The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-08-12

present AhNu''i dNdhcIlilS IN The
southern States is the most important
economic event in our history since
the settlement Of the West. >
There il nothing in neutrality-suspicious.
tIfe more interesting or more i'm
portant than this rise OF the people
in these States, eager to the task
Of their own development and the de-
velopment Of this, the richest region
If the Union. This work has begun
now with such vigor that it will go
on Indefinitely
When one considers how many i'm
portant economic events have oc-
Cured in the past fifty years, and how
many interesting aspects conton-
~poraneous life presents, he realizes
the significance of this carefully
phrased judgment. 1t is a summary
of the amazing story of the material
progress of our whole section. and Of
North Carolina along with the rest.
The fact of material progress is too
readily apparent to need emphasis !
IN this brief and hasty paper. The
problem that this progress presents
is perhaps equally obvious: it is how
We shall direct our material success
along such lines of true
wealth building as to lead to the best
possible conditions of living for all Of
the people.
To Get at the Facts.
The knotty point III the solution Of
the difficulty is also easily recognized.
1t - not that the people in administer
ing their government, have not the
impulse To vote for good measures.
1t is not that they want incompetent
officials. nor that they want to per
petuate Anticipated methods of taxa
tion. The intent of the people in the
exercise OF their governing power is,
as a whole. absolutely good. The diff
iiculty is not that the average man
casts his ballot for what he knows
So be wrong: it is that he does not
know the facts. And he knows that
ne does not know. He feels that gov
ernmental problems and his ignOr-
ance Of them are beth so large that
it is quite useless for him to attack
them. He is SO far away from the
facts on the basis of which the gov
eminent must be conducted that he
votes c~motionally and en maSSe.
rather than nationally and as IN in
diNidual. How to reach the average
man who wants to vote intelligeHtiy;
how TO get him into Interested con-
tact with the facts and conditions of
living with which democratic govern
ment ia concerned. is the real diff
Guilty. What we most need for a u
and steadily progressive government
in North Carolina is not leaders who
are wise enough to tell the average
man how to vote. but leaders who
VIII see mat lne eietlttSl IUiibCi VI
North Carolinians possible over the
whole area of the State know the
most possible about the facts on which
good legislation is based.
Progressive legislation of any con
sistent and permanent sort depends
absolutely on getting the facts into the
heads Of the people who cast the bal
lots. IL the people know how and
where they stand, To choose to keep
standing there is an inaiicnable pr!vl-
lege that democracy gives them. but
they should know; and it is the first
duty of constructive leadership In a
democracy to keep clear and active
all Of the avenues of &c
the Individual voter. What are the
facts-good and bad-in North Caro-,
lima life; where nave we succeeded
and where failed; how to find these
facts in definite form and how tt
make the knowledge widespread anC
intimate and impressive is the mrs
great step in civic progress.
This is. after all. the sum OF VIVA
the new freedom" means. 1t doe
not mean this or that bit of leglsla
ton. 1t is getting hold OF the intel
ligence Of the average man, sivln:
him facts he did not have, and the'
letting him do the rest. All over tn
country efforts are being made direct
ly ia educate the man with the ballO
in the facts of government News
papers. magazines, craftsmanship an
even the colleges have, in the past te
years. undergone radical changes J
their nature through their efforts Oil
reCtiy to reach and teach the voter.
First to Get
In our W State last winter a con
ference on Social Service discussed /
"A non-partisan way various question
that were under discussion by IN
legislature. A similar conference 70
the Common Good is meeting l
Columbia. S. c.. this week. At IN
meeting q program concerning IN
moral. sanitary. AGRICULTURAL, educa
tional and economic progress OF Sout
Carolina is being discussed. The e
fort is to find the way by who
patriotic men can first inform then
selves of the facts. and then hel
where help is needed: ito offer q
opportunity for men and women WI