OF
THE VITAL PROBLEM
i AGRICULTURE
I $. -
By Peter Radford.
There is no escaping the market
problem and the highest development
of agriculture will not be attained
until It is solved, for a market
is as necessary for the producer
as land on which to grow his crop.
Governmental and educational insti
tutions have spent $180,000,000 in the
United States during the past ten
years for improving soil production
and improving seeds and plants, but
very little attention and less money
has been given to the marketing side
of agriculture.
The problem is a monumental one
and one which will never be solved
until it gets within the grasp of a
gigantic organization where master
minds can concentrate the combined
experience and wisdom of the age
upon it. It is a problem which the
farmers, merchants, bankers, editors
and statesmen must unite in solving.
The Farmers’ Union stands for all
there is in farming from the most
scientific methods of seed selection to
the most systematic and profitable
plans of marketing, but does not be
lieve in promoting one to the neglect
of the other. We consider the work
of farm demonstrators valuable and
we ask that governmental and com
mercial agencies seeking to help us,
continue to give us their assistance
and advice, but we believe that their
influence should be extended to the
marketing side of our farm problems
also.
We cannot hope to develop manu
facturing by over-production of the
factory; we cannot build up mercan
tile enterprises by the merchants load
ing their shelves with surplus goods
and no more can we develop agricul
ture by glutting the market with a
surplus of products.
DARIUS
The neigh of a horse made Darius
King of Persia, the six contending
powers for the throne agreeing among
themselves that the one whose horse
should neigh first should possess the
kingdom. This ancient method of
settling disputes among politicians
could be revived with profit today.
If our partisan factions and petty pol
iticians could only settle their dis
putes by the neigh of a horse, the
bark of a dog or the bray of a donkey,
it would be a great blessing and would
give our citizens a better opportunity
to pursue the vocations of industry
free from political strife.
Let those who pick political plums
by ralsinj^r^sjsndjvhoJlash^swordg
dripping In the blood of Industry un
derstand that they cannot turn the
public foruin Into a political arena and
by a clash of personal aspirations
still the hammer afid stop the plow
and that their quarrels must be settled
in the back alleys of civilization.
FREE PORTS ' J
CONGRES8 8HOULD GIVE THEM
PREFERENCE IN APPRO
PRIATIONS.
By Peter Radford.
This nation Is now entering upon
an era of marine development. The
wreckage of European commerce has
drifted to our shores and the world
war is making unprecedented de
mands for the products of farm and
factory. In transportation facilities
on land we lead the world but our port
facilities are inadequate, and our flag
is seldom seen in foreign ports. If
our government would only divert the
energy we have displayed in conquer
ing the railroads to mastering the
commerce of the sea, a foreign bot
tom would be unknown on the ocean's
highways.
This article will be confined to a
discussion of our ports for the pro
ducts of the farm must pass over our
wharfs before reaching the water. We
have in this nation 51 ports, of which
41 are on the Atlantic and 10 are on
the Pacific Coast. The Sixty-second
Congress appropriated over $51,000,
000 for improving our Rivers and
Harbors and private enterprise levies
a toll of approximately $50,000,000
annually in wharfage and charges for
which no tangible service is rendered.
The latter item should be lifted off
the backs of the farmer of this na
tion and this can be done by Congress
directing its appropriations to ports
that are free where vessels can tie up
to a wharf and discharge her cargo
free of any fee or charge.
A free port is progress. It takes
out the unnecessary link in the chain
of transactions in commerce which
has for centuries laid a heavy hand
upon commerce. No movement is so
heavily laden with results or will
more widely and equally distribute
its benefits as that of a free port
and none can be more easily and ef
fectively secured.
“TURNING THE TABLES”
5 By PHIL G. CAREY. i
• •
•c••••••••••••••••••••
Up In tbe mountains of east Tennes
see, or, rather, in a peaceful little val
ley nestling tran
quilly between the
Clinch ranges
there existed in
the year 1900 a
railroad, 40 milee
in length, known
ae the Knoxville
& Bristol.
One terminus of
the road was at
Coryton, 17 miles
from Knoxville, a
thriving little vil
lage of some thir
teen souls, not
counting the tick
et agent. Morristown was the other
terminus, 89 miles from Bristol, so the
name "Knoxville & Bristol” was more
significant of the hopes and aspira
tions of the little road than of its
achievements.
The Inhabitants along the thinly set
| tied mountain slopes had three never
failing sources of income—chickens,
tan-bark and summer boarders.
The K. & B. flier headed out of Cory
ton each morning, and for several
years. In the capacity of postal clerk, 1
shared its many and varied vicissi
tudes, Its joys and sorrows, failures
and triumphs, wash-outs, wrecks and
occasionally the thrill of arriving some
where on schedule time.
The engineer was a big, raw-boned,
good-natured individual named Bill Al
len. It is Bill's story, not my own, that
I am about to tell.
It was late one summer evening, as
we were winding our way down the
little valley and got laid out for sev
eral hours while a section gang ahead
repaired a burned trestle, that old Bill
sat by the side of his engine and to an
attentive audience composed of the
train crew and several of the passen
gers who had walked up ahead from
the coach told the following story:
“There is something about this aft
ernoon that makes me think of a day
of long ago, a day that I shall never be
able to efface from my memory. It
happened a number of years ago, when
I was pulling a passenger train over in
the Birmingham district.
"On the day I speak of we had on a
couple of extra coaches—Sunday
school picnic or something of the sort;
anyway, the entire train was crowded
full of women and children.
“Every time we made a stop I could
hear the shouts and the merry laughter
of those children up to the engine.
“We had pulled into a little station,
and I sat there in the cab watching
jhe children and welting for the con
ductor, who had gone in after orders.
"We were on the main track—in
fact, there was no siding; Just a big
water tank and a turntable, old and
seldom used. Straight ahead for half
a mile was one of the steepest grades
In the division. Just at the top of the
grade a branch line turned off for sev
eral miles, leading to the coal mines.
‘‘Some way, in switching the coal
cars around up there at the top of the
grade that afternoon a big, heavily
loaded car suddenly got looee and
headed down the grade straight as an
arrow for our train.
‘‘Gentlemen, I will confess I turned
perfectly weak as I saw that black
demon of destruction bearing down
upon us, gaining speed at every sec
ond!
“I thought of the merry laughing
children back in the coaches, of the
mothers all-unconscious of the awful
danger, and I thought of the fearful
and certain result that Beemed inevit
able.
‘‘Faster and faster It came, with a
roar, and a cloud of black dust hover
ing about It! I tried to think of some
way to save the train and the helpless
women and children, but my brain re
fused to work.
‘‘But, gentlemen, there was a better
man than myself at hand. My flagman,
a quick, active young fellow named
Walker, had taken in the frightful sit
uation at a glance, and made a wild
dash for the turntable.
‘“Great heavens! Will he be in
time?’ I gasped.
‘‘Now the car was almost upon us,
coming like a streak of lightning,
swinging and'roaring, and the sparks
flying from the wheels. Then it struck
the turntable, on to which the flagman
had turned the switch—and we were
saved!
"For the flagman quickly turned the
table around and sent the car flying
back up the grade!
‘‘It’s a fact, gentlemen,” said Bill re
proachfully, as several of his listeners
turned sadly away. “If you don’t be
lieve it, you can see the turntable any
time, for it is still there. I can ehow
you the car, too, on the branch to the
coal mines.”
Exchange Suggested.
One evening, as he sat gloomily
reading the paper, having grumbled at
the dinner, the dog, the baby, the
cook and everything else that came
along, his wife made a suggestion.
“Bertie," she said, “would it not be
a good thing to rearrange your busi
ness?”
“Yes; I might rearrange it Into a
rag-and-bone dealer’s. It would prob
ably pay better. But I don’t quite see
how to do it!” he answered, with
concentrated sarcasm.
“I didn’t mean that exactly,” she an
swered, sweetly. “But could you not
manage to be a bear at tha offloa
fewtead of at home?"
HAVING A PURPOSE IN LIFE
Always a Mistake to Drift Aimlessly,
Without a Set Purpose or Direct
Destination.
The poorest mortal In the world Is
the one who has no purpose In life,
one who just drifts along, the victim
of every low influence he runs into.
The safe tfay, the hopeful way, is
to have a purpose that aims at some
thing higher than the present situa
tion. It may not always be work, but
it will do an immense good, even if
it fails at times.
How often we see men and women
drifting along without any aim or
destiny, apparently ready for any
port that may appear. They are
without guide, pilot or purpose and
they are pretty sure to land at the
port of Failure. It is dangerous to
drift. Get a purpose. It is never too
late, though in youth it proves the
best friend one can have.
A purpose in life steers one away
from bad habits, and especially does
It break up loafing, which is one of
the worst menaces that dallies with
youth. And how extended is this
menace! One can see it in the streets
any day—boys and young men literal
ly spoiling their lives because they
were living without a purpose.—Ohio
State Journal.
Hot Story.
A contributor to the China Herald,
telling of experiences during a sum
mer trip into the desert, narrates that
while he watched a lizard run across
a sun-baked open strip of sand, it dis
appeared in a pufT of vapor. The in
tense heat of the sand had turned
the moisture of its body into steam,
the pressure of which rose so high
that the little creature was blown
Into bits so minute that no trace of
It was afterward to be found In
backing up his statement, he quotes
an old prospector’s allegation that m
Death valley, during the heat of the
day. water poured from a canteen will
not reach the ground, being turned
into steam as fast as it leaves the
mouth of the canteen. Can you beat
It?—Engineering and Mining Journal.
Women and Sheep.
Why don’t more women raise sheep?
In two years my flock has netted me
341 per cent. My only loss by death
has been two lambs. The yearlings I
now have gave 14 pounds of woo! dur
ing last May. They are good grade
Lincolns and Shropshires. I bought
nine of each, and raised one sheep
which was a cross. Fifteen sheep cost
about as much as nine cows. The
cows would yield a larger Income than j
the sheep, but would require more
care. My flock needs 12 acres of pas- ]
ture In summer. The winter feed Is >
stover. I cannot understand why more
farm women do not become shepherd
esses.—Farm and Fireside.
LODGE DIRECTORY
ROWLAND LODGE No. 594 F. & A.
M.meets every second and fourth Satur
day evenings at 7:30 o'clock. Visiting
Masons always welcome.
C. T. Thompson, W. M.
C. A. Berry, Sec'y.
HOWARD CHAPTER, No. 122, R. A.
M. - meets every first and third Thurs
day evening at Masonic hall. Visiting
companions welcome.
L. F. Magee, H. P.
R. W. Beede, Secy.
HUTT1G CHAPTER No. 320. Order of
the Eastern Star, meets every first and
third Friday evening at 7:30 o'clock.
Visiting brothers and sisters welcome.
Mrs.C. A. Berry, W. M.
Mrs. L. G. Gibson, Sec’y.
HUTTIG LODGE No. 348 I. 0. 0. F.
meets every Tuesday evening. Visiting
brethern cordially invited to attend.
A. P. Holtsford, N. G.
E. L. Ware, Secy.
HUTTIG REBEKAH LODGE No. 66,
meets every Monday night at 7:30 o'clock
Visitors are invited.
• Mrs. Dona Holtsford, N. G.
Mrs. May Claybaugh, Secy.
SWEET BAY CAMP No. 41 1 W.O. W.
meets every first and third Saturday eve
nings. Visitors made welcome.
L. M. DeSpain, C. C.
J. C. Bridges, Clerk.
RAILROAD TIME TABLE.
St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern
LITTLE ROCK A MONROE RY.
South
5:25 a. m .
7:55 a. m ....
Leaves
1 1:55 p. m
. Huttig
Monroe
local. *
Huttig
North
3:23 p. m
1:00 p.m
Arrives
12:15 p. m.
St. Louis, Iron Mountain &. Southern
FARMERVILLE A SOUTHERN RY.
North South
4:42 a. m. . Huttig 3:54 p. m
3:15 a.m. Farmerville 5:20 p.m
local, t
10:15a.m. Huttig 2:25p.m.
tArrives Monday, Wednesday, and Fri
day from Monroe and goes to Farmer
ville.
‘Arrives Tuesday, Thursday and Satur
day from Farmerville and goes to Mon
roe.
NEILL C. MARSH
- Lawyer
Practice in All Courts. Rooms 15 and
16, Postoffice Building
EL DORADO, - ARKANSAS
Your Business Means Our Profit!
■.And
Our Business Means YOUR Profit!
All things work hand in hand and in working together
we can accomplish much for both.
It takes long to tell, but little time to see how well we
are equipped to supply your demands.
Our sales force will take pleasure in showing you any
thing you wish to price or inspect.
WHEN YOU WANT IT, WE
s
“WHERE QUALITY COUNTS”
DEALERS IN EVERYTHING
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