Show ARKANSAS AND HER RAILROADS The other day the Legislature and the Governor of Arkansas decided to confiscate th the charters of every railroad in the State which is the most expeditious expeditious expeditious way of reaching a conclusion that we have ever read of With the ehart charters rs abrogated of course tours no railroad COt could d. d run a train Probably that is what whai the authorities of Arkansas have wanted for a longtime long longtime longtime time because the trains running occasionally through the State carry there some enlightenment and some people who believe in progress might e enter ter that State and eternally discommode the mossy-backs mossy there who dream of the early and f better days oJ of the State when every m man n was his own mast master r when it was not disgraceful to live in cabins to never build a fence when the State was as one gr grand nd free freo and easy never give never give cent a-cent kind of a place where mens men's cattle ran on the common range and were only rounded up an and branded once a J year ar where wile wild ld hogs were vere plentiful and all a man had to do was wa to togo togo togo go out and shoot one of them if he wanted meat when the two great staples were cotton and corn whisky where neighbors lived so far apa apart t that when one called upon another the dogs had to be tied up to keep from from devouring him when the school schoolmaster schoolmaster schoolmaster master was at a discount discount when people did not fix their roofs when it rained because it rained and did not fix them when it did not rain because they did not need fixing when white men and negroes lived in perfect harmony up to election day and then all the white men voted in fear far f ar of negro domination and when if negroes voted their votes were not riot counted for the same reason When the railroads first penetrated that State the people were glad t they ey thought of the comforts of swift transportation they thought about moving their crops more cheaply to market old settlers went up to Little Rock for the first time in their lives and the wild orators of the State were exultant over the progress that was coming from the f facilities that were supplied them Now they r realize lio the vanity of i all new inventions and solemnly declare that the railroads must either carry them at half fare or they thoy will take away their charters and still the men of Arkansas are quite as enlightened as a good many outside of Arkansas though th their ir Legislature Legislature Legislature Legis Legis- lature passed a law aw that unless they carry freights and fares for less than cost they will confiscate their roads The American people are a peculiar people They are always wanting something new or they are wanting something that was in use half a century century century cen cen- tury ago restored and want all all' the new inventions inventions inventions in in- put away from the temptation of the people people people peo peo- lest they become corrupted through modern I methods |