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12 (Continued from Page 9.) In the z\pril number of “Watson’s Jeffer sonian Magazine,” will be a write-up of Hon. William J. Bryan, prepared especially for that magazine by Hon. Thos. H. Tibbles. The ar ticle will be illustrated by photos never be fore used. It will be worth your while to be on the look-out for the April number. R The great advantage which the Farmers’ Union has over certain other industrial organ izations is that its high officials are not office seekers and have never been. It is sufficient to these devoted men to keep faith with the farmers and to make the Union a power for good throughout the country. Personally I am not acquainted with all of these officials, but I know the Na tional President, the Georgia President and several others of the higher officers, and 'ft more devoted lot of men I never knew. The Farmers’ Union is organized on sound principles, and its purposes are nobly benefi cent. How any farmer can afford to remain outside of it, I can not understand. Unless, indeed, he is afraid that the Union might drag him into politics and cause him to lose those five packages of garden seeds! R Under our precious Protective System, which gives Special Privileges to almost ev ery other class at the expense of the agricul tural class, the home of every farmer in the land is taxed $45 per year by the National Government. By organizing and co-operating the farmer could put an end to this annual robbery. But organization and the work of coopera tion costs something. Therefore the Farmers’ Union will have to charge each farmer’s home about one dollar per year dues. “Too much!” cries Brother Skinflint. “Can’t afford it!” exclaims Uncle Beeswax. So they snuggle down contentedly tinder a burden of $45 per year—knowing that it will grow hea vier every year—rather than join the Union and fight for a square deal. Some men are built just that way. They can’t help it. And that’s one explanation of how things have gotten into such bad shape. We have too many slack wads: too many easy-going good-for-nothings who would lie down and be run over rather than to stand up like men and fight. R R R Editorial Notes. Uy J. D. 'Watson. * On Feb. 25, the Associated Press sent out the following from Chicago: “The Tribune today says: “ ‘One of the largest, if not the largest, thefts from the United States treasury has been unearthed in Chicago. Somewhere be tween $175,000 and $200,000 was stolen from the local sub-treasury last week. “ ‘Chief Wilkie, of the United States secret service, has been keeping informed by tele phone and telegraph of every development, and, according to telegraphic advices, he will leave Washington today to take personal charge of the investigation.’ ” THE WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN. What a fuss to make about so small a sum! Why not charge a little interest on the peo ple’s money which the National Banks use free of charge and let the poor devil go with his paltry little $175,000 or $200,000? It would be replaced quickly, with a big enough sur plus left to pay the increase of Con gressmen and Senators, or to help pay off those in Washington who are digging the canal across the Isthmus of Panama. R Chief Engineer Stevens, of the Panama Canal Commission, has followed the example of Chairman Shonts and quit his job. Fol lowing this announcement comes one to the effect that all bids for building the canal have been rejected. Explanations are offered for such action, but it is safe to say that there is something wrong somewhere. The tender ing of so many resignations, and the rejection of all bids, makes it look like something was going on which the Administration wanted to keep hidden. : 1 R The New York Herald states that Secretary Shaw will become the head of the Carnegie Trust Company when he retires from the Cab inet. He certainly ought to be with a Trust as he is much better fitted for a place of that kind than for Secretary of the Treasury. R "Reports from France state that James H. Hyde, former owner of the Equitable Life In surance Co., has purchased a string of race horses and will make Paris his home. No one seems to be shedding tears over this report. If Hyde would persuade some of his former associates to follow his example, we could af ford to reward him handsomely. R R R Holv the Volunteers Fight Fire. Did you ever see a new fire department in a flourishing little city of about 2,000 inhabi tants fight fire? Well, if you haven’t you have missed half of your life. The sight beats Barnum and Bai ley's show a city block. To begin with it is a volunteer company and each member is a gallant hero who has enlist ed in the service to save his town from ashes. He also saves himself from street taxes for his gallantry. To begin at the first, your town issues bonds for water works at a cost of several thousand dollars. This of course you vote for, which means an increase in your taxes. It makes no difference if you live half a mile from the nearest place where the water mains are likely to extend. No, it is all right with you, for you must have water works at any cost The water works are completed. The next thing is the most important thing, and that is organizing the fire department. A call for patriots is sounded. They re spond gallantly. An organization is perfected and officers elected. Perhaps one or two of the officers may be too short-winded to run more than a few yards, but that makes no dif ference. The boys are willing to do their du ty and after all they are the ones on whom the great responsibility of saving life and property rests. They arc the heroes and to them we must give the credit. Many days are spent in learning how to sc*. J tie the dust on the streets (just after a ha ■ rain when water supply is plentiful). Th ■ obey instructions to the letter and make showing that their best girls are proud of, I is evidenced by the smiles that greet them . I they take the places of horses and pull I U] reel back to its home a quarter of a mile fr where it will be most likely needed whe. fire breaks out. ' At last there is a fire! “Fire! Fire!” y 1 hear some one cry and you see the her y come. Some forget there is a department a» J go straight for the blaze, others run the ■ selves out of breath trying to get to the r house as quickly as possible. Be that as may, they all get there after awhile. C Ji If some foolish citizen' has grabbed up bucket of water and extinguished the bl; i without stopping to think that there is a | | department for that purpose, he had best t; J to the woods, for the boys have their depc ment for the purpose of pouring water on in houses that are supposed to be on fire : they are going to do it in spite of fire ancTTi water. If in digging up a block or two of streel trying to locate a plug instead of going b: fifty feet and attaching to one that is th feet out of the ground they cause a little lay, do not worry, for the water is soon come. And it is coming as it did when N< built the ark. That water is there to put fire and the water is going to get there, fire no fire. Stand back, everybody, out of the wa And if everybody is wise they will stand ba out of the way. j Pop, pop, pop, and then the water comes ’ Some of the heroes have entered the bui ing before the water gets there but they 1 not get out before the water gets in. HenU building, and everything else in , the imm diate neighborhood soon resemble ducked rat j but they are heroes, and it is their dutv to g wet, as well as to appear at every fire. T1 getting wet shows that they were there an they do not have to pay a fine for not appea ing at the fire. The chief who knows som thing about fighting*fire may as well let tl boys have their way for he can not “cuss them all at once, and even if he could, h could not be within ear-shot of all. This is a typical country fire departmeij , and it’s worth much to go to see. If yc have never seen it, move to some town abot this size and watch for the happening. If ye have the blues it is a sure cure. After the fire is out, or rather after tl building has been flooded, our heroes hoc themselves on the reel and go back to hea, quarters with the bell ringing. (They hai forgotten to set it so it will ring when the start to the fire so great has been their hur and it is now that our heroes get the real ere it due them for their heroism.) They may be wet and bedraggled, one m; have snagged the scat of his pants, anothi torn his shirt, another gotten his face smuti but these are only the badges of honor, ; is attested by the smiles of the fair maiden who greet these wounded heroes. J. D. WATSON.