The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1920-10-29
IGNORANT OZARK NATIVES
WORRY MRS, MOYER-WIN

MRS. Alice curtis Moyer-Wlng, VINO
has switched from her erstwhile task
of "elevating" the Ozarks to spread
ing the gospel of the Republican par.
ty, is very much worried, if the st.
Louis Globe Democrat has correctly
quoted her. 1t seems that Mrs. Meyer
Wing labors under q delusion that
the wicked Democrats are trying to
take unfair advantage of the poor;
helpless natives" Of the Ozarks.
These Democrats, Mrs. Meyer Wing
says, are telling the Ozark residents
that they may vote for Cox, Roose-
welt and Long on one ticket but will
have chance to scratch the Covenant
of the League Of Nations which will
be on another ballot.
Does Mrs. Moyer-Wing really be-
lieve this rot? Does she think that
the residents of Springfield and Car
thage and Joplin or the Ozark farm
ers with their fertile acres are so
credulous as to believe that the cleo
torate will have chance to directly
pass on the Covenant? Does she real
ly belieYe that Democratic politicians
think so little of the intelligence of
the residents of the Ozarks that they
would seek to spread such foolish pro-
paganda?
Apparently so! Those who remem-
Der reading Mrs. Meyer Wings Sc
ries of Ozark articles which were pub
lished in the old Republic and the
ost-Dispatch are willing to take oath
that no canard. if given an Ozark
setting, is too foolish or too wild for
Mrs. Moyer-Wing to believe. Mrs.
Meyer Wing, in writing these articles,
frequently fell into what she was
pleased to term the vernacular Of the
natives" attributing to them fear
full and wonderful phrases which were
unintelligible to ninety-nine per cent
of the residents Nof the Ozarks. Read
ing Mrs. Meyer Wings articles, one
would imagine the Ozarks to be be-
nighted land of clay roads and mud
nuts, inhabited by ignorant snuff
takers and razor-back hogs and minus
schools, churches, automobiles, tele-
phones and the other conveniences of
modern day life.
She never seemed to see the real
0zarks, the Ozarks dotted with pro-
gressive towns and busy cities. peo-
pied with many of the best residents
of Missouri, leading the state in poul-
try raising. dairying, small fruit and
berry growing, mining and possess
ng many of the finest schools and
churches in Missouri.
Does Mrs. Meyer Wing know that
Southwest Missouri, on basis of pop
ulation, possesses more accredited
high schools than any other section
of the state? Has she ever heard of
Drury College. Springfield Normal,
Marionville College. Morrisville Col
lege, the School of the Ozarks, Cottey
College, Southwest Baptist College
and Loretta Academy at Springfield?
The Ozarks do not need Mrs. Meyer
Wing as guide and mentor. Both
the men and women Of that section of
the state are perfectly capable Of vot-
ing without her kindly assistance and
her fears that their ignorance may
lead them into voting wrong are
groundiess. Many of them are far
better vez sed in politics that~the wo-
man who would coach them and, it is
hoped, few of them, if placed ip- the
positionx which recently confronted
her, would, SO far forget themselves
as to act as did Mrs. Moyer-Wing and
vote for the embarrassing" Of ia
cob l. Babier. sAl