The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923, December 01, 1911, Page 12, Image 12
I I. i ii t fr- . 1 1 ! I f i I VK&t t I'M M in 12 The Commoner. VOLTJM3 11, NUMBER T Uirr&L rz; mn 3Fv x 7 -W-" '! I IflrAlliT VT... rw o4e A'liiPr Sflcr Theodore Roosevelt says he is not a candidate for president. A large number of Chinese have been arrested in Chicago on the charge of being engaged in wholesale smuggling of Chinese into this country. -London cablegrams say that Sir Edward Grey, secretary of foreign afTairs will retire and that James Bryce, now ambassador to the United States will succeed him. Merritts testified, and denies that the loans in question were ever "called" by him. The London suffragettes were sen tenced to jail for various periods, ranging as high as three months. John D. Rockefeller has given out a statement in reply to the charges made by the Merritt brothers before the Stanley steel investigating com mittee regarding the methods used by Mr. Rockefeller in securing con trol of the Mesabe ore mines and the Duluth, Mesabe & Northern railroad, pointing out that these charges were denied under oath as long ago as 1895 in litgatfon over the Lake Su perior Consolidated iron mines. He furthermore submits the test of a paper bearing- the date of January 22,-1897, to which are attached the names of Alfred and Leonidas Mer ritt and "all the other members of the family," declaring themselves to bo satisfied that neither Mr. Rocke feller nor his agents committed fraud or made misrepresentations in the matter in question. Mr. Rockefeller then set forth what ho says are "the facts with re gard to the loans" to which the Illinois has a mother pension law and it is described by the Chicago Record-Herald in this way: Judges Merritt W. Pickney of the juvenile court believes County Agent Joseph Meyer unduly alarmed about the cost to Cook county in obeying the mothers' pension act. The judge said the agent's estimate of $3,000, 000 to $5,000,000 expense, annually is excessive. The jurist declined to predict the yearly expenditure, but said that Cook county can well afford to contribute $120,000 annually to prevent children from becoming de linquent and later criminal. "The law," said Judge Pinckney, "is one of the best ever passed for the wel fare of children, if properly adminis tered. If not, it will be the worst. It can be misused in a hundred dif ferent ways. Suppose aid were given, not upon needs, but upon a political basis, the result would be terrible. Let me explain what we are doing: Briefly, the law provides that any parent can receive aid for children provided the parent is fit in every way to care for the children except for a lack of necessary means. The applicant first comes to the court. A representative of the county agent and a probation officer are sent to investigate. The proba tion officers gain their positions by merit board examinations, and from the most efficient I have selected those for investigating work. These two agencies find whether the parent is in actual need and is honest, moral, of good reputation, and has a proper sense of her duties as a parent. Suppose they report the parent has the proper qualifications to care for her children and yet needs aid. We search for relatives. If we find one able to support the family and will not, he is taken Into the county court and made to contribute. If the investigators report unfavor ably, the petition of the applicant is not presented to the court. If the petition is filed, I do my best to get all the facts. If the investigators or myself find the applicants have been shipped into Chicago to get the aid, we ship them back. Every county must care for its own poor. There is no limit to the time In which we can send them back. Mr. Meyer has co operated genuinely. It may be ar gued that there Is no provision for the investigation, but the act pro vides that the issue shall be decided upon the facts. Assistance should be and will be withdrawn when it is un necessary. Every child is paroled to one of the regular probation, officers, who is required to make a monthly report on each child. The act pro vides that the court may give a reasonable amount. We have aided 168 children. The highest amount granted has been $7.50 a month per child, the average being $5.50. Sup pose we had 1,000 on the roll. That would mean an annual expense of $60,000. The county can afford to spend twice that much to the end of good citizenship. It is true the law gives large discretion, but such should be the case in dealing with mothers and children." County Agent Meyer asserted that the law should be amended. "I believe there are 30,000 children In C6ok county who legally are entitled to aid under this act," he said. "Since It became known that the county paid out $1, 100 recently to thirty-seven fami lies, women have been flocking in, telephoning, and writing. All want to know how they can get a pension. It is my guess "we will be swamped within a short time. There Is no provision in the law that I should send out investigators, but I have to protect the county. There is no pro vision regarding the length of resi dence necessary before an applicant can get relief. I think there should be. I also think there should be a more definite statement regarding the qualification of the parent and I think there should be some limit on the amount of money which can bo paid. So long as the number of beneficiaries under the act Is small, abuses are improbable, but I really dread the time, if it ever comes, when a large share of those eligible to pension apply for it." J. D. McNay lost control of his machine on the Savannah, Ga., course and was killed. An election will be held in Georgia January 10 to choose a successor to Hoke Smith as governor. The Portuguese royalists plan to strike their first blow at Oporto. A Mazarin Bible sold for $29,000 at auction in London. Justice Skutter In Long Island has issued warrants for the arrest of William Willett, jr., Tecently a can didate for the supreme court in the (Continued on Page 13.) SUB-IRRIGATED FIG ORCHARDS IN LA SALLE COUNTY, TEXAS BETTER THAN INSURANCE, STOCKS AND BONDS Be Independent of Floods, Droughts, Strikes and Panics. Buy Our Sub-Irrigated Magnolia Fig Orchards and get rich in a few years. They beat anything you ever saw grow into money. You pay for your property in nine monthly payments and the Farmington Power and Pre serving Company will, during five years pay you back in rents the amount of your purchase and deliver to you a hiKhlv developed uroDertv with 160 Magnolia Fig Trees planted to the acre, which will, produce you $960.00 per acre per annum during Tthe TrTiTlSr Do you know of any other SAFE investment in which $400 will earn you annually $000.00? The Preserving Company's Showing I J Pay You Figs Truck Total I Rent Co.'s Profit First Year.. $ 38140 $160.00 $ 198.40 $ 40.00 $ 158.40 Second Year 168.00 200.00 368.00 60.00 308.00 Third Year 336.00 200.00 536.00 80.00 456.00 Fourth Year 720.00 720.00 100.00 620.00 Fifth Year 960.00 960.00 120.00 840.00 Total 1 $2,222.40 $560.00 $2,782.40 $400.00 $2,382.40 Table of Fig Production Lbs. per Tree First Year 8 to 10 Second Year 35 to 40 Third Year 70 to 150 Fourth Year 150 to 200 Lbs. per Tree Fifth Year... 200 to 400 Sixth Year 250 to 600 Seventh Year 350 to 1000 For Illustrated Booklet or the ProductloH of Magnolia Figs and Other Products, Address John I NAiggin 211 Swearingen Bldg., San Antonio, Texas The Testimony of a Practical Irrigation Engineer Lincoln, Neb., July 15, 1911. -H. P. Morris & Co., Fremont, Neb. Gentlemen: Subject, Wigging' Sub-Irrigation.- Answering your en quiry through Mr. Benbrook, will say that I have some personal knowledge of the Wiggins Fig Orchards at Farmington, Texas, as well as his system of Sub-Irrigation, and as a practical engineer will say that I feel certain that he can and will be able to fulfill the statements ho is now making in. regard to improvements there. The writer Is in no way interested in this enterprise or the sale of the same, but has a friendly feeling for Mr. Wiggins, believing him to be an honest, upright man, worthy of confidence. Respectfully yours' (Signed) J. N. HEATER, Columbus, Neb., and Lincoln, Neb. t JOHN L. WIGGINS, 211 Swearingen Bldg., San Antonio, Texa- DeaT Sir: Please send me full data and Illustrated Booklet concern-, ing your Sub-Irrigated Fig Orchards, without cost to me Name . . v... ..; . R. F. D.ror Street ,...'.;..'. V '', -'' City. State, '. (B.C.) , mmBKXE3ESBEai " a-il.