The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1909-10-14
Another Little Talk.

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think it was the best paper that has
been published in Taney county in q
long time. Self flattery, you say? Not
a bit. I've been here for over six months
and have not been able to get out
that good a paper before. There was
nothing special going on last week.
wrote but small portion of what went
into that issue. All the ere dit belongs
to the people who furnished the news,
our correspondents, school teachers and
officials. AS I told you before, you
folks can make more interesting paper
then I can. You demonstrated that
fact last week. Keep the good work
up and let's hear from those places in
the county not yet represented in the
REPUBLICAN family.
I believe that every man should stop
once in awhile and take stock. Find
cut how you stand. Are you keeping
up with the procession? Are you a.
head or behind what you were a year
ago? Are you making any improve
ment? Find where you are gaining
and enlarge upon it. Find where you
are losing and correct it. This applies
alike to farmers and business men. 1t
also applies to towns and counties
Let us take an invoice of Taney
county. In 1896 the vote of Taney
county for president was 1856. In 1908
it was only 1865, loss of almost 200,
or 10 per cent. From the best inform
alton I can get the census of 1910 will
show a smaller population then that of
1900. This Notwithstanding that we
now have railroad and the towns of
Melva, Hollister, Branson, and CARRIER,
which we did not have in 1900. Figur-
ing on the usual basis of population
of to the voter we have lost in the
past twelve years round thousand
people.
WHAT'S THE MATTER?
There's no use trying to dodge these
figures. There's no use to try to hide
them. They will be written iuto the
next census where everyone can see
them. The homeseeker is going to
look at them and the chances are that
he won't look further. He will most
likely say to himself that he doesn't
want to go to a country where the pee
pie are leaving.
In the past decade other places have
made great increases in population.
Why has not Taney? There is some
thing wrong. What is it? Don't you
think we ought to put our heads to-
gether to discover what is the matter.
and whether we can find a remedy?
If you do, THE REPUBLICAN is with
you. Personally want to say that I
have faith in fancy and her future.
If I didn't have I wouldn't be here.
And right here I am going to tell few
things that I believe are wrong.
I believe the corn ground has been
corned to death and corn has been run
on land on which it should never have
been planted. 1 believe the wheat
ground has been wheated to death and
the cotton ground has been cottoned to
death. I believe there has not been
enough fruit. poultry or high grade
stock raised. I believe the people of
Taney county, both farmers and merch-
ants, have clung too much to the old
way of doing things, that everything is
being run about as it was 25 or 80 years
ago. I believe Taney has not kept~up
with the procession. Ride around the
country and you will see abandoned
farms and deserted houses going to de-
cay. Some people will say that people
have come in here from the north and
east and have done no better. True.
But it is fact that man generally runs
along and does just about as his neigh
bors do. It will do no great amount of
good for one or two or dozen to try
to change conditions What We need
is a county wide movement for improve
ment.
I presume that this article will give
offense to some. They will say they