The Harrison times., 1911-09-23

IU tne DcHIOSIdSy vi tnS iuHC SOnSies'
sionaI District
| am a candidate from this district
to succeed Mr.. J. c. Floyd, who has
already been elected four times, and
who will, when his present term ex-
pires, have filled the Office eight
wears He has drawn over $4,000
in salary, which is as much as has
heretofore been paid congressman
for ten years service. lam not a law
yer but a practical business man,
and, having spent my boyhood
days on the farm, | know the needs
of our people.
All the Congressmen from Arkan-
sas are lawyers, as are most of the
congressman from other states, and,
while | have no fight to make on
that useful profession, | maintain
that it would be better for the coun-
try if there were more farmers or
business men in Congress. What the
country needs in public life is fewer
orators and more workers. The
daily expenses of both houses of
Congress is over $4,000 a day. and
as the working time is only about
four hours long, when one Of our
Congressman makes a speech of one
hour it costs the taxpayer $4,000.
These speeches are often made for
the sole purpose of bolstering up the
members chances for reelection and
are sent out to the voters as govern
ment documents, free of postage,
but at the expense of the taxpayers,
as the railroads charge for hauling
them According to the "R. F. D.
News published at Washington,
d c., it is estimated that every
piece of mail matter that is sent out
under government frank costs 512
cents So if our congressman makes
speech of one hour in length and
mails a copy to each Of the 10000
voters in the district, the cost to the
taxpayers of the country is over
5000. | am opposed to the use of
the franking privilege, and to the
waste of valuable time in useless
debate.
The greatest need of our country
at this time is good roads; and our
congressman have done nothing to
secure them for us Good roads
mean more for our country than
any other public work, and add
more to the comfort and upbuilding
of the country. Government statis-
ties tell us that we have the worst
roads of any civilized country on
earth, and that it costs our farmers
fifteen cents more to haul one ton
one mile than il costs in European
countries. The average haul of
ton of farm products is nine miles,
and this difference of &c a ton per
mile represents an additional cost of
ST 30 for every wagon load hauled
to market, believe the United
States government should 60 into
road building by contributing its
share toward maintaining the roads
of the country for rural mail routes
All Of our great Constitutional au-
thorities agree that Congress has
the power to give this aid, for it
would be no more than a return to
the practice OF our fathers, which re-
suited in the building of the Old
Cumberland Road as long ago as
1910.
Congress has given to the rail
roads over S20O,O0O,OO0 acres of
land and has appropriated for rivers
and harbors $592,000,OO0 since
1875, a large part of which has been
wasted, and has spent over $S,000,-
600 for road building in Porto
Rico, Panama, Alaska and the Phil
ippines, but not one cent III the
United States except in the national
parks. The cost of modern battle
ship is over S4,0C0,000, which in a
few years becomes obsolete, to be
sold as junk for few thousand dol
lars. Think what $4,000, 900 would
do for road Improvement in Arkan-
sas 1t is estimated that the people
of this state contribute over So
100000 annually to the support of
the general government, very small
portion of which is spent in this
state, | am a believer in good roads
and if elected to Congress will work
heart and soul for government aid