, 2020)
Government Responsibilities
Militia Moves In
(The Muscatine Journal, Sept. 22, 1931, p. 1)
Because Turner didn't hold up his part of the deal, the original testing process continued. As a result, farmers resumed protesting. When confrontations grew violent, police used tear gas to disperse the crowds. In response, Turner ordered 1,600 National Guard troops, one-third the state's force, into Cedar County so veterinarians could continue testing.
(The Muscatine Journal, Sept. 22, 1931, p.1)
"If I were to fail to use every agency of the government to enforce this law after its application by authorized state representatives had been resisted by force, I might as well haul down the flag."
-Iowa Governor Dan Turner, Oelwein, Iowa, Speech (Waterloo Daily Courier, Nov. 03, 1932, p.17)
(George J. Ormsby Papers, Iowa State University Archives, Sept. 25, 1931)
When the troops arrived, farmers ended their resistance. However, the vets soon discovered that all of Lenker's cattle were gone. Without a bill of sale, the militia arrested Lenker. Frightened by the chain of events and the presence of militia providing machine gun cover, farmers allowed testing. As a result, veterinarians tested the remaining 10,000 Cedar County cattle in only one week.
(The Gazette Republican, Sept. 23, 1931, Grant Munger Collection, State Historical Society of Iowa)
Taking Responsibility (Mike Naig, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Personal Interview, April 9, 2025)