FIFTY MILLION STRONG 



benefit." All the speakers at the conference agreed that an 

 association such as that just defined would be the only means 

 of creating a greater Rural America. 



L. Politics 



In political matters two movements have been more or less 

 general in Rural America: one, a movement to give to the 

 people more power in government; the other, a movement to 

 reconcile politics and religion, which have been, in a measure, 

 divorced from the beginning. The former may be studied 

 in the great amount of federal and state legislation of recent 

 years. It has not been very many years, for example, since 

 little was known in the United States of the initiative and 

 referendum, which are forbidding Latin derivatives. But 

 today eighteen of the forty-eight states provide for either 

 one or both of them in their constitutions. South Dakota 

 made the start in 1898 and the other seventeen states followed 

 in rapid succession. The latter movement is in evidence 

 everywhere. There has been a great resurgence of conscience 

 in Rural America, and a mighty effort is being put forth to 

 purify the political life of the nation. 



M. Foundations 



In a number of cities of the country, notably Cleveland, 

 St. Louis and Chicago, there have recently been established 

 foundations to handle bequests dedicated to community wel- 

 fare. There are thousands of persons dying every year who 

 would like to leave part or all of their estates for the benefit 

 of the people. But the difficulty has been to arrange for the 

 wise handling of the bequests. How much money is willed 

 to private individuals, or left to relatives that do not need it, 

 or foolishly given away, which would be set aside for the 

 good of all, if confidence could be inspired in prospective 

 benefactors that their bequests would be in safe hands after 

 their death. Now, the problem has been solved in some 

 communities through the establishment of foundations, which 

 are sure to be well managed all through the future, each 



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