By Peter Radford.
This country 1b suffering more from
tainted politics than from any other
malady at the present time. There Is
scarcely a campaign speech made, a
platform demand written or a mea
sure enacted into law that does not
carry the taint of personal gain of
some politician or political faction
thereof.
There is more "blue sky" in cam
palgn promises of many politicians
running for office than was ever con
tained in the prospectuses of the bold
est promoters of chimerical business
schemes. There are more secret com
binations formed by politicians in the
name of “My Country” than were ever
formed under any and all other
aliases. There are more political re
bates hidden in the phrase “Be it en
acted" than were ever concealed un
der any and all other disguises.
The inordinate thirst for political
power and unrestrained passion for
mastery has caused more distress in
this nation than the greed for gold,
and it ought to be regulated by law.
No business combination ever pursued
their competitors as relentlessly or
visited more heartless cruelty upon
their customers than a political party
that seeks to make junk of an in
dustry, or cripple a business for party
success, through tariff measures, po
litical supervision and ofttimes de
structive legislation. Many political
platforms are as alluring to the voter
as the story of the rainbow with its
pot of gold and their consummation
about as far-fetched. Self-gain is the
first law in politics. There are many
men In office today who, if they
could not shake plums off the tree of
American liberty or cut a melon taken
from Uncle Sam’s commissary, would
have less desire to serve the public.
The country is surfeiting with patri
ots, who will bare their breast to bul
lets In defense of their country, but
there are few men In public life who
will bare their breast to voters or run
the gauntlet of party disfavor in de
fense of agriculture or industry. No
representative of the people, who will
permit personal prejudice to dethrone
justice, party success to disfranchise
reason or the rancor of a political
campaign to Influence judgment can
render capable service.
The preservation of our prosperity
depends upon wisdom, courage and
honesty in government, and the Amer
ican voter should seek these attri
butes as Implicitly as the Wise Men
followed the Star of Bethlehem and
they will often be found to rest over
the stable; the plow or the staff of
the Shepherd. The surest cure for
tainted politics and machine rule is
fresh air and sunshine and these im
portant elements are most abundant
upon the farm, and when tanners,
bankers and merchants are elected to
membership in legislative bodies, much
of the trouble in government will dis
appear.
WATERED-SEGURITIES
By Peter Radford
Much has been said and more writ
ten about the evils of watered stock in
big business concerns and the farm
ers of this nation believe that every
dollar written into the life of any
business organization, should be able
to say “I know that my Redeemer
llveth,” but farming is the biggest
business on earth, and there is more
water in its financial transaction than
that of any other industry. There is
as much water in a farmer’s note
drawing eight or ten per cent interest
when other lines of industry secure
money for four or five per cent per
annum, as there is in a business pay
ing a reasonable compensation upon
the face value of securities repre
senting an investment of only fifty
cents on the dollar. The only dif
ference is, the water is in the interest
rate in one instance and in the secur
ities in the other.
The promoter ofttimes takes cnances
and his success is contingent upon
the development of the property in
volved but the usurer, as a rule, takes
no chances and his success cripples
the property involved. There may be
industries that cry louder but none
that .suffer more severely from finan
cial immorality in both law and cus
tom than that of agriculture.
The farmers of America today are
paying $200,000,000 per annum in
usury on real estate and chattel
loans, and this interest capitalized
at five per cent, represents $4,000,000,
000 of fictitious values which the farm
er Is paying interest on. This sum of
money is almost equal to the annual
value of crops produced In the United
States.
The earning power of the farmer’s
note based upon his Interest rate very
nearly divides likes the earth’s sur
face—three-fourths water and one
fourth land. The largest body of wa
,ter that floats upon the financial hem
isphere now rests upon the farms
and its waves are dashing and its
billows are rolling against seven mil
lion homes threatening ruin and dis
aster to the prosperity of the nation.
Will our public servants who under
stand how to drain the liquid off in
dustrial properties turn the faucet and
let the water off the farms?
It is an admitted economic fact that
there can be no permanent prosperity
without a permanent agriculture.
Agriculture is recognized as the
greatest of all industries and a pros
perous, progressive and enlightened
agricultural population is the surest
safeguard of civilization.
MEN ARE SO QUEER
By R. 8. JONES.
“Tom was terribly annoyed,” said
the young woman with the fluffy hair
and the hint of a baby stare. “It is
perfectly funny the way a man acts
just because he is your husband—did
you ever notice it?"
“It is, indeed!” said the others in
chorus.
"How was I to know that sensible
business men would take me so seri
ously?" pursued the fluffy young
woman. "I thought they were sup
posed to have discernment and sense
At least, Tom is always preaching
about their superiority in that respect.
Tom explained to me very carefully
before we went to the automobile
show last month that we couldn't buy
a car. He said we couldn't afford it,
considering my hat bills and his cigars
and the notes coming due on the
house we bought last year. I am
Bure I had it all perfectly clear in
my mind, so I am positive I was not
to blami.
“But did you ever notice what per
fectly fascinating young men they put
in charge of the exhibition cars at an
automobile 3how?”
i Bnouia say 1 nave noticed tnem:
said the brunette girl.
“And, anyhow, Tom had no busi
ness to run across two-college friends
the minute we got inside the show
and pay so much attention to them
that he couldn’t pay any attention to
me! Those three \would cluster to
gether over a chassis with a lot of
crazy machinery stuck on it and talk
like mad. So I sianply had to do
something to kill time."
"Of course you did!” agreed the
others.
“So when at the1 first booth a good
looking man who saw me studying a
touring car asked me if I was inter
ested I said I was. Then he was just
as nice as could be. He told -one
everything about the <car and made
me get in it and explained just how 1
could run it myself and wanted my
address to send me a catalogue. He
said he’d be pleased to -come out some
day with the car and show me how it
ran and give me a lesson. He was so
set on coming that I hated to hurt
his feelings, so I did not refuse.
“It was just the same way at the
next place and ever after. Tom and
his friends were so basy over horrid
old machinery that I ivas considerably
left out. However, I made lots of
friends among the agents.
“All of them wanted to bring out
their cars to demonstrate to me how
superior they were and, as I had told
one man he could come„it didin’t seem
a bit fair to the others to refuse any
of them, so I said I'd be delighted. It
had occurred to me that I owed a ter
rible lot of calls and that it would be
such a nice way to get around and
pay them.
“I didn't think it necessary to men
tion the matter to Tom. He did re
mark that a huge lot of catalogues
was coming to our house and it was
a wonder where those fellows got
people's names and, anyhow, thank
goodness, he didn’t have a machine
eating its head off and making him
poor! Men are so selfish.
“The Zero automobile man came out
the very day after the show closed
and we had a beautiful ride. I made
six calls. However, I quite changed
my opinion of him, because when I
came out of the last place he seemed
actually cross and said things about
waiting in cold weather. I don’t s0e
how he expects to sell cars without
showing a little consideration for cus
tomers. I told him I didn’t think 1
liked his car at all.
“Then there was the Largo car man
and the Allegro man and the Fortis
simo man and the Solendiferous man
and about six different electric com
panies and a lot more whose names
I forget. When they came one at a
time it was lovely.
“I did two teas one afternoon in the
Largo car, but the man lost his tem
per, and when I came from the sec
ond tea the wretched creature had
driven off and I had to go home on
the street car!
"The queer thing was that every
one seemed so indignant when I re
fused to give an order for a car and
said things about my leading them on.
The worst of it was that Tom came
home ill with the grip one afternoon
just as seven different cars arrived all
at once to take me out! He said he
thought I was giving a funeral or a
tea.
"When he understood—my dears,
have you ever seen a man suffering
from bad temper and grip simulta
neously?
"I explained to h!m most carefuly
that it wasn't my fault at all, but he
roared that he was ashamed to look a
man in the face from that time on for
fear he was one of the automobile
agents I had shamefully deceived—
yes, that’s what he called it—and that
he’d like to know what women had in
place of consciences anyhow. What
do you think of that? Aren’t men ut
terly queer?"
"They surely are!" the other young
married women agreed. "When you
hadn’t done one single thing, either!"
A DIVINE COVENANT.
God Almighty gave Eve to Adam
with the pledge that she would be his
helpmeet and with this order of com
panionship, civilization has towered
to its greatest heights. In this rela
tionship, God has blessed woman and
man has honored her and after four
thousand years of progress, she now
proposes to provoke God to decoy
man by asking for suffrage, thereby
by amending an agreement to which
she was not a party.
Woman, remember that the Israelite
scorned a divine covenant, and as a
result wandered forty years in the
wilderness without God. Likewise
man should remember that it is a
dangerous thing to debase woman by
law. Rome tried lowering woman's
standard and an outraged civilization
tore the clothes off the backs of the
human race and turned them out to
roam in the world naked and un
ashamed.
CREDIT THIS TO “DRUMMERS’'
Knight* of the Road Put Up Shrewd
Scheme to Aid Widow in
Dire Situation.
“That the drummer is the right sort
of chap was demonstrated to me to
day," said a Pittsburger. "Coming in
on the train was a widow woman with
three kids. From the amount of her
drapery she had on I guess her hus
band had just died and left her a gum
tree. You could tell she had seen
good, easy times, but maybe there was
some neglect about insurance. What
with the kids and other reasons you
could see she was nervous about this
traveling. Anyhow, we hadn’t gone
far before the conductor found out that
she was on the wrong train. Then she
broke down, but she was as proud as
a well-bred woman could be. It didn’t
take the drummers—there were six of
them—long to find out that she was so
badly fixed that she had spent her last
dollar on tickets and was like to be
stranded with the kids in a place
w’hcre she didn’t want to land. The
drummers wanted to help her, but they
didn’t know how to go about it; she
was so darned reserved that no one
had the nerve to offer to pull her out.
But finally they got in the smoke room
and figured out the thing on a time
table. They all chipped in and then
called in the conductor. He was the
right sort of a fellow. The way he
done it was fine. He walked back to
the lady with a thoughtful air and
said he had telegraphed to New York
and had had the tickets changed. To
see that woman's face would have
done you good."
Unusual.
"Anything new?” asked the reporter.
“Yes,” replied the desk sergeant.
“A man and a woman were badly
smashed up In an automobile accident
a little while ago.”
“That happens every day.”
“But this la an extraordinary case.
Bhe was his wife.**
LODGE DIRECTORY
ROWLAND LODGE No. 594 F. & A.
M.meets every second and fourth Satur
day evening's 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 7:50 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. 411 W. 0. 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 North
5:25 a. m Huttig 3:23 p. mi
7:55 a. m Monroe 1:00 p.m
local. *
Leaves Arrives.
11:55 p. m. Huttig 12:15 p. Tn.
St. Louis, Iron Mountain & South; rn
FARMERViLLE * SOUTHERN RY.
North S-outh
4:42 a. m. Huttig 3:5 4 p. m
3:15 a. m. Farmerville 6:.20p. m
local, f
10:15a.m. Huttig .‘2:25 p.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.
AIT to Be Expected.
The nuy.it you can ask of the man
who hoe an ax to grind 1» not to drop
It on r/our foot after you have helped/
^1r> l sharpen It.—W util* I net
t
Means Our
I Our
And
S
Means
a
YOUR Profit! I
-!-*
s
i
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
“WHERE QUALITY COUNTS”
DEALERS IN EVERYTHING
mm
n