Macon beacon., 1917-04-27
Political Tick Eradication.

| We nave du dCqulreU aDOuC enough
education to be convinced of the great
Importance of eradicating ticks from
the cattle. before we can hope to i'm
prove our herds.
With the tick condition we have a
stunted herd, and the ''ticky" bull at
five years old will weigh about 600
and 700 pounds. He can below louder,
paw up more sand and butt 'clay
root" harder and longer than anybody q
I non-immune 2, 900 pound bull. And the
most disastrous results follow If he is
permitted to infest the free herds.
The federal government has realized
fthe great Importance of instituting a
war on this pest, and I am thankful to
say our state is cooperating with the
government. and is furnishing the SOW
|! ereign remedy-the dipping vat
charged with the arsenic solution and
placing rigid quarantine against the
tick, herds.
Being q farmer and so familiar with
the benefit derived from eradicating
the tick from cattle suggests the
thought to my mind there is q great
similarity between that evil and the
present day political or human ticks,
which is ignorance and graft.
This tick stunts, saps and destroys
all the noble and high elements Of our
nature, and engenders and encourages
the lower traits of the human family.
1t makes a citizenship ripe and ready
for the little ticky politician, who is
not at all unlike the little ticky bull
described above:
He gets a little of our public school
learning" stands his legal examina-
tion, gets his little license an imagines
he is full-iiedged statesman.
herds believing and paving up the
sand, butting the ''clAv roots" with his
demagogue speeches, arraying one class
against the other, and harping on the
"old, old story" that the poor farmer
is being robbed and run over by the
merchants, middle classes and the cor
porations, and the result Is, that the in
tested herds rally around, and wonder
what manner of man he must be, in
suring his election to any office he asks
for from United States senator down.
Now we can't hope for any change
in our political condition until we
eradicate the political tick.
The question presents itself. How
can we free our citizenship of the pest?
Only one way that I can see-that is,
compulsory education. Our public
schools are the watts and the text books
are the present solution. Now, | Con-
tend, the present system of teaching is
just as Ineffective as our cattle solu-
ton would be if the arsenic was left
out.
We have got to incorporate in the ed.
ucational dip moral code.
There is no moral code known to our
most distinguished educators that will
compare with the bible, and it is a gen.
orally accepted fact. that the teachings
of Christ is the only method known
that embodies every single element
necessary for character building. do
not propose to discuss the religious
questions. Let each scholar think and
believe anything he or she wishes to
regarding the plan Of salvation as
taught by Jesus. What we want Is to
build citizenship of honor, principle,
patriotism and idealism.
Can anyone suggest any code for
moral teaching better than that Christ
taught and lived?
Now, to leave the bible teaching out
Of our school dip, is like leaving the
arsenic ou: of the cattle solution.
II the apostolic 12-as they might no
doubt, style themselves who filibus-
tered the bill virtually passed by both
branches of the United States congress,
had been properly dipped and freed
from this political tick, before taking
their seats In the United States senate,
this great nation would never have
been humiliated, and disgraced as it
was in the closing hours of our Gath
congress.
Now, think the twelve should be
first quarantined from the congressional
herd and dipped in the solution of
patriotism until they are freed from
the infection. The time has come
when we must make q change in our
political machinery.
We need first class business man
for a governor. One we must be sure
is free from all infections, who can and
will administer the affairs of our state
on high-toned and patriotic principles
and eliminate all of this demagoguery
and graft from our state and national
political fsmilies.
Our social. business and religious life
needs the dip. 1t seems now to be
sad fact, that mans ability is reck-
oned entirely by the amount of money
he has, regardless of the means he has
used to acquire it.
The real cause of this bloody war
and the war cloud that is overhanging
the world today is the selfish greed Of
imperial militarism. We can never
hope for permanent peace until the
citizenship Of the world Is educated up
to the state Of brotherhood, that Christ
Taught with us here ON earth.