The Mena weekly star., 1916-06-08

l tfA iiHfts
 II is stated that the dead will total al least i5.
 Why ! Misrepresented the People. To the Editor of the Star: l noticed a very interesting article written by my friend, Mir J. M. Taylor in the issue of The Star date May i it was mix ltare 0f history criticism and prayer. 1 He criticised the Democratic party i from Clpyeland's administration tOI ihe present day. | wondered why he did not go back any farther inI 1 history than he did Was it because he was afraid he would meet the ghost oi Robert owens or did he not know anything bad enough tel tell on the Democrats? He seems tQ be suffering great agony because Mir Fried and 1 did not vote in quo- rum court like a majority of the people wanted us to. If l under stand the meaning of the eonstitu- ti0n of the state of Arkansas jus tice of the peace is not legislative. but a judicial officer, and ] also un- derstand that an officer Of one de- partment IS not expected Co per- form the duties of another. The constitution also says. The justices Of the peace shall sit with and as sisi the county judge in levying the county taxes and making apprOpri- aliOns for the expense of the coun- ty in the manner Co be prescribed by law l have never read any law wherein a justice of the peace is re- uuired to represent the people. II | a.t5 f. .I tyal work for the best interests of his county and Mr Taylor admits that farm demonstration is a useful fac tor tn better farming.
 As Go the tick eradication. l did not know that t was q law until t had been passed five or six months. and 1 knew that a little band of justices of the peace had no right to repeal nor to reenaet laws passed hy a previous legislature.
 I have stood for farm demonstra- ton ever since | first realized its merits and l think all honest peo- pie will agree with me when they see it like l do If the people had expected me t0 he a representative, why in the name of heck did they not ask me if 1 would represent iHtIi Dtltlt ibFN Fifilih fflt iiftIA rmlsrepfesentatiVe.'
 As to those petitions Mir. Taylor mentioned, | never did promise toI recognize them. have said I would not be representative under any circumstances. because l would be supposed to do as the majority 0f the people wished. and if they wished me to fight something that l t,A lAN | I H.. posed to do their bidding, and if 1 did l should he acting the hypoerite if l should work against my con- science.
 was appointed to write said pe- tiUons and 1 asked some few ques- ti0ns of each one that signed them One of the questions was, Do you believe in hog Naccination?," and only two of the eighteen men that signed the petition against demon- strati0n answered yes, and the remaining sixteen opposed it. Now this looks like the need of more fOrethought for the people of Big Fork township alone lost nearly enough hogs that died of the cholera agent one year. lost every hog AiANI | h0Rs lNk dtI HUI tNtla iinNf a chicken-eating sow left.
 Another question was Do you believe in dlNersitlcati6n? Only four answered yes to that ques- ton It seems Co me that the sad lesson that thte European war has taught the people of the south, ought to cause them to' repent Of their blunders.
 aAlA nnlfaaA tNuN .lF the five that signed the petition for demonstration answered yes to both questions,
 ! did not sign either Of said petit tions for i thought vote iii du0- rum court would do just as well.
 some Of the reasons why l did not present said petitions were as fol- lows.
 f. did not think it was any more the business of the people to say what we should do than 1t would be for them to tell a docter to give some medicine other than he had prescribed.
 2. l did not want that body of in- telhgent men Co know that my neighbors were opposed to some If the most important farm issues ot the day.
 8. It looked like prejudice for any one Co oppose anything until they had heard all the evidence. and it IS an evident fact that those men who signed the petition against de- monstration had not heard all the evidence in favor of lt for they had read no farm papers, uOr had they any farm bulletins,
 These constitute some of the reas- ons why l did not present said pe- titions t0 the quorum court 1 have been tired of the office of justice Of the peace ever since took the oath oi office and if 1t had not been for the prNilege of voting on farm de- nOntration l would have resigned long ago ] think as Mir. Taylor is as good man as We have in Bigfork township, We ought to elect hm one of our next justices of the peace, and since he thinks that a justice of the peace has almost supreme power be might be the modern Moses that will lead his people out of the wilderness of democratic darkness into the prom ised land 0f socialism
 l am yours for eoed roads. better farming Q more efficient public school system and more Bibles. forts and suns and anything else that will make America a stronger country
 q. F. Bates.
 Bigfork, Ark May a7, 1916.
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