davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1922-12-06
Fly is a Bright Insect

Fly IS Bright Insect
The ordinary house fly is reputed
to be the cleverest of insects, its in
telligence SURPRISING that Of the ant
and the bee. An authority asserts
that it can think 100 times quicker
than a man.
Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1922-12-06

The store of the old darkey who was
out for catfish in Mississippi yawl.
He hooked a big one that pulled him
overheard: As he crawled out, split
ing mud, he yelled:
what / wants T. know is, Is dis
niger fishin' or Is dis catfish niggerin'
Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1922-12-06
Fdeerton, Wis. Dec. /. 1o22.

Edgerton, WIS, Dec. ] I922.
The stemming concerns have been
active in securing independent lots of
1922. The Lorillard Co. sent their
men out last week into every section
and the price level was brought to 10
cents. It looks as If the available
stemming stock which has been NOV
ing at from 6 to 9 cents, according to
type, now will ride between the lower
figure and the 10 cent point, and at
Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1922-12-06
STAD-H ERRIED

Henry Bolstad and Ragna Herried
were united in marriage at the Luth-
eran parsonage at Soldiers Grove, No
vember 29th, Rev. S. X. Thollehaug
officiating. Albert Bolstad and Aphra
Herried, brother of the groom and sis
ter of the bride were witnesses.
Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1922-12-06
Hard to Believe

The bones of a human being will
bear three times as great pressure
as oak and nearly as much as wrought
iron, without being crushed.
Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1922-12-06
Smallest Working auto

An automobile but z feet long and
capable Of doing 100 miles an hour
is said TO be the smallest practicable
one known.
The Bienville Democrat., 1922-03-02

pronounced, for he had succeeded In
thinking. "Well, they didn't know they
couldn't, did they?" he argued. "They
thought they were goin' to win, didn't
they?"
"Yes; l guess they did. But you
see they were wrong"
"Well, but" Ramsey struggled.
Listen! Listen here, Grandpa! Well,
anyway, if they never got scared we'd
win, and nobody got scared they'd win
well, | don't see--'
'You don't see what?"
But Ramsey found himself unable
to continue his concentration. "Oh,
nothin' much," he murmured.
II see.' And his grandfather laughed
again. "You mean: If the Johnnies
felt just as sure of winning the war
as we did and kept winning battles,
why shouldn't we ever have had any
doubts we were going to win? That's
1t, isn't it,"
II guess so, Grandpa"
"Well, think it was mostly because
we were certain that we were right"
II see," said Ramsey. "The Johnnies
knew they were on the side Of the
devil" But at this, the grandfather's
laugh was louder than it had been be.
fore, and Ramsey looked hurt. swell,
you can laugh If you want to-" he
objected in All aggreved voice. "Any.
way, the Sunday school sup'intendent
told us when people knew they were
on the devils side they always"
81 dare say, l dare say" the old man
interrupted, little impatiently. "But
in this world mighty few people think
they're on the devils side, Ramsey.
The South thought the devil was on
our side, you see."
swell, that kind O. mixes it all up
mOre'n ever"
Suppose you look at it this way
The South was fighting for what it
believed to be its right to be coun.
try by itself; but we were fighting for
Liberty and Union, now and forever,
The Bienville Democrat., 1922-03-02

The pretender succumbed. I. !,
stantly dismounted, being out.,s..,!
and overawed. On foot he toos \
place in the ranks, while Rams., h
came sternJy vociferous. "ln.t,.,|
company! Farwud march! Ca,
right! Risht-showdler harmsl ~
Far,wud n, march. Carry harms
lhe army went trudging ava, !.
der the continuous but unheedes =
Of ORDERS and presently disaDn.
round a corner, leaving the No.
chuckllng feebly under his walnuf I,
and alone with the empty street ,,
trace OF what he had said seem... !.
nave been wiped from the grand1,,
mind: but memory has curious y.
Ramsey had understood not q flfh u
a tenth Of his grandfather's tall !,
already he had forgotten" All = =
yet not only were there many, q,
tlmes In the boys later life ~
without ascertainabIe cause, he vo,l
remember words and son+on,
by the grandfather, though ths II 4
tener, half-drowsily, had heard but \
sound of an old, earnest voice.
even the veterans meaning fIn,N
took on a greater defniteness IN
became, in the grandson's thousAt
something clear and bright and hosrt
full that he knew without beInp n
sure where or how he had learned !
The Bienville Democrat., 1922-03-02
EDUCATIONAL MOVE
BACKED By STATE
LoUlSIANlANS BACK MOVEMENT
TO OBTAIN AID FROM THE
GOVERNMENT
EACH STATE IS ELIGIBLE
The Bill! As Passed Does Not Inter
fere With Private And Parochial
Schools. Petition Was First
Circulated In August.

New Orleans, La.-A petition signe'
by 11,SO5 residents of Louisiana, rep
resenting practically every parish ii
the state, was sent to Washington re
Gently by the Tower.Sterling League
of Louisiana asking Congress to pas
the education bill now pending, which
J provides for the creation of a depart
ment Of education with a secretary in
the presidents cabinet. The bill also
provides federal aid for education in
the states by an appropriation Of not
less than $15,O0O,O0O.
"The establishment of a federal de-
partment of education does not mean
federal control of education" said
John C. Suarez, president of the Tow.
er-Sterling League Of Louisiana. 1T
merely allows the states a fund to
draw upon to increase their own edu-
cation facilities.
Some Of the purposes Of this bill
are: The preparation Of public school
teachers and equalizing educational
opportunities throughout the states.
"The bill does not interfere with
the management Of private or paroch-
ial schools. Nearly all the foreign
powers have secretary Of education
in their cabinets or governing bodies.
1t has been found the most effective
method Of centralizing and improving
educational facilities"
Each state, to be eligible for partici.
patton in the proposed appropriation,
must conform to the following require.
ments: A public school opportunity Of
not less than twenty.four weeks; com.
pulsory attendance at some school for
at least twenty.four weeks in the year
of all children between 7 and IA years
OF age; English the basic language in.
struction in all schools.
The state superintendents Of educa-
ton would constitute an advisory
council to the secretary Of education
at Washington and be called into
council by him once a year.
The petition was first circulated in
Louisiana last August. A. c. Carstens
is the secretary and Louis Hufft the
treasurer Of the Tower.Sterling Lea.
que in this state.
Among the national organizations
that have endorsed the educational
bill are: The American Federation Of
Labor, the General Federation Of Wo.
mems Clubs, National League Of Wo.
men Voters, National Council of Jew.
ish Women, the Congress Of Mothers
and parent-teacher associations and
the Supreme Council Of Scottish Rites
Masonry, Southern Division.
The Bienville Democrat., 1922-03-02
Effectively Employed In the Philippines,
and Might b Made Useful in
This Country.

The placenta Shell, found in abund.
ance ip the southern Philippine
islands, offers unique, practical and
decorative resource In home adorn,
ment says Good Furniture Magazine
Being fairly fiat and roughly cir.
cular, translucent and up to thre.
inches In diameter and about one.
sixteenth inch thick, the placenta shell
serves the better class Of Filipino
house IN place Of glass. The strong
tropical light is pleasIngly modified
as II passes through the shell.pane,
held together BY wooden strips O.
lead hands. .' "
2 coratively, the shell should And
many = l.| nses. i y already being worked
The Bienville Democrat., 1922-03-02
Copyright. Western Newspaper Union
Bv EDWARD G. LOWRY

! to bring about the reformation so bad
ly needed.
And now Franklin D. Roosevelt, for
seven years assistant secretary Of the
navy and recently the Democratic can.
didate for vice president:
The entire system Of relationship which
exists between congress and the execu-
tive departments is fundamentally wrong.
Let me illustrate: | made an offer one
spring to the appropriations committees
Of both house and senate, telling them
that / would tomorrow discharge Is per
cent Of the employees Of the Navy de.
partment II they, the committees, would
give me complete authority to take one
half of the salaries of the employees so
discharged and add Il to the salaries Of
the other S. per cent Of the employees
still left in the department. :. OF
course, however, under the present sys-
TEN congress would not think of giving
executive discretion of this kind.
Congress, for various reasons, has so
tied the hands of the executive officers
Of the government that they have no dis
cretion in the fundamental questions OF
employment. My own wonder Is
that, considering the existing circum-
stances, the employees Of the govern
ment are as efficient as they actually are.
Congress legislates for every minute item
of employment There Is lot
of work being done In other departments
which ought properly to be under tho
Navy department, and in the same way
there Is a lot Of work done by the Navy
department which could perfectly prop
erly be transferred to other departments.
After seven years down here In an ex-
ecutive position cannot help the
conclusion that our governmental meth
DDS are cumbersome and wasteful. The
first Improvement must come In what Is,
after all, the source Of governmental ac-
tivities-that is, the legislative branch.
This must come from congress. We need
also a reclassifcation and redistribution
of the work Of the executive depart
ments. This can only come If congress,
working in accord with itself and with
the executives, will discuss the whole
question simultaneously and not merely
piecemeal.
Well, there you are! A Republican
who has been in the legislative branch
Of the government for seventeen years,
and a Democrat who has been in the
executive branch for seven years, both
telling the same story Of how badly
the national business. is managed.
The odd thing about it is that our
agents and representatives at WASH
tngton who let this waste and inef-
ficiency run on, year after year, pay
no penalty. We pay the piper to the
tune of millions and Enthusiastically
that much. And the condition will en-.
dure until we make a real roar about
it, Congress increasingly shakes Its
head over the situation and brings in
various proposals Of reform, and says
how wrong It all is; but lacking
lively, infamed public pressure, moth
ing gets done.
The Bienville Democrat., 1922-03-02

| economy and efficiency commission wal
very conservative and cautious. |,
took Mr.. Taft's view that the prob.
lem Of good administration is not one
that can be solved at one time. It Is
q continuously present one. This
commission, made up of excellent men
suggested that the revenue-cutter sery.
Ice be abolished and Its activities be
taken over by other services. 1t was
estimated that by so doing saving
OF not less than $1,0OO,OOO could be
made.
Another report recommended that
the lighthouse and life-saving services
be administered by a single bureau In
stead Of as at that time, by two bu-
reaus located in different departments.
1t was estimated that this consolida.
ton would result In a saving Of not
less than 100000 yearly.
The abolition of the returns Office Of
the Interior department was recon-
mended, at an estimated direct saving
Of about $25,0OO a year, in addition
to a large indirect economy in the
reduction Of work to be performed in
the several offices.
The consolidation Of the six auditing
offices Of the treasury and the inclu-
sion In the auditing system of the
seven naval officers who audited Gus
toms accounts at the principal ports
was urged. The change was expected
to produce an immediate saving Of at
least $135.0OO yearly.
From this modest start other changes
and reforms and savings were to be
made
But we weren't interested IN the
high cost Of government or the high
cost Of living eleven years ago. Mr..
Taft didn't get rise out Of us. He
didn't have much of pull with con.
gress, either, poor man, and all his in.
Quiry went for nothing as far as any
action was concerned.
l-
He and his commission did bring ont
and establish, however, certain facts
and conditions. 1t was q trustworthy
and competent investigation as far as
1t went. That is something TO the
good.
There is a patent disposition IN con. |
gress now to take the whole problem !
Of the routine administrative processes |
Of the government under consideration !
and see how best to Improve them.
Whether anything really worth while
Will come out Of It will depend en-
tifely on the degree Of interest you
display. II you will take the trouble |
70 show that you know that the na.
lional business is mismanaged and
costs too much, and that you are tired
y 1t there will be action.
! - !. : Z y e. y
The Bienville Democrat., 1922-03-02

Lake Erie win be Is miles. The az.
ference Of level between the two lakes,
325h feet, will be overcome By seven
lit locks, each having . lift of 4e,l
fee. The locks are to be 500 feei
long and 50 feet wide Ia the clear, and
will provide 4 depth q 30 feet Il 10.
ter over TIE mltre sllls.
The Bienville Democrat., 1922-03-02
WE'RE COLD TO REFORMS

We have not had In our time q Presi.
dent who was business man or who
had close acquaintance with business
methods. The Chief Executives have,
Tor the most part, not been executives
q that term Is now understood. Any
thing but. They regarded the govern
mental machine as one regards hired
motor cara piece of mechanism In
which to get somewhere, and with no
thought OF Its power-trananissiOn
system or economy Of operation.
NJ. Taft did sense the fact that he
Was at the head Of an organization
whose activities are almost as varied
- those Of the entire business world.
Nj Harding, ! believe, shares this
! feeling.
~ All, Taft pointed out, this great
organization has never been studied
"a detail as one piece Of administra-
tive mechanism. No comprehensive
Effort has been made, until very re-
GENTLY, to list Its many activities or to
group them 10 such way as to pre-.
sent q clear picture Of what the gov
ernment is doing. No satisfactory
statement has ever been published Of
the 6nancial transactions Of the gov.
ernnent Is q whole. With large In
terests at stake congress and the ex-
ecutiye have never had all the infor-
nation which should be currently
available Il the most intelligent direc-
! ton is 70 be given to the daily national
businesa.
Congress-, the President and the ad-
miniptrative officers have been at
tempting to discharge their duties
without full Information as to the
agencies through which the work Of
'the government Is being performed. |
IA the past, services, agencies, bureaus,
what not, have been created one BY
cue = exigencles have seemed to de-
mand. with little or no reference to
any scheme Of organization OF the gov.
eminent % / whole.
NJ. TAFT pointed out all this and !
made n earnest effort to change It. |
WitA what resultl Why, just exactly
none, Congress was cold. The pub
lemeaDlng you and me WAS colder. |
We didn't take any interest In the |
project and therefore congress po-
ttely yawned Il away into the TALL
IFase and out Of sight. Mr.. Taft was
Iiyen enough 'money to employ an Ell
slsaty and economy commission and
y maks Inquiry ''into the methods Of
Sansaetng TIE public business Of the
IxecUtivs Departments aud other goy.
lgnaaent establlshments,1
III inquiry VA made and the
HANGS recommended. but nothing
- ever been done shout It. This
The Bienville Democrat., 1922-03-02
THE BOY, FATHER OF THE
MAN.

Here's another Of those Booth
Harrington boy-and-girl stories
that set everyone laughing and
living over again the days of youth:
This one is much like "Penrod.
and Seventeen" and "The Oriole.'
It's different, too, in that 1t carries
Ramsey Milholland and Dora Yo-
cum through school and college life
to early maturity in the World
War. So it's serious as well as
funny, and it's one of Booth Tar
kingdoms best Of its kind. Thats
enough.
The Bienville Democrat., 1922-03-02
CHAPTER Il

""''''.! "i'llo'lanu sat miseraby b
school, his conscious being cons,ss. .
principally of a dull hate. IN.
was little dispersed during d M
minute interval Of Music" whea /,
and all the other pupils in the IL,
room of the give B. Grade saae rs
peatedly fractions Of what they q
clated as "The Star Span.gph.huI
Banner; but afterward he relnn
into the low spirits and anlmosIty ,1ll
ural to anybody during enforced 3
finement under instruction. No iN
tlon was accomplished by an Inn q
temporary usurpation Of the te,e RI
platform, a brisk and unsympathe W q
" cheerful young woman moul 3 B
thereon to "teach German
For a long time mathematics y \
German had been about equallJ u Il
!
pulsive to Ramsey, who found ill.,
daily In the compulsory presenU
both; but he was gradually cont
regard German with the create i
ror, because, after months Of Ill
mental resistance, he at last ber6 \!
comprehend that the German lam
has sixteen special and particularstl u
of using the German article cie
spending to that flexible bit Cf 4 See(I
SO easily managed In English ts
What in the world was the use q
having sixteen ways Of doing a tif1
that could just as well be done d 1Gli1
If the Germans had contented ~
selves with insisting upon sixteen aje|
less variations for infrequent x0plE =
such as hippopotamus, for lnsti1ey|
Ramsey might have thought the aGIIl|
unreasonable but not necessarily St
cious--lt would be easy enough Il
avoid talking about a hippopotol
If ne ever had to go to Germany. M
the fact that the Germans picked
a and the and many other little M
IN use all the time, and gave eyefYA
OF them sixteen forms, and expec
Ramsey Mflholland to learn this A.
Ing uselessness down to the
crotchety detail, with "When to en-
Which rs nausea to prepare fop
final convulsion when one didnts
Which, because 1t was an 'Excep
there was a fashion Of making !
matters hard that was merely hel
The teacher was strict but q
slastic;; she told the children, over
over, that the German was a bead
language. and her face always ha9
y.
glow when she said this. At
times the children looked patient I q x
1t must be so, because I " "
was an adult and their teacher.
they believed her With the same Y
ner Of believing which those Of :
who went to Sunday school used L y =
when the Sunday school teachers s
pushed into explanation Of ysfi
matters set forth in the Old IT. (
nent, or gave reckless description
heaven. That is to say, the chndG
lid not challenge or deny; altQ
.hey had been driven into habit5
resignation and were passing osk
ne age when childhood is able tojl
ect adult nonsense.
Ramsey Milholland did not u
whether the English language
'eautiful or not; he never tho1
bout It. Moreover, though his az {
rlwards hated German" he liked =
ierman teacher, and 1t was pleal
0 look at her when that glow q
IpOn her face,
The Bienville Democrat., 1922-03-02
OUR COSTLY NEGLIGENCE

"CO-OrdinatiOn Is a tired, haggard,
nervous wreck Of a word that was
aearIy worked to death at Washington
during the early days of the war. 1t
was the first Of the dolar-a.year words
to come forward to do war work, and
it was worn to a frazzle. hate to
drag the poor wan thing out from the
quiet retreat In my dictionary where
it has been resting and recuperating,
but | must say that this lack Of Co
ordination, lack of organization, du-
plication, inetticiency, waste, and hap
hazard hodge-podge structure of the
national governmental machine Is no
secret to those at washington, who
run and manage it for US, and who are
even more directly responsible than
we are for the condition into which
1t has fallen.
submit pleas Of avoidance and
confession from both Democrats and
Republicans. 1t is not a matter of
politics. 1t Is matter of proved and
confessed negligence on the part of
the men we have hired to run the ma.
chine, and have kept year after year
In places Of trust and power and re-
spOnsibility. They haven't kept up
the plant. The form of organization
Is grotesquely inadequate. The NOR
ale OF the working force is badly i'm.
paired, as ] have set forth at length
In previous articles. We have paid
the price for this, grossly and hugely
IN money and in poor service. This
has been costly negligence on our part.
said had confessions. Here they
are, Reed SmOOt Republican and a
senator from Utah, speaking:
The administrative branches of the
government have undergone no funda-
mental change since the organization was
devised by Alexander Hamilton.
No other government In the world
could have gone on as ours has done, and
paid the bills involved In our wasteful
methods Of administration. We have been
able to do 1t because this country has
had resources and wealth unparalleled.
But the war has brought us at last to
realize that these will not last always.
We need complete survey Of the whole
situation de novo by q committee Of men
willing to recognize that It is a task Of
Day and night for year, and very likely,
two years.
There 10 endless duplication Of work
among different departments, and even
IN the same department. It Is
the same through all the government
funcuons. and now. when the burden Of
carrying our enormous debt ls weighing
On the people. we can no longer neglect
to give It consideration.
When he said these things, Mr..
Smoot was urging a concrete proposal
The Bienville Democrat., 1922-03-02

YOU"
one and inseparable.' There's the rea
son we had the certain knowledge thai
we were going to win the war, How
plain and simple II is!'
Ramsey didn't think SO. He had he
gun to feel bored by the conversation
and to undergo the oppression he u.s.
ually suffered in school. The earnest
old voice of the veteran was only =
sound in the boys ears.
Boom" The veterans had begun
to fire their cannon on the crest Of the
low hill, out at the cemetery; and from
a little way down the street came thp
rat-a-tat Of toy drum and sounds Of
a fife played execrably. A file Of chill.
dren in cooked hats made Of newspa.
pers came marching Importantly up
the sidewalk under the maple shade
trees; and In advance, upon veloci.
pede, rode a tin-sworded parsonage,
shrieking incessant commands but NOT
concerning himself with whether or
not any military obedience was there.
by obtained. Here was a reyiyifylng
effect upon young Ramsey; his slug.
gard eyelids opened electrically: he
leaped to his feet and, abandoning his
grandfather without preface or apolo.
gy, sped across the lawn and out of
the gate, charging headlong upon the
commander Of the company.
"You get off that locipede, Wesley
Benderr he beloved. "You gimme
that sword! What rights you got to 90
bein' captain O my army, I'd like to
know! Who got up this army, in the
first place, I'd like to know! | did.
myself, yesterd'y afternoon, and Won
get back in line or l won't let Won
b'long to 1t at ALL"