The Republican journal., 1904-02-11

much IN 0VlOencc. Id lCAno CottOu ID
king. Hence cotton gins, cotton COM
presses. mills for the manufacture of
cotton seed oil, oil cake and other pro-
ducts come to the front. This is beau
tiful section of the country, this great
southwest, but after all it is not per-
feet paradise either in respect to eli
mate, occupation, or people. Until
within the past week we have had a
delightful winter climate. There had
been only few days when almost any
kind of outdoor work was impractical
BILE, but last week we had heavy rain
and since then little snow and today
it is cold and apparently growing colder,
and we feel it. Sometimes, even in
Texas, the north wind comes down
clear and cold. Last spring when the
| fruit trees were in blossom we had
very severe frost which nearly ruined
our fruit crop.
Out here, too, people sometimes quar-
rel and shoot one another. A few days
after was in one western town one man
was killed over dispute about town
site; and later two or three men have
been killed in the same place over the
same burning question. Here, as we'll
as in other places, misunderstanding
give rise to trouble, and trouble leads
to conflict, murder, imprisonment and
the gallows. In Missouri, as in other
States, we have some trouble with
grafters, boodlers and other wicked
men, nor do they all belong to one polit-
ical party. st. Louis, in particular,
has been the scene of robbery and rot
tenness. City attorney Joseph W. Folk
has been doing excellent work in bring
ing the rascals to trial, but somehow or
other few of them have received their
just deserts as yet. Mr.. Folk, however,
keeps pegging away and is giving his
opponents hard run to beat his nomi-
nation for the Office of chief executive
of the State. Mr.. Folk is Democrat.
but at the present time there are many
Folk Republicans. When Mr.. Folk
spoke in Springfield a week ago, the
large opera house could not hold the
audience which desired to see and hear
him and his address, though it was not
eloquent, ELECTED frequent applause
from the large audience present. 1t re-
mains to be seen to what extent the
machine politicians will carry the pri-
maries against him, or, what will
amount to the same thing, in favor of
some other candidate. For many years
a Democratic nomination has been
equivalent to an election. 1t is very
gratifying thought that in the midst of
so much that is bad and so strong ten
denotes to evil as are prevalent that
the forces which make for righteous
ness are also making progress.
In Springfield the NJ. E. church has
just dedicated new brick ediice on
the opposite corner of the street on
which live. On the same street. four
blocks south, the First Congregational
church is nearing completion, new
brick edifice; and st. Paurs NJ. E.
church south, one of the wealthiest
congregations in the city, is erecting
new edifice which will cost many thous-
ands of dollars. The Sunday schools,
the young peoples societies, the tenn
perance reform and the Y. NJ. G. A. are
making progress with their work of
lettering the conditions under which
we live and labor and making it harder
work to tread in the wrong paths.
l read with much interest the article
in last weeks journal on the question
of prohibition in Belfast. Years of ex-
perience and observation in Maine
under the prohibitory law, in Missouri
under High license and in Arkansas
under local option, raises the question
as to whether or not the last word has
been spoken on the question of the
control of the liquor traffic. When ap-
petite and gain enter so largely into any
question the problem with which we
have to contend is not one of easy So
luton. l never drink liquor, nor use
tobacco, yet its effects very materially
affect all my interests and relations
The machine politicians are too often
afraid to antagoniZe the issue on either
side, and strange to say men whom you
elect to office with supposedly clean
records and clean convictions not in
frequently sell their influence for
mess of pottage; that "red pottage'' so
inviting to the taste, the popular vote,
which with us frequently is on the side
on which the churches are not ranged,
an illustration of the statement that
the children Of this world are wiser in
their generation than "the children of
light
l can hardly close this rambling COM
munication without a word expressive
of my appreciation of one of your re-
Gently deceased citizens, z. F. CHM.
The first time remember to have met
him was one evening in Ellis & Ginn's
store. Ellis and E. Frost and c. A.
Hubbard and others were present
From that time onward for three years
our intercourse was to he intimate and