The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette. (Starkville, Miss.) 1910-1920, 1910-07-30
"What's The News?"
By CLARENCE POE.

I and little would be left of the daily papers
~ these last few days. We confess that
unable to understand how any wish to
spend valuable time wading through stories of
distant murders suicides. Wiser Henry D.
Thoreau who would not read the accounts of
crimes and accidents, because, having once grasp
ed the principle, he felt it unnecessary to multiply,
indefinitely, instances Of that principle" great
need on our Southern farms is more reading OF
authoritative high-grade weekes and monthlies
that keep one informed as to the great forward
movements Of human progress, great issues and
principles and less attention to stories OF crime
and disaster in dailies and in their weekly, semi
weekly, and tr-weekly editions for country folks
1t would be interesting to know what special
interests are waging such bitter fight against
the adoption of the initiative and referendum
constitutional amendment in Arkansas The IN
itiative and referendum genuine dem
ocracy, means to put weapons into the hands OF
the people that they shall always have the
whip hand in dealing either with bosses or I'M
faithful Legislatures, and whose cause
stand publicity has reason to oppose it.
Through the initiative the people compel ac-
ton any principle, measure or policy, no mat
ter how much the bosses may wish to suppress
it; through the referendum they compel the
Legislature to submit bad law to popular vote
before it goes into effect. We hope our Arkan-
readers will not only support Amendment
No. 10" it is called, but work among their
neighbors for its adoption.
The birth rate in France, long barely n excess
of the death rate has fallen below the lat
ter and the French lawmakers giving the mat
ter serious attention. Pensions to fathers OK large
families are proposed while bachelors OF twenty
nine are threatened with long term Of
military service
Further consideration of the woman suffrage
bill by the English Parliament has been postponed
indefinitely. The BILL if passed. will give single
women and widows who own or occupy property
in excess of certain minimum the right to vote
in Parliamentary elections.
Anti-Jewish disturbances have again broken
loose in Russia. and the whole country is In
wretched condition. men still arrested, i'm
prisoned and exiled" George KEENAN, says. with
out judicial process: there is no freedom OF con-
science, speech, assembly, or association"
Senator Bristow, of Kansas, has made q start
ling exposure of the methods used by Senator Al
drch In slipping in increase of SO per cent on
the tariff on rubber. Then when the rubber
trust was organized last November it developed
that Senator Aldrich and his son were directors.
The Democratic campaign in Tennessee In
which Governor Patterson who pardoned the
Coopers is seeking third term, is developing
into perhaps the bitterest factional night any
Southern State has known for twenty years.
ssA
After a bitter factional fight the Georgia Far
mers' Union elected compromise candidate to
succeed President j. L. Lee who had been bitterly
attacked by Thomas e. Watson.
Judge John H. Cottrell has granted . tenn
porary INDUCTION restraining the Oklahoma au-
thorites from submitting constitutional amend
ment disfranchising negroes.
John c. Hart, who resigned as Attorney-Gen-
eral of Georgia to enter the race for Governor as