The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1941-02-20
THROUGH
E [
< Y E S
.
BY
fiaxel Brannon

ed to have achieved up at the Du-
Rnt school in n of Mr., Smiths
classes. Some of our little friends
came by to tell US that Mr., Smith
had dubbed our paper "The Durant
Excuse" and the Jackson daily as
the Jackson Daily Liar"
His only complaint against US
seems to have been hat you can't
go to West without it being in the
PAPER. Thanks, Mr.. Smith, for that
compliment. That is what we try to
do. Every piece of news that we
think our readers would be interest
ed in we certainly put in the paper.
We have thirteen hundred papers
go out every week to the homes in
this county. Holmes county only has
10000 white and $4,000 colored
population. That is pretty good
coverage, we think, and the people
must like it fairly well. They keep
right on subscribing and reading.
We take pride in the fact that we
are a small town country weekly.
We do not want to do or be any
thing else-just as we are sure Mr..
Smith must be proud of being a
small town school teacher.
The Jackson Daily Liar is big en-
nough to defend itself.
If Mr.. Smiths pupils don't ever
get anything except a discussion OF
personalities in his classes, how
ever. as we have frequently heard
before it looks like he is must too
good for a country school like Du-
rant.
We are sorry to say Mr.. Smith is
one of the few persons in Durant
who is not on our mailing list.
Major Fred Sullens says: "Missis-
sippi is not an industrial state
we have nothing but lumber and
cotton we have but n harbor
big enough it is useless to send
delegations to Washington unless
they have specific plans it is
unfair to criticize our members OF
COnKTtSS
The Major was talking about Sc
curing defense industries for Mis-
sissippi.
II is true this is not an industrial
state. But we think it is time for it
to become an industrial state. When
our farmers labor all day in the
fields for 90 cents a day and less we
a readily see why we have the
poorest per capita wealth and in
come of any state in the Union.
Nothing will ever happen to
change the status of the farmer I'M
til he can make his voice heard and
influence felt in the walls of con-
gress.
All of our economic troubles in
the south arise out of our lack OF
political prestige. If the farmer was
debating our tariff policies cotton
would be bringing more than nine
cents a pound and we would enjoy
some measure of prosperity in the
south.
AS for criticism of our congress
ional leaders we think the more
they are criticized the more likely
they are to try to justify their office
in congress. Look over the records of
most Of our Mississippi congressman
and see what they have done for the
people of their districts. Most of
them forget about the fact that they
are supposed to be representing the
PEOPLE. They get so hipped up with
their own Importance that they never
think about stopping long enough to
examine their records, to see what
they have done that the people
should want them in office.
We hope that every Holmes coun-
ty farmer who can get hold of 200
will join the Farm Bureau Fedora
ton. The purpose of this organiza-
ton is to make the farmer heard in
legislative matters. 1t is being form
ed so that the farmers will have a
chance for concerted action.
Individually a farmer cannot do
one thing to better his lot except by
the sweat of his brow. He cannot do
one earthly thing to control the
price he gets for his products.
But if all the farmers over the
south and the west were organized
and would stick together they could
achieve almost anything they might
want.
The farmers Of this nation are
the only real producers of wealth,
with the exception of miners and
Others who wrest from the earth the
things that make life possible. The
farmer is more poorly paid in pro
portion than any person in any sta
ton of life.
The man on relief today gets more
in worldly goods than does the far
mer after his bills + paid.
If this group can bind together
and stay together they will have
chance to mould a better life fol-
themselves and their children.