The Matagorda County Tribune (Bay City, Tex.), Vol. 89, No. 6, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 23, 1934 Page: 2 of 8
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THE MATAGORDA COUNTY TRIBUNE
BY TRIBUNE PRINTING COMPANY
THE MATAGORDA COUNTY TRIBUNE. THURSDAY. AUG. 23, 1934
A CRITICISM AND A CREED
It is so easy to be true when no
strain is brought to bear upon your
| confidence. And then it is so easy for
| some to be false—without the strain
| brought upon them.
Family Doctor
CAREY SMITH
CAREY SMITII. Jr.
........_______-.......-.....-...-Owner and Editor ------------------
Assistant Editor and Business Manager and luxuriesand thus keep our
------------------------------------ | commerce and trade in the doldrums.
Eotert , at the Postoffice at Bay City, Texas, ax second class mail matter Today government federal, st and
MT* . local—takes about 30 per cent of
under Act of Congress, March 3, 1897. I national income, and some authori-
--------T-----—----------——-,-----------ties place the percentage muc
Any e eous reflection upon the character or standing of any person or any er than that In other words, at least
basin.....neern will be readily and willingly corrected upon its being 30 cents out of every dollar you earn
President Roosevelt has a complicated and highly tech-
nical job to perform.
I advocated the remonetization of silver, and when the
reactionaries took their advertisements out of my papers
because 1 was supporting Bryan, I thanked them and told
broug to the attention of the publishers. is not yours to spend A great per-
The paper will be conducted upon the highest possible plane of legitimate centage of it goes to feed predatory
tax eaters and officialism, either di-
Cotton seed which seemed to drag in
price at along eleven dollars a ton
last year have passed $33 already this
year with a promising chance to go
still higher The why of this sensa-
tional advance is attributed to a
gloomy outlo k for • good crop and a
seed war between buyers. Whatever
the course, this increased price will
add many a needed dollar to the short
crop area, which is widespread
throughout Texas and Oklahoma, the
two principal cotton producing states.
Due, however, to the almost total fail-
ure of the crops in all of Oklahoma
and over much of Texas, there will
not be many tons of seed for sale,
but the price will help those farmers
who have any at all, much or little.
Cotton, too, because of the scarcity
is reaching an attractive price.
It may all be true that we have
been sorely hit by the storm and rains
and that our old county is not what
we would like for it to be. Fact is
that our old county has been so abun-
dantly generous in its productivity and
all that it has done, that It is hard for
us to take any reverse. We are so
prone to moan anyway. But, last Sat-
urday two men high up in the affairs
of their respective communities and of
wide travel over the state, one of
whom was from Wichita Falls and
the other from Waco sat in this office
and discussed various things not the
least of which was their admiration
for the appearance of Bay City and
the other was the cheerful and, to
them, cheering verdure of the coun-
tryside One of the visitors looked
------------- ——— ........I rectly, through income, property, li-
do with them all is to throw about through hidden taxes on the things
them every courtesy and hospitality, we wear and eat and use. It is lost to
A glad hand and a cordial welcome productive enterprise —to the business-
to the stranger, be be pauper or es which provide jobs and opportuni-
prince will go a mighty long way in ties for employment and investment,
these days of crop failures and hard and which, if allowed to develop nor-
going Give it wherever and when- mally, would create new sources for
ever the opportunity present sitselt. taxation. If the present trend continu-
, es, it won't be long until that 30 per
The suggestions advanced previously cent becomes 40, 50 or 60 per cent. And
for the benefit of all who might have when that time comes, we will all
a surplus of buy or an overabundance gradually become wards of govern-
of rice straw as well as a probable ment—private industry will have been
second crop this fall to bale every literally starved to death, confiscated
straw, seems to be more pertinent by taxation, and the tax-fed bureau-
now than when first made. Since crat will reien supreme
these suggestions were first advanced. A major issue of the time is state
about three weeks ago, the drouth has of government finances. The tax
been prolonged withou a brea and problem, which has always been with
is more widespread now than ever I us, has grown amazingly during the
All interested parties, those repre- last few years Depression, which in-
senting the government as we a creased the need for relief expendi-
others are see ing pas ures and feed I tures of one kind and another, inten-
for famished cattle, a. many thou-sifted it. Latest forecasts point to a
I steady rise in government spending
i during the current fiscal year. When
I the last fiscal year came to an end
sands of head will have to be moved
or fed, or moved and fed Hay will be
in big demand this winter and be-
cause of that fact a considerable po-
tential revenue can be found in every
rice field and every stack of straw.
We all want to help him in every way.
The question merely is, what is the best way to help them they had given me that much more room to support
him? Bryan in.
There are perhaps two ways:
One way is to approve everything that he does regard-
less of whether we believe it to be right or wrong.
The other way is heartily to applaud everything we think
isc beneficial, but to debate policies we believe to be harm-
ful and try logically to convince him that he should pursue
a different course.
advocated the election of senators by the people, and the
direct primary.
I advocated woman’s suffrage, and in fact. I have in the
past fifty years of my newspaper activities supported every
sound progressive man and measure before the American
people.
My father before me was a progressive. His only creed
There is something to be said in favor of either way of
helping Mr. Roosevelt, but for a newspaperman it would
seem that the only honest way is the second way, the dis-
criminating way.
Mr. Roosevelt may not pay a great deal of attention
to the newspapers but he may pay some attention to them.
And if the newspapers mislead him they are not helping
him, and what is even more important, not helping the
country.
There can be no proper question of Mr. Roosevelt’s pur-
pose. The only intelligent criticism would be of his meth-
ods.
Is he taking the right way to put his good intentions into
practical operation?
To begin with, has he the right kind of sound and sin-
cere, capable and experienced men around him?
across the street at the tall, waving
green grass on the vacant block and
said to us "There is more green grass
out there on that vacant block than
can be found in all of Texas north
and west of Waco." Then, continuing:
“We have traveled throughout Texas
and saw in the great white face Here-
ford cattle country thousands of the
state’s finest cattle standing on their
spraddled legs as props with head
dragging the ground in weakened at-
tempts to scent or see something in
the way of a sprig of grass or a dead
stick to eat, literally starving to death.
It is too pitiful to talk about." We
took the two gentlemen in our car to
Palacios and as we passed the luxu-
riantly green and growing rice fields
it seemed they wanted to stop and
walk through them and actually touch
the growing grain. At one place wa-
ter had overflowed the levee and a
great pool had accumulated in the bar
pit. Seeing this one of our visitors re-
marked What would thousands of
Texans give to see that alongside the
road These two men who have trav-
eled over Texas, were actually loathe
to leave the verdant plains and the
oceans of waving green they found
in our county. They told us that if we
could only travel as they have travel-
ed and could see what they have!
seen, it would end for all time to
while meadow hay will command
good prices.
Have our readers looked at and
studied the map published in the
Houston Post today (Thursday) of
general crop conditions? The map is
a government crop report map as of
August 10, and shows the drouth-
stricken situation at a glance. With
the exception of a small area in the
extreme northwest in the state of
Washington and Oregon, all west of
the Mississippi River is seriously af-
flicted with the drouth This "afflic-
toin" extends severely to Texas and
covers the entire upper haly of the
state. East of the Mississippi crops
are mostly below average and very
poor to Maine. The average and above
average covers the extreme southern
part of Texas, along the coast of Tex-
as for two to three counties inland to
Galveston, thence up a narrow strip
of East Texas to Arkansas where it
begins to spread out to include Ken-
tucky, the Virginias, part of Penn-
sylvania all of New Jersey, Delaware
and Maryland thence south and em-
bracing all of the Southern states from
Louisiana to the Atlantic coast. The
point we wish to make is that, in spite
of our reverses this year we are still
in that blessed territory of an abun-
dance of moisture and above the av-
erage crops, a condition which, if
properly exploited, would result in
much favorable reaction in other parts.
Of course, this “above the average”
as of August 10, 1934, is largely due
to our splendid cattle ranges, the good
rice and forage crops and the prom-
ise of a reasonable cotton crop. It is
all enough to make us feel better, to
ray the least.
on July 31, the deficit amounted to
$4,000,000,000. It is said that govern-
merit fiscal officers anticipate that ex-
penses for the current year will
amount to about $10,000,000,000. On the
basis of estimated income, that means
that we will have a federal deficit of
around $6,000,000,000 when this fiscal
year comes to a close. One of the
things that has thrown administra-
tion figuring out of line is the
drouth. A total of $525,000,000 is now
available for relief, but many believe
that it is not sufficient. It is felt that
the government will have to appro-
priate still more money to help
drouth sufferers and some are of the
opinion that at least $800,000,000 will
be necessary.
Rice Millers Rap
U. S. Specifications
BEAUMONT, Aug. 17.- Millers in
the center of the rice producing area
here Thursday criticized as unfair the
government’s specifications in bids
asked for rice packed in two-pound
cartons.
They pointed out that with few ex-
ceptions the industry was not equip-
ped for carton packing and declared
it would work a tremendous hardship
upon the smallest millers.
Hope was expressed that the federal
Surplus Relief Corporation would
revise its specifications to include op-
tional packing in five-pound bags.
If YOU are ill you get the best and most practical doctor
or surgeon that you can find.
If you even want your plumbing attended to, or your
dog doctored, you get competent and experienced people
to do it.
Why not apply that principle to politics?
Why call in a lot of visionary theorists and let them ex-
periment with serious situations?
Why say, "well, if these plans do not work, we will try
some others?”
Are the other plans to be furnished by the same vision-
ary theorists.?
We cannot experiment too much with ANY important
situation.
We cannot be like the aviator who bought a parachute.
"Suppose this blame thing doesn't work?” said he.
“Oh bring it back and we will give you another,” re-
plied the seller.
We cannot always bring the parachute back.
We are not always in a position to try “some other plan.”
was “the public good.”
My mother’s creed was “public education" and “human
sympathy.”
d would not sacrifice one jot or tittle of those principles.
In fact, I am so devoted to truly American ideals that I
want to be sure that we are attaining them and retaining
them through practical American men and means.
I want to be sure that we are preserving the American
principles and the American methods my forefathers and
your forefathers labored to create.
1 am positively a progressive, but primarily an American
and 1 do not believe in radical revolution, either in theory or
or in the un-American practice of minority rule by force
and violence.
I and every other progressive believe in the welfare of the
workers.
We believe in good wages and good working conditions.
But we believe, too, that the American industries and in-
dustrialists that have given American labor the highest
standard of wages and of living in the world are also worthy
of the consideration of enlightened government.
These industries and industrialists should be appreciated
and encouraged to further achievement for the benefit of
labor and for the advantage of the whole people.
They should not be discredited at home and abroad by
unfair accusation which can justly apply only to a miserable
few.
Bites and Stings.
In hot weather, when people are
much out of doors, with children play-
ing on the grass, wounds of a varying
degree of severity are common. Spi-
der bites always produce more or less
terror for mothers such insects be-
ing considered particularly veno-
mous. I can remember when death
from some unknown cause was at-
tributed to the sting of a venomous
spider. All guess-work.
In these modern times, it is very
easy to obtain good professional at-
tention—and it is always the wise
thing to do A small bottle of "Spirit
of Ammonia" is a good thing to take
along on your picnic; it is a good ap-
plication for the sting of any flying
insect, such as bees, wasps, yellow-
jackets, etc. The wound should be
kept wet with the ammonia solution,
until the pain is gone.
I never advise gouging around an
insect sting with any sort of house-
hold instrument; you are as likely to
spread infection as you are to cor-
rect it. We have—or at least I have-
revised my ideas of procedure in
bites and stings of insects and I be-
lieve I have no regrets with the
change.
It doesn’t do any harm to bathe an
insect wound with soap and water, es-
pecially if the bite be dusty or on a
perspiring surface. And then—if you
are fortunate to have the king of
emergency remedies with you—a bot-
tle of tincture of iodine. It is a good
application in all cases, regardless of
their origin. Your doctor will tell
you the same as soon as he arrives—
if you call him.
Do you remember when the “fam-
ily almanac" sagely advised that we
remove bce stings by pressing the
wound with a watch-key? The crudi-
ty—the horror of it! Watches required
keys to wind them in those .lays.
Co
HOUSE
The Louisville Courier Journal re-
come io grumbling and pessimism, cently published a cartoon showing
This is aradise, my friend, and you a frightened figure of a man, labeled
ought to thank God you are in it," “Taxpayer," walking along a dark
was a parting remark of our visitors street. Lurking in doorways, prepar-
ing to spring upon him, were a num-
On the streets every day, and in in-ber of hold-up artists, named "Bu-
creasing numbers, are to be seen an - reaucracy,” “Waste," "Spoilsman," and
A jury was being impaneled.
You are a property owner.
Yes, sir.
Married?
Yes, sir, about five years.
Have you formed or expressed an
opinion.
Not for about five years.
tomobiles carrying out of state num- 'Political Expediency'' That cartoon
bers loaded with people who are trav- is not at all far-fetched. So far as
eling from whence or whither we do the average citizen is concerned pred-
not know. Added to these are other atory taxation and official ism is Re-
numbers from other counties in Tex-covery Enemy Number 1 no high-
as and no doubt, largely from the wayman ever lived who could equal
parched regions of this great state, their depredations. They take money
Probably many of these are traveling that would otherwise be invested
with all then- earthly possessions; and thus stifle purchasing power,
others possibly, are in fine or com- They take money that would be spent
fortable circumstances. The thing to for a thousand and one necessities
At a banquet once there was no
clergyman present so the toastmaster
singled out a pious-looking old gen-
tleman in a black coat and tie and
asked him to pronounce a blessing.
The old boy put his hand to his ear
and replied, 1 see you are addressing
me, sir, but I'm so damned deaf that
if hell froze over I couldn't hear the
ice cracking.
Timid Referee (in a football game:)
Now, the last thing I wish for is un-
pleasantness.
Truculent Player: Have you any
more last wishes?
If inexperienced surgeons cut off the wrong leg, they
may be willing to try another epxeriment on the other
leg, but that does not help us much, or give us our legs
back.
Moreover, at the rate our government is dissipating the
country’s resources and putting us into debt, we will not
be able to try another and more practical plan.
After the visionary theorists have exhausted our treas-
ury and destroyed our credit, we will have to spend the
rest of our lives paying for their failure.
A practical plan NOW is what we want—not a lot of
visionary theories now, and a practicable plan when it is
too late.,
And you men who are working on the roads need the
practicable plan for PERMANENT benefit just as much
as the business men do.
President Roosevelt’s illustrious namesake and predeces-
sor once wrote to a captain of industry, “you and I are prac-
tical men."
There was not just criticism of that expression, no prop-
er complaint of the idea it conveyed.
We all want practical men at the head of business and
industry and particularly at the head of the nation’s busi-
ness.
We want honest men but practical men.
We want practicable plans for the conduct of the nation’s
affairs and for the improvement of our individual condi-
tions.
F am a militant progressive, and I do not believe in pro-
tecting crooked business men any more than I believe in
protecting crooked politicians.
Yet F do not believe in holding crooked business men up
to America and to the world as typical examples of Amer-
ican national life.
Pit the crooks of all classes and conditions in jail. Put
more of them in jail. Put all of them in jail.
But encourage honest business and stimulate honest bus-
iness men. ,
That is the best way to create national prosperity and the
only way to create permanent employment.
I stand solidly for proved American practices and policies
and principles. |
I am opposed to revolutionary theorists.
I am averse to inexperienced surgical experiments on the
vital parts of our industrial anatomy.
I am equally averse to ill considered architectural experi-
ments on the foundation of our American house and home.
I do not even think it helpful to tinker unscientifically
with the political plumbing, or wise to try fool theories
even on the dog.
Anyhow, I prefer a good dependable domestic dog to any
unbalanced, speculative political theorist, and 1 wish our
good president would get rid of his revolutionary Communist
advisers and un-American experimentalists while we still
have money enough left to feed the dog.
WILLIAM RANDOLPH HURST.
Terrific Heat Still
Sears Texas
Bedraggled Texans swigged cooling
drinks and parked in front of their
fans today as temperatures soaring
up around the 100 degree mark again
made life miserable for them.
Tantalizing forecasts of partly clou-
dy weather in East Texas gave some
hope of relief from the dry heat that
has for days blistered crops and ag-
gravated the shortage of water for
livestock. West Texas faced the pros-
pect of more clear, scorching weather.
Indications were that temperatures
would range today to the approxi-
mate high levels of Monday. Maxi-
mum temperatures reported yesterday
included: McKinney 113 degrees (rec-
ord high for the year;) Dallas 101;
Paris 107 (record high for the year;)
Abilene 104; Amarillo 100; Austin 98;
Brownsville 90; Corpus Christi 90;
Del Rio 98; El Paso 98; Houston 96:
Galveston 88; Palestine 100; Port Ar-
thur 94 ;Plainview 98; Corsicana 105;
Shreveport 101.4.
No rain was reported in Texas in
24 hours.
The 113 degree reading taken at
McKinney Monday was the highest
there in many years, but tempera-
tures have ranged high there for sev-
eral days. It was 111 at McKinney Sun-
day. The cotton crop around McKin-
ney was cut short by the heat.
"Uees-ncltfyet-nefuNes-eeluen-nelueasenntyEz
Feed At A Premiun
NEVER in the history of the nation have farmers faced
a feed shortage to compare with the present situation. It
is an emergency that borders catastrophe!
Feed is already at a premium. It will go higher
much higher. 1 here will be no excess of feed in any coun-
try even if it rains in August.
Every blade, stalk and straw that can possibly be sal-
vaged must be saved even if it must sometimes be done
by hand. There is a responsibility on every farmer to save
first for his own needs then for his neighbors.
No more hay should be sold to other states. Flay
can’t be bought later on to replace shipments now going
out. 1 he nation is short. After nearby supplies are gone
stock must go. There is no other answer. Money can t
buy a thing that dosen’t exist.
Firing of prairie, stubble or straw stacks is now a pub-
lic offense. Let us try first to prevent them--fight them
where they do break out, it is a patriotic duty now to
save and conserve every available pound of feed and for-
age. Survival of our livestock industry depends on it.
---The Editors.
What do we mean by a practicable plan?
According to the dictionary, “practicable" means work-
able.”
That is what we need not visionary and sometimes rev-
olutionary theories—not impracticable and sometimes un-
patriotic experiments, but homely, American, workaday,
practicable plans,
Fantastic innovations are of dubious value.
Good intentions are not sufficient in themselves.
An old proverb says, “the road to hell is paved with good
intentions."
We may be full of good intentions and still be on the
road to hell.
Sometimes it looks as if we were.
The sublime self-confidence and self-satisfaction of the
theorists are not altogether reassuring.
They suggest too much the old story of the pilot who took
charge of a ship to steer it into a sate harbor.
"Do you know the channel thoroughly?" asked the cap-
tain. .
"You bet I do," said the pilot. “I know every rock in the
harbor."
"There," said he as the ship struck,” there is one of
them now.”
We don’t want a pilot who in supreme self-confidence
runs us on the rocks and then is willing to try another
plan.”
You and I. fellow citizens, are practical men and we want
practical pilots.
We are like the man who was engaging a chaffeur for his
automobile.
: "How close can you go to the edge of a bridge? he
asked the candidates for the position.
| I “Oh. within about a foot, said one.
"Maybe within an inch," said another.
"I don't know," said a third. "I always keep on the safe
part of a bridge."
"You are engaged," said the owner. 1 don't want any
chaffeur making dangerous experiments with my property
and my life."
Fellow citizens, maybe we, too, want chaffeurs who will
stick to the safe part of the bridge__the good old American
| part which has carried us safely over so many depressions
for so many years.
Maybe if we get too close to the experimental edge, we
| may go over and into the stream. Then it might be too late
to "try another plan."
J I DO NOT write as a reactionary—good Lord! Think of
| what the reactionaries have called me in my day.
I am not even a conservative, unless a conservative is one
| who desires to “conserve' American principles and institu-
! tions.
I am definitely progressive, but a practical progressive
| like dear old Theodore. i
I was a progressive before Franklin D. was born.
The Sulphur Industry
is one of I exas’ many outstanding assets. Three mines
produce practically all of the nation’s supply
Sulphur Is Industry’s Most
Essential Commodity
Its presence in Texas, therefore, constitutes one of the
state's most attractive inducements to the develop-
ment of industry within its borders.
TEXAS GULF SULPHUR COMPANY
“The world’s largest producer of crude sulphur”
Mines
GULF HEADQUARTERS
Matagorda County Second National Bank Building
Texas Houston, Texas
NEWGULF
Wharton County
Texas
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Smith, Carey. The Matagorda County Tribune (Bay City, Tex.), Vol. 89, No. 6, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 23, 1934, newspaper, August 23, 1934; Bay City, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1696509/m1/2/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Matagorda County Museum & Bay City Public Library.