The Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 13, No. 30, Ed. 1 Friday, November 14, 1941 Page: 2 of 8
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The Enterprise, Mercedes, Tex., Fri., November 14,1941
rag mn
Published Every Friday
PAUL C. NETZ, EDITOR
1 SIDE GLANCES ON
TEXAS HISTORY
Entered May 22, 1941, as Second Class Mail Matter at the Post Office
at Mercedes, Texas, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Any erroneous reflection upon the standing, reputation or character
of any person or persons will be gladly corrected if brought to our at-
tention
By Charles O. Hucker
University of Texas Library
CHATTER
BY TOM PHILLIPS
The Sage of Santa Rosa
About the only thing one cannot
purchase on the easy-payment plan
is experience—at that, installment
buying is facing some curtailment,
the hapy days of “nothing down and
the rest when inconvenient” seem
to have come to an end. Anyway
it isi simpler to pay your subscrip-
tion in one move.
iMr. Ickes has given orders that
“unsightly billboards”, or those
constituting traffic hazards, should
be bianisihed from public lands. It’s
a pretty big order, because there
are about 200,000,000 acres of
public lands in the U. S. If the bill-
boards are not “unsightly” (and
Mr. Ickes failed to say who would
be the judge, but its probably him-
self, being a glutton for odd jobs)
a fee of 20 cents a square foot per
year, with a minimum of $5, will
be charged for commercial signs on
public lands.
Rubber money—imitation dollar
bills that stretched and shrank—us-
ed to be sold at country fairs. You
bought one and passed it out to
your friends las a joke.
Today rubber money is no long-
er a joke; it’s a grim reality. Good
U. S. Bills are shrinking—not in
size, but in value. They won’t buy
asi much as they did last year. Ac-
cording to some reports, they won’t
buy as much next year as they do
now. The inflation that Congress
talked about and did little to pre-
vent is here.
Thayer Stoddard, head of the
Texas division of the Public Roads
Administration and Director of the
National Defense Truck and Bus In-
ventory, is having troubles with
Uncle Sam’.si mail delivery system
which has returned 20,000 ques-
tionnaires because of improper ad-
dress.
Daddy John, in his years of toil,
Burnt barrels and barrels of mid-
night oil;
Norman now keeps his memory
green
By burning midnight gasoline.
The program manager of K-G.B.S.
is arranging all his amateur pro-
grams for Sundays between 2:30
and 3:30.
The United States Dept, of Agri-
culture have commenced the worth
while reports concerning the citrus
condition in the nation and from
now on we hope to have informa-
tion which will benefit citrus rais-
ers—resident and non-resident. Tex-
as fruit is leading the world today
in grapefruit and mixed car ship-
' mentsi.
“For the first time in history
the relative tax burden of the Unit-
ed States has now become heavier
than that of England.” That aston-
ishing fact is stated by Ralph Ro-
bey in Newsweek.
Under the new tax bill, the per
capita tax in this country will be
$180 a year. It is $173 in Great
Britain. Our taxes will amount to
about 25 per cent of our national
income, as against 22 per cent in
England.
It is true, of course, that Eng-
lish incom* taxes are greater than
ours. But the English are not bur-
dened with the vlast numbers of
sales taxes, excise taxes and “nuis-
ance” taxes on which our govern-
ment depends for much of its re-
venue. Lastly, the English are not
burdened so heavily with taxes lev-
ied by local government, in Great
Brtain, the national government
collects 90 per cent of all taxes;
here the Federal government col-
lects only about 60 per cent.
We cannot blame the cost of de-
fense for the staggering tax load we
are now carrying. As Mr. Robey al-
so points out, in Great Britain ap-
proximately 80 per cent of all gov-
ernment expenditures are for mili-
tary purposes. Here only about 50
per cent is used at present for those
purposes. Half the cost of govern-
ment, in other words, is for non-
defense activity, and Congress and
our local governments have shown
absolutely no wish to make reduc-
tions in any important direction.
To quote Mr. Robey once more,
“No nation in the world, regard-
less of how strong it may be, can
stand such a financial policy indef-
initely and maintain a democratic
form of government. With our tax
bill now above that of Great Brit-
ain, it cleiarly is time to come to ou;r
senses.” We are rolling merrily
along toward national bankruptcy
now, and only a public understand-
ing of 'the consequences of reckless,
unbridled non-defense ‘‘spending as
usual” can slave us.
McINTIRE GOES AFTER
ADVENTURES IN TEXAS
In 1902 old Jim Mclntire of Kan-
sas City published the reminiscenc-
es of a man (who, he wrote in the
introduction, has ‘‘seen as much
lawless life and had perhaps as
many, hair-raising adventures as'
lany man living.” He had chased In-
dians and outlaws, and himself been
chased across three states, had run
gambling-houses and saloons, had
shot up towns, and had been mar-
shal and deputy sheriff in frontier
settlements. And it all came from
reading dime novels.
The reminiscences were Mcln-
tire’s own and were entitled “Early
Days in Texas.” The volume is one
of a score of valuable first-hand
commentaries on old-time cowboy
life available in the extensive Tex-
as Collection of the University of
Texas Library.
Early in life Mclntire “developed
an ambition to be 'a cowboy and see
life on the plains as portrayed by
the dime novels I had been read-
ing,” he wrote in his book. So he
left his Ohio home, came to Texas,
became a cowboy, and impatiently
awaited adventures comparable to
those related in the little yellow-
backed books, which had meant as
much in .hid early life as western
movies often mean in the lives of
boys today.
ing activities,” said Doctor Cox. “A
hunter’s loaded gun when not car-
ried on uafety is a menace to him-
self and to everyone within firing
range.”
Doctor Cox pointed out that while
hunting is one of the nation’s most
enjoyable outdoor sports, this de-
plorable toll of human lives goes
on annually due almost entirely to
carelessness. “Many men go hunt-
ing year after year without harm
to themselves or their companions!
because they handle a gun cautious-
ly and with good sense,” he declar-
ed.
‘‘There is little excuse for the
brand of carelessness or clumsiness
that kills. If each hunter will usie
precautions to go through the hunt-
ing season without accidental injury
to himself or his hunting compan-
ion, the death toll in Texas from
firearm accidents will be reduced
nearly seventy-five per cent,” Doc-
tor Cox stated.
SPARE THAT TREE!
DEFENSE: (I IT T 7
BOND V ^ 1 u
Worried About Rust
Ned, aged four, was accustomed
to seeing his mother carefully dry
the iron skillet so it would not rust.
One evening, while his Dad was
bathing him, the telephone rang.
Wrapping a huge towel around Ned
his father stood on the bathroom
floor, telling him not to move un-
til he returned. Suddenly the fa-
ther’s conversation was interrupted
by a hail from his-small son: “Dad-
dy! If you leave me too long I’ll
rust!”
HE MEETS THE INDIANS
Mclntire came to Texas late in
the 1860’s and immediately1 got
work on a ranch near Jacksboro
“right in the heart of the Indian
country, surrounded by hostile Kio-
was and Comanches.” His boss was
a man named J. C. Loving, and
‘‘Loving’s ranch,” he wrote, "was
the outpost of civilization and was
the first ranch the Indians had to
pass in going from the Reservation
to the settlements.”
This he quickly discovered. On
March 17, 1869, the men on the
panch gathered to eat dinner before
going out on a general round-up,
when suddenly, right in the midst
of the meal, a shot rang out near
the corral. Some thirty-five Indians
had appeared. “In an instant every-
thing was excitement,” Mclntire
wrote; “here it was that I got my
first tatste of Indian fighting, and
I plunged into the thickest of it.
The object of the attack, it turn-
ed out, was the herd of ranch hors-
es, which the men managed to get
into the corral just as the fighting
began. Then, Mclntire went on,
“Mrs. White, Loving’s sister-in-law,
loaded guns' for me, and I took a
position under a big oak tree in the
yard, firing at the approaching In-
dians as fast as she could load the
guns . . . Bullets were flying thick
and fast around! me, as the greater
part of their fire was directed1 at
me and Mrs. Loving, who were be-
tween the Indians jand the corral
Where all the horses were.”
NOTE.—To buy Defense Bonds
and Stamps, go to the nearest post
office, bank, or savings and loan
association; or wyate to the Trea-
surer of the United States, Wash-
ington, D. C. Also Stamps now are
on sale at retail stores.
Q. wben will the “drive” to sell
Defense Savings Bonds begin?
A. There will be no “dilve.”
Many people think of the Defense
Savings Program as like the Li-
berty Loan campaigns of the first
World War, which were conduct-
ed for stated periods to raise
specific quotas. The Defense Sav-
ings Program is a, long-range,
continuing effort to stimulate the
public to buy more and more De-
fense Bonds and Stamps month
by month, and is essentially a
program to promote cn&ss saving,
as well as to provide money for
defense.
Q. Are the Defense Savings
Stamps sold at retail stores ex-
chan gable for Defense Savings
Bonds?
A. Yes. They are the same as
Stamps on sale at post offices and
elsewhere.
S|
GEMS OF THOUGHT
It is common to overlook what
is near by ‘keeping the eye fixed on
something remote.
Samuel Johnson
If one would be successful in the
future, let him make the most of
the present.
—Mary Baker Eddy
For truth and duty it igt ever the
fitting time; who waits until cir-
cumstances completely favor his un-
dertaking, will never accomplish
anything.—Luther.
It is in man and not in his cir-
cumstances that the secret of his
destiny resides.—Carlyle
Every duty brings its peculiar
delight, every denial its appropriate
compensation, every thought its re-
compense, every cross its crown;
pay goes with performance as ef-
fect with cause.—Mildmay
Not Done
There are many jokes about eva-
cuees now going the rounds, but
here is a true story of two little
London evacuees in Suffolk which
had set the whole village, where
they are billeted with relatives,
roaring with laughter.
One afternoon, on the farm at
which they are staying, they ac-
companied the farmer as he made
his rounds of the henhouses and
came back with a basketful of
brown eggs. On the following after-
noon they again went round iwith
the farmer land brought back ano-
ther basket of lovely brown eggs.
On the third day they were al-
lowed to go alone to collect the
eggs. When they returned, one of
the little Londoners turned to the
farmer and said:
“Here they are. We left two un-
til tomorrow, cos they aren’t quite
done yet. They’re still white.—An-
swers.
lir
mi
THE POCKETBOOK
of KNOWLEDGE 1
t *-Vv„ , .
THE gas tank op a
MEDIUM ARMy TANH. tfOLP£
/7f GALLONS —
ENOUGH TOR APPROXIMATELY
"350 MILE'S OF DRIVING
ON A SIN6LE FILLING
TTrES FOR THE ARMy'5 FLYING
FORTRESSES WEIGH 2/0
POUNDS EACH— - ABOUT
AS MUCH AS 9 AVERAGE-SI7E
AUTOMOBILE TIRES-
RESEARCH HAS FOUNP
A USE FOR
COTTONSEED HULLS.
FORMERLY USELESS.THEY
NOW GO INTO THE
MANUFACTURE OF A NEW
PLASTIC MATERIAL
UNDERSHIRTS to A BRITISHER.
ARE "VESTS " »/.,/
BARTERS ARE CALLED "SOCH
. -t'PRS SUSPB4VER5ARB "BRACES "
MACkEREL ARE FAST-SWIMMING FISH
AND WILL DROWN IF RESTRICTED SO
THAlTHEy CANNOT SWIM SWIFTLY........
(MOVEMENT OF THE GILLS ALONE POES MOT
PRODUCE SUFFICIENT OYY6EN)
A WOMAN’S PLACE
‘‘The coolest one of the whole
party was1 Mrs. White, who loaded
guns and handed them out to me
just as if that were her regular
business,” he remembered in after
years. “Her three little children
were in the house, hut not even a
thought of the danger they were
in affected her nerves.”
Gradually the Indians lost
ground, primarily because tney
were outnumbered; and at last
only remained within rifle range.
Then Mrs. White, Mclntire wrote,
“thought they might be dislodged
by a big old-fashioned foreign-made
gun which shot a very large bullet.
She handed this out to me saying,
‘Here is a big gun; try them two
setting on their horses.’ I laid
down, taking careful aim, and fired
high.” They got away.
Thus, after half an hour, Mcln-
tire’s first Indian fight was ended.
Though one of his comrades was
fatally wounded, he himself was un-
touched. But he lwagi off to a good
and satisfying start on his dime-
novel career.
HEALTH TALKS
Austin, Texas—A timely and urg-
ent warning against the careless
handling of firearms during the
hunting season was issued today by
Doctor Geo. W. Cox, State Health
Officer.
“During the year 1940 a total of
179 deaths occurred in Texas as a
result of firearm accidents, by far
the majority of them due to hunt-
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“Five mornings a week, nine months a year, we
mothers of Texas get our children ready for school»
“In our home and a million other Texas homes j
that’s one of the first and most important duties of
a mother’s day. Sometimes Dad finds out what a job
it is when he has to do it by himself .”
* *
All of us want our children to have the best education
possible. Most of us look to the public schools for this.
Fortunately, Texas has the best public schools in the
South. Helping to build and operate them is the Texas petro-
leum industry which pays 24 million dollars a year in taxes
for school purposes.
These petroleum taxes pay an average of one-fourth the
cost of educating our children. Altogether, they meet the
entire expense of schooling nearly 400,000 Texas boys and
girls.
In addition, oil has contributed substantially to the 70
million dollar permanent school fund. Oil is also responsi-
ble for much of the 30 million dollar permanent university
fund, which has made possible the expansion of the Uni-
versity of Texas and A. & M. College.
Furthermore, taxes on petroleum products add another
111/2 million dollars a year for the scnools of our State,
Our children get a
better education today-
because of the Texas
petroleum industry.
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This Advertisement Paid for by Various Units of the Industry and Sponsored by
TEXAS MID-CONTINENT OIL AND GAS ASSOCIATION
4
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Netz, Paul C. The Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 13, No. 30, Ed. 1 Friday, November 14, 1941, newspaper, November 14, 1941; Mercedes, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1105785/m1/2/: accessed June 11, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.