The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1883-04-12


tbe legislative body.
/ The Arkansaw legislature, even
of all of the general assemblies
throughout the country, seems to be
tue butt, and the light remarks that
have been made concerning our
counties representatives, have no
doubt injured the state. So have re-
ports that IN many parts of the state
the law is careless of action, yet,
there are instances in which we were
compelled to admit the fact. The
legislature though, more than any
other agency, Injuries the cause of
immigration. The Ignorant, not to
say bigoted, gentleman who lives at
the forks of the road near the black
smith shop, arises and proposes leg
islation, the mere mention of which
tends TO the states injury He
shows that he is at least fifty years
behind the times. He does not try
10 conceal this, but in pandering to
the whims of an equally uneducated
constituency, boasts of his "old
time" affiliations. He would talk all
day in regard to the price paid for
wolf scalps, but would vote against
a measure introduced in aid of i'm
migration. He thinks that every
county in the state is arrayed in OPP
position to his community. He
speaks with the inexhaustion born
Of ofignorance, of rings and cliques.
Public industries are, in his opinion,
created by public enemies, operated
by dishonest men for the very end of
rascality. Little Rock is the center
of his legislative hate. This hate
LIS been carried to such an extreme
that bill has passed. allowing the
state printing to be done by outside
printers. This was not done with a
view to cheapness, but with the sole
aim Of depriving Lii Rock print
ers of the work an sequcnt re-
muneration.
This all teaches the extreme de
mand for more schools. The school
law Is good, but the law does not
compel man TO educate his chill
dren. Education should be made
compulsory. Any man who fails to
send his children TO school should he
deemed guilty ofa mlsdemeanor, and
upon convection, be kept away from
the crossroads store for six consec.
utive weeks. This would bring him
TO that line which the marble play
ing youth Of Che land denominates
as "taw." Take from him any of
his crude pleasures, and he howls
about American liberty; but he
would see his children deprived of
the great pleasure of refined exis-
tence.
In great degree the legislature
reflects the sentiments and mental
cultivation of constituency. If
member of legislature is somewhat
below the par of intelligence, it is
because his constituents are still
further below the line of acquired in
telligence. After all, say what YOU
will, the people are to blame. The
selection of a general assembly lies
with the voters. If they are unedu-
Gated aud are easily 'gulled" by the
pandering declarations of a candi-
date, you may well conclude that
the candidate has pernicious preju-
diees of his own, and that he will
never fail to show his narrowness
of mental training and his extreme
selfshness.
1t is in behalf of more intelligent
community that we say $50 long,
gentlemen" The Arkansaw Travel
er Graves no favors, has no fears, and
fears no influence, hence, we can
speak from the abundance of the
heart. We don't want any of your
state printing. We have printed
none Of your proceedings, and are
most nearly your just critics. In
diyidually you are good citizens;
perhaps you can practice law and
send negro TO the penitentiary for
stealing u hog; you can plow COM
mendable burrows and make pawpaw
muzzIes to keep the mules from eat
ing the corn; YOU can go into the
woods and listen to the stink. tank,
Jink" of the bell; you can ar
range a calf's horn to serve in the
place of the crook of broken pillow
handle; you can put a heavy yoke
on an old horse to keep him from
pping into the field; you can give
q shoemaker two bushels of shelled
corn in payment for half soling your
shoes; YOU can "swap" horses at the
church spring while nc minister is
preaching, but you OF make laws
for The good cf .mmonwealth.
Good bye, SIR. Hope that your corn
will "show up in good stand"
and trust that the moles will not
barrow under your plan. beos, but
good bye. Sincerely wish that the
SOW you lost last tall may come up
with an interesting family of shoats,
apd feel an interest in the probabili-
Is that your seed oats have threshed
out well over the rail. but good bye.
When you come to town call around
aud tell us how young Meekles was
disappointed in not marrying Miss
/ Pug,e Bring all the facts relating
lto be Oak Grove church scandal
Arkausaw Traveller