Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-03-04
PEOPLE
AREPAID TRIBUTE
BYDEAN BRONSON
Half the Population Is Rural
and Half of That Is South
ern - Their War Re-
Spouse

Glowing tribute to the people who
live in the rural sections of the
United States was paid by Dean h.
c. Branson, professor of rural eco
nomics and sociology, University OF
North Carolina, in his address at the
Friday afternoon session of the con-
greSs for a league of nations.
The country people, he said, num-
| Der, fifty-four millions, nearly ex-
actly half of the total population of
these fifty-four millions fully so
pei cent live in the sixteen states
| of the south.
DR.. -Branson paid them tribute as
brain, fine and wholesome through
and through" The record of our
sixteen hundred thousand farmer
| soldiers in the war zone and on the
| battle front is ample proof of it,
'In humanity's self-defensive war
against the Teuton they fired a shot
heard round the world and the
| silence of their countryside must
structive war against war is to be
won in these perilous times of
peace"
Ralf Our Jury
The country people, declared Mr..
Rranson, are important because
they are half the American jury that
lions. They are important because
the faintest growl of country de-
mocracy sounds like thunder ia our
1o9eiy caa Ha Of faifhfai a9H ds
here and there-our country multi
tudes are silent. The full cry of the
pack needs to rise on the cir.
ut will not be safe to leave the
formed, Indifferent and silent about
| the most momentous issue that hu-
manity has faced in two thousand
years of history. They need to think
and it needs to be heard in Wash
| ington like the road of a rushing
mighty wind.
1.-THE social insulation of the
country people Of America is UNIQUE.
There is nothing else like it, in Chris
rope dwell in farm villages; in
| America our country multitudes
dwell in solitary homes. They are
, hard to reach; how hard we never
them with our great war campaigns
| of organization and support-our
Liberty loan, our Red Cross cam
paigns. and the like.
And they never were reached
by the army. draft and the food
production drive. Then they re-
sponded-responded silently, .grimly
and grandly. Silently they fed the
world, silently they moved into the the
Mans Land, silently they fought and
silently they died the death Of he
roes. In silence they played their
great part in the fields Of war, and
| the country people of America must
now play an equally gre
| the struggle to make an end OF war
in the world. But it is part that
cannot be played in silence. The vic
l. = tNYY R4NN
teen-inch opinions and not by, six
| teen-inch guns. Whatever the boress
may be, the peace-time weapons of
democracy must be vocal in our
country regions. Silence in the
countryside is a sign of defeat. Our
have died in vain across the seas.
"Our country people are important
because they are half the American
dict upon the peace league covenant
against war in the world. And fur.
Their because the faintest growl of
country democracy sounds like thun-
der in Legislative halls.
TT will be stupid to allow them
and mis-1ed for purposes of party
advantage or class-interest," said the
speaker. "The fateful choice we are
making is the choice between. the
end on its war or the end of civiliza-
| ton. war must be outlawed or the
world is on it's way to the scrap pile
Futile or not the heart of humanity
is passionately set upon peace on
earth and good will among men. What
men have called an iridescent dream
is now a consuming desire that will
brook no denial.
"Our country people must be full.
Nv Informed and thoroughly aroused.
They must be led to think wisely.
to feel deeply. and to speak out. with
mighty unmistakeable emphasis on
the most momentous issue since Cal
speaker. "to overlook them or ne
elect them"