Arizona republican., 1905-05-31
THE oDORIFEROUS BUG
He Is Also Obnoxious, PestiferOus
 and hultifarious.

"This stink bug question has come to be q matter Of general public inn portance.' said the sidewalk philoso- pher last night as he leaned against the mahogany. When the stink bug was given a short snappy roast by The Re publican about a week ago it was sup posed that by this time he would have passed. But like almost every other Arizona institution, the stink bug is a constant if not a glad surprise. There are pessimists in the community wno believe that Arizona was originally peOpled by refugees who fled from Egypt during the days of the plague and that the bugs as one feature of the prosecutions have just located their old time enemies. Any how they are ners where they were never seen before Tn great numbers and it begins to look like they were going to stay. Though they seem to be getting beautifully less day by day, they are becoming unbeautiful- ly more and more night by night. When the crushing of them on the street car rails so greased the track that the cars were held up in the center of town the other night, it seemed as though some thing ought to be done about it, even if it's nothing more than to talk.
 Some people suggest killing them but that's the trouble they have so much grease in them that they are bigger nuisance dead than alive. Wherever there Is an electric light the sidewalk is one great black grease spot and some portions of the streets are black with the dead bugs that have been swept away by the hired man. Furthermore one couldn't help killing them even if there were a law against
 
 other living thing, except some men, and fly under ones feet in the most provoking manner, so that the evening promenade Is a continuous pop, pop pop, of exploding bugs that reminds one of a perpetual conflict between the Japanese navy and what's left of the Russians.
 Paradoxical as it may seem the live bugs are a bigger nuisance also, than the dead ones. Their pungent and nauseating odor seems more all per- vading before death than after as any doubter can demonstrate by brushing one off his coat with his hand and inn mediately after, trying to circulate in good society Few affronts are Of tered for most people get a whiff Of themselves at once and make break for the nearest bath room. Monday night the noisome exhalation that was doing duty as atmosphere in the vicin- ity of every street light was so fn- tense that every passer by could all most feel it and lots of people stood on the corners trying to scrape the odor off themselves with sticks.
 the stink bug says here much longer q crusade will have to be inau- gurated against him. And it must be nothing short of prohibition, not only of distribution but of manufacture. The only place to stop the stink bug evil is at the fountain head. The trou- ble is that nobody has yet found out where tke insects come from. or if they have, they are keeping the matter a sec ret IL woUfCn-t do any good to know ger haps, or make the rose smell any sweeter, but it would partially satisfy curiosity.
 The evils of the stink bug are mani fold Beside interfering with business they exert a powerful influence on su- ciaI conditions. Men were always prone to love darkness rather than light but now they are seeking darkness altogether for it's the only place where they have an even chance with the bugs. Young couples who go out for evening stroIls are driven from the public promenades and in self defense seek the deepest shadows This is ex- tremely dangerous for the young men Many a youth has thus been enticed into matrimony. It may be expected that hereafter Cupid's place on the valentines will be filled by a stink bug
 The stink bugs must be the product of Arizona soil and climate, and if that be true to what an ignoble purpose 1. all this raw material being applied. It must be the work of some evil spirit for 1t was never known before and i: not a natural product. If all the che. nical constituents of the stink bus could be turned into alfalfa or sugar beets what a crop there would be; alst what kind of sugar would they make If the stink bugs would remain pei manently they might be utilized, a Cv"rVthiH:- can he when one kPGW how. For instance soap factories miGh be started on every vacant lot ant kept running by the product of bu; grease. Perhaps the soap springs Il the northern part of the county are tn result of the deposit formed by som former generations of stink bugs.
 About o'clock yesterday mornin grasshoppers began to be noted in com pany with the stink bugs and last nigh the grass hoppers came in force. Ther were twice as many insects as tn night before and they were about hal aI,c Ealf The result of this i. ina whatever respect the public held for tn > grasshopper is gone now. It is not onl ,iue 70 the irritation of his own pres enca bISt the disreputable company h keeps.
 The sidewalk philosopher was aske for some vital statistics4 He replle that he estimated that there are least 5000 people out every eVehlr and that .hey step on and kill ~ bugs each. That makes million an another million commit suicide ever day making a total death loss of 2,OOe' 900. As he was not specific as to tn