948 
7ht  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
July  14,  1923 
Things  To  Think  About 
The  Southern  “Cracker’ 
I  have  been  a  reader  of  The  R.  N.-Y. 
for  about  .'55  years  and  shall  probably 
continue  to  read  it  the  remainder  of 
my  days.  Hope  Farm  Notes  are  al¬ 
ways  enjoyed  and  “Decoration  Day” 
was  no  exception,  but  I  think  you  do 
the  “Crackers”  a  grave  injustice  by 
calling  them  descendants  of  “convicts 
and  outcasts.”  If  the  men  brought  to 
Georgia  by  Oglethorpe  were  criminals 
and  outcasts,  then  a  large  majority  of 
the  population  at  the  present  time  are 
criminals.  Oglethorpe’s  men  had  been 
shut  up  in  English  prisons  because 
they  could  not  pay  their  debts.  If  we 
had  a  law  in  Georgia  today  to  send  all 
to  prison  who  cannot  pay  their  debts 
it  would  be  necessary  to  fence  in  sev¬ 
eral  counties  in  order  to  have  prison 
room.  I  am  not  a  descendant  of  Ogle¬ 
thorpe’s  emigrants.  My  family  came  to 
America  through  Virginia,  hut  I  have 
lived  among  them  for  65  years  and 
know  them  well  enough  to  say  that,  as 
a  class  they  are  not  criminals.  They 
average  quite  well,  as  to  character,  as 
the  rest  of  us.  Indeed  many  of  the 
loading  men  of  the  State  are  directly 
descended  from  Oglethorp’s  “convicts 
and  outcasts.” 
It  is  true  that  many  of  these  crack¬ 
ers  are  shiftless  and  ignorant  and  ap¬ 
parently  without  ambition,  due  largely, 
I  think  to  the  isolated  lives  which  they 
have  led  for  several  generations;  but 
most  of  them  will  compare  favorably 
with  the  rest  of  us.  I  have  so  much 
confidence  in  the  Hope  Farm  man  that 
I  feel  sure  that  he  would  not  inten¬ 
tionally  do  these  people  an  injustice. 
Georgia.  w.  l.  Williamson. 
We  certainly  would  not  do  the 
“crackers”  or  any  other  class  of  peo¬ 
ple  an  injustice.  Several  historians 
have  endeavored  to  trace  the  origin  of 
this  peculiar  class  of  people  and  in  say¬ 
ing  that  they  may  have  come  from  the 
convicts  brought  over  by  Oglethorpe 
we  merely  quoted  opinion. 
Investing  the  Million  Dollars 
Pardon  me,  to  read  your  “spending  of 
a  million  if  you  had  it”  is  but  to  smile. 
Why  bring  500  abandoned  farms  into 
cultivation  when  the  ones  now  worked 
produce  more  stuff  than  will  sell  for 
cost? 
Why  spend  $20,000  on  each  of  these 
farms  when  none  of  them  will  return 
savings  bank  interest  on  the  invest¬ 
ment? 
Why  entice  500  men  from  jobs  where 
they  now  make  a  living,  and  it’s  99 
to  100  a  better  living,  on  to  these  farms 
further  to  swell  the  ruin  of  produce 
that  flows  into  the  cities? 
It  is  dollars  to  doughnuts  that  their 
present  jobs  yield  them  better  livings, 
more  pleasures  with  ss  hours  and  ef¬ 
fort  than  they  could  hope  to  receive 
from  these  farms. 
Why  encourage  these  men  to  farm 
rather  than  build  automobiles,  or  run 
banks,  operate  stores  or  even  work  on 
the  railroad  sections?  Even  this  last, 
the  poorest  paid  of  all  railroad  jobs, 
would  afford  them  better  livings  and 
more  time  for  recreation  if  they  so  de¬ 
sire. 
In  general,  why  is  it  that  almost  all 
successful  business  men,,  turn  to  farm¬ 
ing  and  sell  produce  at  less  than  cost 
when  they  never  operate  their  city 
business  for  long  at  a  loss  without 
curtailing  production? 
I  do  not  write  this  to  burden  you 
with  a  reply,  but  merely  to  let  you 
know  that  from  a  farmer’s  point,  of 
view,  your  way  of  spending  a  million 
would  be  useless.  J.  b.  cbeswell. 
New  York. 
R.  N.-Y. — We  fully  expected  to  be 
laughed  at  for  making  such  a  proposi¬ 
tion  but  none  the  less,  if  we  had  the 
million  we  should  try  to  invest  it  that 
way.  We  do  not  think  Mr.  Creswell 
gets  the  point  for  he  does  not  seem  to 
consider  the  need  of  a  contented  farm 
population  or  of  leading  really  desir¬ 
able  men  to  the  soil. 
Pheasants  Killing  Chickens 
I  have  read  several  articles  about 
pheasants  killing  chickens. 
My  brother-in-law  living  in  Northern 
Michigan  was  troubled  with  pheasants. 
They  did  not  kill  his  chickens  but 
would  drive  them  away  and  eat  their 
feed. 
We  raised  White  African  guineas 
and  he  wanted  some  so  we  shipped  him 
a  trio,  two  hens  and  a  cock.  A  little 
later  he  wrote  that  the  guinea  licked 
the  pheasants  and  drove  them  away. 
They  have  not  bothered  since. 
I  read  with  interest  the  Hope  Farm 
Notes  on  what  he  would  do  with  a  mil¬ 
lion  dollars.  1  think  he  would  handle 
it  very  well  indeed,  although  1  would 
not  be  interested  in  the  strawberry 
bed.  I  would  buy  a  farm  and  keep 
purebred  stock,  breed  them  still  better, 
and  give  the  surrounding  farmers  the 
benefit.  a.  f. 
Michigan. 
The  Immigration  Laws 
Can  you  help  me  with  information 
and  advice?  Is  the  British  quota 
filled?  Is  the  Canadia  quota  filled? 
Does  the  year  or  counting  begin  July 
1?  What  is  the  chance  of  a  man  start¬ 
ing  from  England  now,  getting  into 
America?  My.  brother  is  a  hard  work¬ 
ing  farmer  who  is  making  his  farm 
pay  and  is  killing  himself  with  work 
because  of  the  farm  labor  shortage. 
I  wrote  to  mother  in  Somerset,  Eng¬ 
land.  and  asked  if  she  could  get  a 
good  English  farm  laborer.  She  adver¬ 
tised,  and  had  41  replies.  She  hired 
one  of  them,  a  good  man,  27  years  old. 
lived  with  his  last  employer  on  a  farm 
for  seven  years,  and  mother  is  a  good 
judge.  She  has  spent  60  years  on  a 
farm  and  has  been  hiring  and  firing 
for  40  of  them.  The  man  paid  a  de¬ 
posit  on  his  ticket  and  now  is  told  he 
cannot  come  until  July,  1924.  What 
are  our  laws  when  we  turn  down 
that  type  of  man?  s.  m. 
New  York. 
The  Commissioner  of  Immigration, 
at  Ellis  Island,  New  York,  says  that 
the  quota  from  Great  Britain  up  to 
July  1  was  exhausted.  Each  foreign 
nation  is  permitted  to  send  a  certain 
number  of  immigrants — the  number  is 
based  on  the  number  from  that  nation 
now  contained  in  our  full  population. 
A  new  quota  opens  July  1  of  this  year. 
The  maximum  number  of  immigrants 
from  Great  Britain  to  be  admitted  on 
any  month  for  first  five  months  is  15,- 
468  per  month.  Thus  it  would  surely 
seem  that  the  man  you  refer  to  could 
be  admitted  before  December  in  case 
he  shows  the  needed  qualification  of 
health,  sanity  and  ability  to  provide 
for  himself.  There  are  some  objections 
to  the  present  laws  and  naturally  will 
be  some  handicaps  in  certain  cases  but 
on  the  whole  the  law  seems  to  be  sat¬ 
isfactory. 
Women  at  Farm  Work 
A  few  weeks  ago  we  spoke  of  the 
falling  oft'  in  interest  in  the  work  of 
the  farmerettes,  or  women  who  during 
the  war  undertook  work  on  a  farm. 
Most  of  our  advice  is  to  the  effect  that 
very  few  of  these  farmerettes  have 
been  employed  this  year.  Margaret 
Hamlin.  Agricultural  Counsellor  for 
Women  of  the  Massachusetts  Depart¬ 
ment  of  Education,  says  that  up  to 
May  25  of  this  year  Massachusetts  Ag¬ 
ricultural  College  had  calls  for  61 
women  of  various  kinds  of  agricultural 
work.  About  two-thirds  of  these  calls 
were  for  temporary  workers  and  ”6 
were  for  practical  farm  work,  such  as 
caring  for  flowers,  vegetables,  dairy 
and  poultry  work. 
This  Spring  some  25  girls  who  have 
been  students  at  the  Massachusetts 
College  will  be  employed  in  practical 
farm  work.  Some  of  the  girls  are 
working  in  greenhouses  or  with  nur¬ 
sery  firms.  They  are  also  doing  con¬ 
siderable  work  on  dairy  farms,  both  in 
caring  for  the  cows  and  in  handling 
the  milk.  A  number  of  women  also 
are  becoming  expert  in  the  care  of 
poultry.  A  fair  number  of  students 
have  farms  or  agricultural  prospects  of 
their  own.  Miss  Hamlin  says  that  the 
girl  of  good  ability,  with  good  health 
and  some  agricultural  training  and  ex¬ 
perience  can  usually  find  a  good  agri¬ 
cultural  position.  Most  of  the  girls 
who  take  up  this  kind  of  work  are  like 
boys,  anxious  to  earn  money  quickly 
for  the  purpose  of  completing  their 
education. 
Legal  Questions 
Liability  for  Taxes 
Three  years  ago  A  bought  a  house  and 
lot  (in  Iowa)  from  B  for  $2,200,  A  pay¬ 
ing  $600  down  and  giving  mortgage  for 
balance.  A  finds  himself  unable  to  pay 
taxes  or  interest,  so  B  agrees  to  take 
back  property.  After  assignment  is  made 
to  B,  B  now  tries  to  force  A  to  pay  taxes. 
Is  A  bound  by  law  to  do  this?  M.  H.  b. 
New  Jersey. 
You  do  not  state  whether  or  not  A  got 
back  the  $600  which  he  paid  down  on  the 
property.  If  he  did,  we  would  say  that 
he  ought  to  pay  the  taxes  which  are  un¬ 
paid  on  the  property,  for  he  had  the  use 
of  the  property  during  that  time.  If  A 
gave  B  a  warranty  deed  for  his  interest 
in  the  property  he  would  be  liable  for 
taxes  which  were  then  due.  n.  t. 
Joint  Deed  and  Dower  Right 
There  are  four  of  us,  two  widowers  and 
two  men  separated  from  their  wives,  who 
wish  to  purchase  a  bit  of  property  to¬ 
gether  for  a  home,  and  to  fix  it  in  such  a 
way  that  as*  each  in  turn  dies  the  sur¬ 
vivors  may  inherit  the  share  of  the  de¬ 
ceased.  and  be  protected  from  the  various 
family  ties  that  have  no  part  or  share  in 
this  property.  Can  a  joint  deed  be  drawn 
stating  that  the  property  named  in  the 
deed  belongs  only  to  those  so  named,  in 
this  State,  and  passed  on  in  this  man¬ 
ner  to  the  survivors?  c.  a.  l. 
Florida. 
By  the  arrangement  you  propose  you 
could  not  cut  off  the  dower  interest  of  the 
wives  of  the  parties.  It  would  be  a  very 
undesirable  way  to  purchase  real  prop¬ 
erty,  and  we  recommend  that  you  do  not 
purchase  it  in  the  names  of  all  four.  Why 
not  buy  in  the  names  of  the  two  who  are 
unmarried,  and  draw  a  contract  with  the 
others,  giving  them  a  right  to  use  the 
property  during  their  lifetime?  n.  t. 
Federal  Tax  on  Bus  • 
I  drive  a  school  stage  about  one  hour 
in  the  mornings  and  one  in  the  after¬ 
noons.  and  am  assessed  a  Federal  tax  for 
auto  bus  hire.  I  knew  nothing-  of  the 
same  until  a  year  ago,  and  have  paid 
about  $80  (including  back  taxes,  25  per 
cent  fines,  etc.).  I  have  just  received 
the  statement  for  1923  and  1924.  Is  the 
Spanish-American  veteran  entitled  to  any 
exemption,  and1  if  so,  how  much? 
New  Jersey.  c.  e.  b. 
There  seems  to  be  no  provision  in  the 
r  ederal  statute  which  makes  any  exeinp- 
non  from  Federal  tax  in  relation  to  auto¬ 
mobiles  carrying  passengers.  The  section 
applicable  reads  as  follows:  “Persons 
carrying  on  the  business  of  operating  or 
renting  passenger  automobiles  for  hire 
shall  pay  $10  for  each  such  automobile 
iiaying  a  capacity  of  more  than  two  and 
not  more 'than  seven,  and  $20  for  each 
Mich  automobile  having  a  seating  capacity 
ot  more  than  seven.  t> 
.  W]iar  is  the  law  of  this  State  regard¬ 
ing  damages  sustained  by  a  neighbor  by 
reason  of  ihe  assault  inflicted  by  my  son 
on  Jus  children?  My  son  is  14  years  old 
and  is  now  in  the  State  Industrial  School 
tor  the  act  committed.  I  let  the  law  take 
“"  'I  course  in  dealing  with  my  son. 
yliilel  was  away  from  home  he  took  a 
calibre  rifle  and  shot  two  of  the  neigh¬ 
bors  children,  which  he  says  he  did  be¬ 
cause  they  called  his  sister  vile  names 
and  tore  her  clothing,  picked  on  him  at 
school  and  called  him  teacher’s  pet.  A 
lawyer  states  he  considers  bringing  an 
action  against  me  for  damages.  Can  he 
do  so?  If  he  can,  how  much  personal 
property  can  I  hold  exempt  from 
seizure,  or  would  I  have  to  take  out  the 
homestead?  I  do  not  think  I  have  near 
what  the  homestead  law  allows  one  for 
fhe  benefit  of  the  family  and  children. 
1  have  three  at  home.  The  children  my 
Mm  assaulted  are  at  home  now;  one  is 
about  able  to  go  to  school;  the  other  is 
getting  along  nicely.  c.  E.  D 
New  York. 
In  the  case  of  McCarthy  vs.  Ileisel- 
man, .  decided  in  1910  by  the  Appellate 
Division,  the  court  said  the  general  rule 
of  the  common  law  is  that  a  party  is  not 
liable  for  the  torts  of  a  child  without 
some  participation  on  his  part  in  the  un¬ 
lawful  act.  Such  participation  is  to  be 
alleged  and  proved.  It  is  not  to  be  pre¬ 
sumed  as  a  matter  of  law  from  the  sim¬ 
ple  relationship  of  parent  and  child.  How¬ 
ever.  in  an  old  case  it  was  held  that  a 
parent  was  liable  if  he  negligently  left  a 
loaded  revolver  in  an  unlocked  bureau 
clra^  or  in  a  room  in  which  his  minor 
children  were  allowed  to  play,  and  one 
of  them,  not  knowing  the  danger,  took 
the  pistol  and  inflicted  injurv  on  the  per¬ 
son  of  another.  This  liability  is  based 
on  the  principle  of  negligence  entirely, 
and  not  upon  the  relationship  of  parent 
and  child. 
Of  course  your  neighbor  can  bring  an 
action  against  you,  but  whether  or  not 
he  can  recover  is  a  different  proposition. 
That  would  depend  on  his  ability  to  prove 
your  negligence  and  what  a  jury  might 
say.  T> 
Attempted  Seizure  of  Mortgaged  Cows 
A  friend  of  mine  has  a  chattel  mort¬ 
gage  on  live  stock.  The  payment  is  sup¬ 
posed  to  be  paid  by  the  month.  The 
bolder  of  the  mortgage  went  to  the  other 
man’s  house  and  tried  to  take  away  his 
stock,  while  his  children  were  home 
alone.  The  children  refused  to  let  the 
cows  be  taken,  and  he  threatened  to  beat 
them.  They  went  to  the  judge  to  arrest 
the  man.  and  the  judge  would  not  arrest 
him  or  do  anything  at  all.  What  can 
be  done?  j.  w. 
New  York. 
If  it  can  be  reasonably  said  that  the 
stock  in  question  was  being  neglected  by 
the  maker  of  the  chattel  mortgage  and 
thus  depreciating  in  value,  the  holder  of 
the  mortgage  had  a  right  to  foreclose.  A 
judge  cannot  arrest  a  man  any  more  than 
a  private  citizen.  If  sufficient  affidavits 
are  laid  before  him  he  can  issue  a  war¬ 
rant.  There  seems  to  have  been  no  crime 
committed  in  this  particular  case.  Our 
best  advice  therefore  is  for  you  to  do 
nothing  at  the  present  time.  N.  T. 
“Why  did  Mabel  quit  going  with  that 
young  farmer?”  “Just  before  he  pro¬ 
posed  to  her  he  opened  her  mouth  to 
look  at  her  teeth.” — W.  Va.  Moonshine. 
