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About The Omaha morning bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1924)
The Morning Bee J MORNING—E V E N IN G—S U N D A Y THE BEE PUBLISHING CO, Publisher N. B. UPDIKE, President * BALLARD DUNN. JOY M. HACKLER. Editor in Chief. Business Manager. MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Associated Press, of which The Bee la a member, la exelusivaly entitled to the use for publication of all news dispatches credited to It or not otherwise credited in this paper, and also tha local news published herein. All rights of republication of our special dispatches are also reserved. The Omaha Bee ie a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations, the recognized authority on circulation audits, and The Omaha Bee'a circulation is regularly audited by their organizations. Entered as aecond-class matter May 28. 1908, at Omaha postoffice under act of March-3, 1879. BEE TELEPHONES Private Branch Exchange. Ask for a T |__l* 1 AAA the Department or Person Wanted. ^ * IRIHIC 1WU OFFICES Main Office—17th and Farnam Co. Bluffs—16 Scott St, So. Side. N. W. Cr. 24th N. New York—World Bldg. Detroit—Ford Bldg. Chicago—Tribune Bldg. Kansas City—Bryant Bldg. St. Louis—Syn. Trust Bldg. Los Angeles—Higgins Bldg. Sail Fran.—Hollrook Bldg. Atlanta—Atlanta Trust Bldg. I---* COURAGE AND TWO FACED PARTISANS. Courage is a fine thing in Washington these days. Attorney General Daugherty is possessed of a real brand of it. He has refused to be a passive party to a lynching bee. Ho flatly declines to leave the cabinet of the president until after he has had a hearing. In taking this stand he merits public ap proval. What jort of spectacle would the chief law officer of the nation present, were he tamely to sub mit to a proceeding that is the very negation of all law? If the senators who are demanding the retirement of Mr. Daugherty know of any good reason for forc ing him out of the cabinet, they should bring it forth. Senator Borah rests his demand on the fact that Mr. Daugherty is the personal friend of McLean, Doheny and Sinclair. This is perhaps true, but such friend ship does not imply moral turpitude. If all the friends in Washington of these three men are to be crucified because of such friendship, then the senate will have a long and busy season before it. Nor is it possible to tell who will be hit, if that is to be made the measure of condemnation. Mr. Daugherty merely asks what is the right of any American citizen, that he be heard before he is sentenced and executed. Senators who have been conducting the lynching proceedings arc not willing to concede this. William Gibbs McAdoo, while the rest are wait ing, continues to afford additional reasons for recall ing him to the stand. He admits that his firm took a big fee from the Republic Iron and Steel company of Youngstown, O. In this the point involved affect ed the amount of taxes the company would be liable for under the law The only service Mr. McAdoo or his firm could render the steel concern would be to relieve it of some part of the tax levied against it by tho government. * The former secretary of the treasury was then engaged in a business which the present secretary of the treasury forbids. He was a late government official, using the knowledge he had gained while in the service of the public against what the depart ment considers to be public interest. Does anyone think that it was because of Mr. McAdoo’s pre-eminence as a lawyer that he was given such lucrative employment as he admits? Of course, he should look after his family. Any right minded man will do that. But did the corporations who sought his advice and assistance do so because they thought he was a good lawyer, or because they knew he had inside knowledge of treasury work ings? Was the promised $1,000,000 Doheny fee offered because of the international experience of Mr. Mc Adoo, or because he was related to the president of the United States? Was it .because many of the department heads before whom he was to appear were his own appointees? Some of these questions will press for attention until _^he committee recalls Mr. McAdoo and gives him a chance to fully explain his position. Giving out interviews and statements from the safe retreat he now occupies on the Cali fornia coast will not suffice. » * • Another really interesting phase of the matter is that those who are barking so loudly along the trail of the attorney general are avoiding the broader scent. Enemies of Daugherty arc the friends of Mc Adoo. These are not so much concerned to purify the office of attorney general as they are to em barrass the president of the United States. The pub lic is coming to see this point very plainly. So far the oil trail has led directly to two former members of the cabinet—Albert Bacon Fall Rnd William Gibb.-i McAdoo. One of these has retired behind the constitution for temporary protection. He will in good season have his day in court. The other has been whitewashed by his friends. Con demned by his own admissions, he is seeking the democratic nomination for president. lie still pre sents sufliciefft reason for being questioned by the senators, and ought to he. Special counsel has been secured by the govern ment, the president’s appointments of Messrs. Pom erene and Roberts having been confirmed by the senate. These have been provided with a fund of $100,000 to carry on the case in the name of the people of the United States. Under these conditions, <t is no matter who is attorney general. The job Is not in his hands. It is a great deal of concern, though, whether men in public or private life are to be lynched without hearing. This Is what hap pened in the rase of Edwin Denby. Justice has noth ing to do with such proceedings. It Is time the two faced partisans are called to account and exposed. They damn Daugherty on rumors. They defend Mc Adoo in the face of his admissions. DROPPING AND THINKING. What does a man think about when he falls? Or is he too frightened to think? The old joke that It Is not the fall that hurts, but the stopping, is ac companied by a belief, founded on what no one knowa, that by the time anyone haa fallen 1,000 feet he becomes unconscious. That he never knows when he hits bottom. Evidence on this point is not easy to get. As a rule the one who has fallen 1,000 feet seldom says much after landing. A soldier who jumped out of an airplane down In Texas and floated more than 21,000 feet down to earth by means of a parachute, tells the most con nected story on the subject yet recorded. He says he fell for a little more than 1,000 feet before his parachute was opened, and that he was conscious all the time. An he fell he deliberately counted the seconds, and when eight had elapsed he pulled the string, and the parachute promptly responded. The rest of the trip was uneventful. This soldier, of course, waa not frightened. His drop was not due to an accident. It was intentional and voluntary on his part. In fact, he had been trained to such work, and knew exactly what to do and how to go about it. He might have doubled his drop, and allowed 16 seconds to elapse before open ing his safety device. He was five minutes reaching solid ground. This would have given him plenty of time, had he cared to extend the experiment. What he thought about after he had counted eight seconds and then pulled the string will prob ably never be told. We may safely assume he did not review his past life, nor indulge in any vain regrets. Maybe he mentally paid his respects to the air service, for including such stunts in its daily life. Or, he may have contemplated the pleasure he would have in later days of boasting about his feat. This experiment proves nothing, except that such drops may be safely taken under proper conditions. Otherwise, the debate may proceed. CHOOSE OUR IMMIGRANTS. A new bloc reared its head in congress the other day. Twenty-two democratic representatives from the state of New York declared their intention to unitedly oppose the immigration bill fathered by Johnson of South Dakota. This group assumes to speak in the name of the foreign-horn residents of the United States, not all of whom are citizens. Reasons for restricting immigration are many. Long before the war this subject was before con gress on many occasions, and in divers forms. Chiefly it appeared in the contest over what came to be known as the literacy test. This bill, vetoed twice by Taft and once by Wilson, came to be a law. Exigencies of the war forced the adoption of more stringent restrictive rules, and even these are to .be amended. Only self-defense is involved. Our country soon would be swamped were all the millions seeking to escape from harrassed and bedeviled Europe ad mitted. We could not accommodate them, nor provide for them in any reasonable way. Certain mistaken in terests favor removal of all restrictions. Such a course would provide an' unlimited supply of raw and to some extent skilled labor. The effect of this is most obvious. Others want to relieve the situa tion by admitting more immigrants for various rea sons, none of them sufficiently sound or important to outweigh the reasons for holding down the num ber admitted. America is no longer the land of unlimited op portunity it was half a century ago. It has its prob lems, not so extensive, but comparable to those of Europe. Unemployment, housing, food distribution, and other elements that prevail in the old world we now have to solve. Their settlement requires that the number of foreigners admitted he limited to the capacity of society for absorbing them. The new bloc in congress will be heard from, no doubt, but whether it will be more than a note of protest is to be developed. The immigration ques tion should be settled by those who are concerned with America. GENTLE SPRING AND ITS PROBLEMS. “In the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.’’ After he has been out a few seasons as the second in command of a well set up family, he finds other things to rest his fancy on. At this time of year the seasoned householder is doing a lot of thinking or planning. As he watches the sun swing around farther and farther into the north, he realizes that each rising and setting thereof is bringing him that much closer to certain perennial duties. About this time of year he is making a list of them. Examination of the screens for doors and windows shows that nothing happened during the winter. He will have to get some mending done or do it himself. Some of the jobs are too much for home work and will have to be let out. Need for certain repairs about the walks and the house, that did not look so bad last fall, has been emphasized by a long and rigorous winter. Vines and bushes need trimming. Certain shrubs and plants will have to be reset or removed. Grass seed and fertilizer are on the list. The bird bath needs a little attention. So it grows. Each evening, as he smokes and doses after dinner, he recalls to mind some additional item that calls for personal care. The schedule is finally so full that his leisure mo ments are all accounted for. On top of this all, the garden must be planned. This is a latter consideration, for the other matters must be looked after long before the spading for garden beds begins. In the spring the seasoned home owner has a lot of things on his mind beside love. One thing Senator Walsh can not squelch by say ing it is a liar is the Congressional Record. Some passages from that estimable publication are de cidedly against his present contention. About the best prohibition joke .yet comes from Sioux City. Up in the town the enforcement officer nroposes to stop quips from vaudeville actors re flecting on Mr. Volstcad’s law. Magnus Johnson’s assault on the press gallery seems to have produced results. His name figures very lightly in the news from Washington. He laughs best who laughs last, but it is probably just as well that the democrats had theirs first, for otherwise they would have had none. French and Germans are listening to General Dawes, whether or not they take his udvice. Claude Bossie only broke half a dozen laws. No wonder he is amazed at the fuss. Slate makers are busy right now. The breakers are ahead. r-> Homespun Verse —By Omaha’s Own Poet— Robert Worthington Davie _____' THOUGHTS THAT COME IN WINTER TIME. 'TIs times Ilka thess That bring us sighs! There's buds and bees And butterflies;— There's placid lakes And violets AVhen man forsakes fold and forgets. There’s green below And blossoming, There's winds that blow As whispers ring Blnrere and low; — There's birds that sing, And all—you know—• That, comes with Spring. 'TIs sunshine bright And budding spray, And dreamy night That make ua gay;— i TIs summer's call To woods and streams That gives us all Ths biles of drums. Hy EDWIN G. PINKHAM. Congress Neglects Army for Politics If you speak of eloquence, Mr. Rutledge of South Carolina is by far the greatest orator; but if you speak of solid information and sound judgment, Colonel Wash ington is unquestionably the greatest man on the floor. —Patrick Henry on the First Continental Congress. A character of virtues, so happily tempered by one another and so tcholly unalloyed by any vices, as that of Washington, is hardly to be found on the pages of his tory.—Charles James Fox. XXI. ized those departments, drove out tiie competent chiefs, who refused to take responsibility under such loose meth ods, and resulted in the complete breakdown of the transport and sup ply. While Washington's soldiers were starving and going In rngs, civilian congressmen were squabbling over re ports they did not understand, and ra tions and clothing stood abandoned on the roads. In December Washington reported that there was not a single hoof of any kind to slaughter, and not more than 25 barrels of flour in his gamp. Soaked wheat and sugar, and a soup thickened with bread became a diet, hut ''fire-cake'’ was the principal ar ticle of food—a kind of dough baked In embers. Hear this outburst of a pious chaplain: "Fire-cake and water for breakfast! Fire-cake and water for dinner! Fire-cake and water for supper! May the Lord send that our commissary for purchases may live on fire-Cake and water!” An officer, inquiring what the men were cooking in a kettle, was told: ‘‘A stone, col onel. They say there is some strength In stones if you can get it out.” Even before the army went Into camp 3.000 were returned in Inspec tion reports as unflt for duty, “by reason of their being barefoot and otherwise naked,” and as the winter wore on this condition increased. Washington's orderly book yields this entry: "The commander-in-chief of fers a reward of Ito to any person who shall, by !) o'clock on Monday morning, produce the best substitute for shoes, made of raw hides.” The men sat up all night around flres; to lie down without blankets was to freeze. ' The whole army,” reported General Wayne, ' is sick and crawling with vermin.” In their weakened state men returned as ef fectlve were scarcely strong enough to mount guard. Their fe«t. hound with strips of blankets, left blood stains on the frozen ridges of mud and snow. Even in this condition they were better off than those In the hospital, so railed, where the slrk were stretched on the hare ground without covering. While the army thus suffered snd Washington wag reporting that "tin less some great and capital ehange" should take place in the management of supply the entire force would be wiped out, the congressional exiles from Philadelphia were clamoring for him to recapture that city so they could go back and be In comfort. Washington replied to the Importuni ties, sometimes with patience, some times with sternness and sometimes with disdain. He was now well aware tiiat a cabal existed in congress that sought his overthrow. These detrac tors were busy undermining his repu tation, misrepresenting his motives, belittling his achievements. Even the love and loyalty his officers and men had for him was turned to the ac count of the conspirators, and was called "Idolatry” and ' adulation” for w hich the country would have to pay. Greene, Knox, Hamilton, Sullivan— all those generals nearest to Washing ion—were denounced by this clique In congress ns sycophants, braggarts, madmen, drunkards. Gates' victory In the north where Hurgoyne had been forced, through Washington's own dispositions, to sur render in the preceding October, had given the cabal the handle it wanted; l> Ther may really he someway t' redue# taxes, but we'll bet it’s Rood an' ruaty. Ike Bentley has traded Ilia tractor is on a sednn. (Corrrl jht, 1124.) i NET AVERAGE PAID CIRCULATION for January, 1924, of j THE OMAHA BEE Daily .74,669 J Sunday .80,106 i Dmi not Include return*, left* | | over*, samples or pepere spoiled »n j printing end include* no special ^ sales or free circulation of any kind. V. A. BRIDGE, Cir. M«r. Subscribed and sworn to befits me this Uth dsy of February, I9?<1 W. H QU1VEV, ^ i a#*!) " i M| ' ■ ' ■■ and the same congress that In panic during the Jersey retreat had given Washington dictatorial powers to raise troops to save Philadelphia, now intrigued to put tjie victor of Sara toga in command. Hut we must have no misconcep tions about the weight or influence of congress. It was not now, if it ever had been, a representative body. Many of Its members, and by far the ablest, were absent from its delibera tions. Some were on diplomatic mis sions abroad, some were at home hastening recruiting or administering government In their states and some were more taken up with the battles of politics than with those of the ar mies. The sessions of congress at this time therefore frequently were attended by no more than eight or 10 members. Too few to attend to pub lic business, they were enough to neglect it, or to undo what wiser heads had done. It was in the darkest hour of this dark winter that Washington wrote out his resignation as commander-in chief. If congress would not feed his army perhaps it would feed it If com manded by another. And here comes in the story of the penknife his moth er had given him when a boy. In those days he hail wanted tc. loin the navy, and her wishes were against It. An appointment had been obtained for him, and he was on the eve of his departure to join his ship when her protestations prevailed. He gave up his cherished plan, and, gratified by his submission to h»r authority she gave him the penknife with the admonition, "Always obey your su periors.’’ Washington always carried th» knife and had often related to his generals the circumstances under which he came to possess It. When his generals sat In council In this hour, sijent. gr!»f stricken, with the resignation before them, General Knox asked: "How about your penklfe, general?" "What has that to do with It?” asked ’Washington. "You were always to obey your su periors. You were ordered to com mand the army. You have not been ordered to lay that command down.” “You are right." said Washington, and tore the resignation up. Wopyrlyht, Kkiuir City Star.) f-V Nominate Republican Nominate a K«*publican. From th« Beatrice Eipr«*». Kunning true to hi* old tint# form. Senator George Norris, with his rharneteristic demagoguery, is get ting to be quite a devil ehaser. He was one of the senators who were in office at the time the Teapot Dome lease was being considered. Notwith standing this fact there is nothing in the record that shows that he thought the lease a wicked thing at the time, liut now that the smell of scandal is in the air, George is one of the loud est In taking up the hue and cry of “'stop thief,” and is making more noise w ith f lanking chains in locking the door after the horse Is stolen than any one. Senator Norris has been getting by with this kind of stuff ever since he entered the arena of poli tics. He Is a reformer with his mouth —but not in actions. It is true that he sided with the German cause dur ing the great war and did all that he could to embarrass the government In backing up (he boys It sent overseas. Ho has always been malcontent, a destructive critic, his heart heating warmer for the bolshevik! than for the folks at home. He gives the forces.of discontent the benefit of his eloquence and his moral and ma terial assistance. No man lias been more Insistent on the recognition of the soviet by this country than' he. Yet, so far as his services to Ne braska era concerned, the sum is al most valueless. He cannot help the folks st home for the reason that hie attitude toward public questions is so radical that he is unable to find sym pathetic support from the construe live elements In congress He is neither a republican nor a democrat, but a queer hybrid political entity that has no classification. It Is high time that republicans In Nebraska nominate and elect a republican sen ator. One who will go to Washing ton representing rcpuhltran prin ciples and policies and who will not adopt a dog in the manger policy when constructive legislation is being considered. Such a man is Charles Sloan, lie Is sane, sympathetic, con structive, Iris a real knowh-difr of the conditions that exist in Nebraska and a sensible idea us to 1m»w host serve t tie good of the people of tile state. It Is hotter to send an able optimist to I lie Cnitod States senate from tills state than it Is to delegate a bellyache to this Important branch of the na tional legislative assembly. Inconsistent Woman. Women are peculiar. For instance i mens wife will tell him that she considers him the most worthless man alive. And yet, when pay day rolls around she will, as usual, wonder I why the company doesn't pay him more money -Transmitter. “The People s Voice” Editorial* from reader* of Th* Morning Bee. Reader* of Tlie Morning Bee are invited to u«e this eolumn freely for expression on matter* of public interest. Saving in Freight Rale*. Omaha—To the Kdltor of The Omaha Bee; The Interstate Com merce commission has sent a mass of statistics relating to freight rates and revenues of the railroads to Senator Smith, Democrat, from South Caro lina, chairman of the senate com mittee on interstate commerce. Sen ator Smith asked the commission to prepare figures showing the effect of reductions of 331-3 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively, in freight rates on products of agriculture car ried by tlie railroads. In the data the net railway operat ing income of Class I railroads for 1923 was estimated at $989,747,000. This statement shows that, for the year ended September 30, 1923, the estimated revenue from grain, flour, meal and hay, other products of agri culture, livestock, poultry, eggs, but ter and cheese and wool, of first-class railroads was $888,085,000; that 33 1-3 per rent, or one-third of that revenue, would be $296,028,000, and that 20 per cent, or one fifth, reduction in freight rates would be $177,617,000; or, In the western district, one-third of the reve nue for 1923, $501,958,000, would be $167,000,000, and a 20 per cent reduc tion in freight rates would amount to $100,000,000 if tlie same amount of business was done again. Some lav ing in freight rates. The "cost of service" plan of Sena tor La Follette, Senate Bill 1*99 pro poses that by cost of service is meant operating expense, plus actual capi tal stock. Capital stock is Interest on bonds, plus fair dividends for stock that represents money in vested. It would make a rate level in a given territory, or jimonp a given group of railroads, sufficient to pay an aggregate fair return on the ag gregate prudent investment in that group of railroads. Private operation of railways In this country cannot continue for more than a few years unless the stock of tlie average railway can be sold at par. This Is because railroads are constantly requiring new capital and must got it partly by sale of stock. Money cannot be obtained indefinitely by selling bonds. Railroads cannot raise more than 60 per cent of the to tal investment by selling bonds, any more than people can mortgage their homes for more than 60 per cent of their value. Some of those v.ho have proposed original cost as a basis for rate mak ing are avowed advocates of govern ment ownership. Some of them may be espousing the doctrine of original cost, not because they think it will make private operation efficient but because they believe that it will, wreck private operation and, there-j fore, open the w ay to governmnt j ownership. It is true that farmers, as well as railroad investor*, are not getting the same increased prices for their com modities that prevail in other indus tries. For this reason farmers are leaving the farm. For n similar rea son railroad investors are withdraw ing their investments and railway stocks are falling lower and lower. Such n tlie argument of some of the railroad lawyers. Which plan is preferred by the pay ers of freight, I«i Follette's "cost of servi<e" rates) or Senator Smiths Idea, one-third reduction or one-fifth reduction in freight rates? J. C. CROSS. Saving n Fishing Resort. South Bend, Neb.—To the Editor of The Omaha Bee: Members of the Izank Walton league and other or -anlzation* interested in saving our fast disappearing fish and game will lie encouraged by a decision just handed down by our supreme court, recognizing the right of a group of I>akot.i county citizens to pipe water from Jackson creek to Crystal lake to restore the lake to its normal level. Crystal lake was for many years the largest and most beautiful lake In eastern Nebraska, being an old cutoff of the Missouri river. In re cent years parties owning lands at each end of the lake built dikes to keep out periodical overflows from the Missouri river. As a result the lake level began to re< e.ie, anil property owners around the lake endeavored to vet state assistance In fumtohlng a water supply: falling in this. 125,000 was raised by subscription and a pipe line over a mile In length was laid from Jackson creek to the lake and the water turned In. when John Krue ger secured an Injunction from the district court enjoining the lake im provement. The supreme court lias reversed this decision. It is to lie regretted that while the game and flsh department collects thousands of dollars in fishing and hunting licenses front hunters and anglers on this lake, no assistance was given In resisting this iniuno 1;o" N. J. O'BRIEN. ADVERTISEMENT. “ BAD BREATH Dr. Edwards’ Olive Tablets Get at the Cause and Remove It. Dr. Edwards' Olive Tablets, the sub stitute for calomel, act gently on the bowels and positively do the work. People afflicted with bad breath find quick relief through Pr. Edwards’ Olive Tablets. The pleasant, sugar-coated tab let* are taken for bad breath by ail who know them. Pr. Edwards' Olive Tablets act gently but firmly on the bowels and liver, stimtt* lating them to natural action, clearing the blood and gently purifying the entire ays tem. They do that which dangerous calomel doea without any of the bad after effect*. All the benefits of nasty, sickening, griping cathartic* are derived from Pr. fdwards* Olive Tablets without grip ing. pain or any disagreeable effects. Pr. F. M. Edwards discovered the formula alter seventeen years of practice among patient* afflicted with bowel and liver complaint, with the attendant had breach. Olive Tablets are rureTy a vegetable compound mixed with olive oil: you will one or two everv night for a week and note the effect. lfle and SOr. GRIPPY COLDS During the period following colds, coughs, grippe, influenza or other prostrating illness, when your body is weakened, is the worthwhile time to prove the strength restorative merit of It is the food-tonic with world-wide prestige, that strengthens and helps build up the weakened body and restore the normal balance of health. If you are run down with Grippe — build up on Scott's Emulsion! ftcott ft Bow«c. Bloomfield. N J. 9*-U$ l SUNNY SIDE UP - *%A<? Comfort,nor forget Jhat Sunrite \_:-- ' SONG OF THE HEEL. When the sun is shining brightly after cold and stormy days, And the lazy clouds are floating through the mellow golden haze; When all nature starts to smiling after winter’s sullen frown. And the ice-locked waters loosen and go gaily down Over pebbly heacli and shallow, rac ing onward to the sea, Then a joy o' soul comes stealing over ev'ry nerve of me; And I’m restless, O, so restless, wait ing for return of spring, Yearning for that w-ondrous music when the reel begins to sing. Weary all the days of waitlrg through the storms of whirling snows; Looking out through frosted win dows on each sultry blast that blows; Longing for the far-flung places where the sunlight gaily gleams On the rippling silver surface of the fav’rite lakes and streams And the golden sunlight gleaming from a sky of brightest blue Tells the early resurrection of a world that's born anew. Whispering breezes from the south land sweetest messages now bring That I’ll soon hear choicest music when the reel begins to sing. Through the woods, across the mead ows, through the open places wide, Breathing health and hope unbounded from the joys on ev'ry side. All forgot the hours of waiting while old Winter’s Icy hands Held the lakes and winding rivers in his cruel frozen bands: And I get the joy of living out be neath the azure sky While the winds with healing laden fan my brow while passing by. Then I bend my head to listen till the soft winds to me bring That first thrill of sweetest music when the reel begins to sing. The Bessie rase is not of any par ticular interest to us. To date we have failed utterly to get all het up over it, and we confess that it is with some difficulty that we do our duty as a newspaper worker and keep up with It. It has been referred to as a ■’romance.” To our mind it smacks of about everything in the world but romance. If we had any sympathy to share with anyone who has been mentioned in connection with the case it would be with Sirs. Bossle No. 1, now a resident of Denver. But she admits that she ;s well satisfied, having no desire to return to Mr. Bossle and feeling only gratitude that she is well rid of him. Nor are we much given to sym pathizing with a man who deliberate ly makes a star spangled monkey of himself, as many men are prone to do through a deliberate misunder standing of what the word ‘love’’ means. Mr. Bossie s expressed concern for 'the little woman” who seems to have twice Interfered between Bossle and his legally w edded wives, does not stir any emotions In our more or less calloused heart. He should have thought about that several months ago. even If he was unable to feel any concern for the two women whom he had previously sworn to love and cherish. Mr. Bossies concern for his com panion during his recent Interrupted foreign tour, reminds us of the young fellow who murdered his fath er and mother, and when convicted the crime asked mercy of 'h* c™' on the ground that he was an orphan As for the woman who claim* to he Mrs. Bossie No. 3, we hav* * • deep concern. We have t on tic authority of No. 1 that Ruth Wane ley wrecked her marital happines. Jt i* evident that Ruth came be tween Bossie and No. 2. There imi •’ lie those who call it "romance Be ing somewhat oirl-fashioned, and Rtiii holding to old-fashioned definitions and beliefs, we Insist that the whole unsavory mess smacks of everything but romance. _____ The courts will be called upon to settle the sordid mutter. And rea romance does not get into the courts. Dismissing No. 1 from the equation she being the only one who seem* to have the right to feel relieved, we as vour consideration of the old ar perhaps blunt adage to the effect tbnt those who deliberately burn then, selves should not make loud con plaints when compelled to sit upon their blister. This talk about large fees for law - yers interests me. More year* ag than we care to recall a certain ma: retained us to write for him a bar quet address. The fee proffered and accepted was $5. Less than two year* ago that same man became e* meshed in legal troubles and he pa: ’ a lawyer $25,000 for something like three months of more or iess desul tory work—and went to the donjon keep under sentence of the court. Based <n proportion, we think that man still owes us about $7,495. A* least the banquet speech we wrote for him did not land him in Jail. An Omaha man Is working on a Wireless device that will ring a bell in his wife's sewing basket every time he loses a button off his Rai ments. "Whv all this fuss?" asks Mr. Bos sie. Chiefly because there seems to have beeen divers and sundry laws of the country violated. Mr. Bossie. It often happens that those who vio late laws are unable to understand why those of us who respect them ex hibit some concern. A carload of bomb* has arrived in Omaha to be used in breaking ice jams in the Platte and Elkhorn riv ers. We suggest that a sufficient supply be retained to jar a lot of Omahan* out of their Indifference to wards the matter of selecting com petent and representative men to manage the city’s affairs—st.Il hav Ing Mr. Bossie in mind. WILL M. MAT'PIN. ► . »Safety for Saviney •_ • • P^rPvi#t ft* . . . toattf for homkr - ! When in Omaha 11 Hotel Conant « What is the Value of the Railroads L 400.000 Mile* of Track .1 only $25,000 _ $10,000,000,000 a Mila ' The Department of Agriculture esti mate* that the average cost of a mile of improved highway today, is about $36,000. 69.000 Locomotive* at only $20,000 _ J 3S0 000 000 each ’ ’ ’ Locomotives cost an average of about $60,000. 2.400.000 Freight Car* at only $1,000 _ 2 400 000 000 The average coat of a freight car today is about $2,500. 57.000 Passenger-Train Cars at only nnn Ann $10,000 each “ 570.000,000 All steel passenger-train cars non cost from $30,000 to $35,000 each. Materials and Suppliea ery*k fWl nnn J Railroads have to keep on hand mil- OW,UW,UUU lions of tons of coal, rails, ties, spikes, and all other material re quired in maintenance and opera tion. 50.000 Stations and Terminals. Yard*. - 500.000,000 Signal*. Roundhouse*, Shop,, Ma chinery, Water Supply. Power Plant*. Elevator*, Dock*, Coal Pita, and all other item*, including ad ministration 7 (Wi non nnn In over 1.000 cities and towns, sta- ' tions and terminal facilities cost over a million dollars apiece. The shops and machinery engaged in the repair of equipment constitute an enormous industry in themselves, employing nearly 400.000 men. The above property is believed to be worth fully $10,000,000,000. an 1 could not be duplicated for any where near that amount today. —- . ... _ j Thi* Total* — $22,350,000,066 A And a valuation recognising all thr ■ element* of value assured to the B ordinary property-owner would he B far in axce** of this amount. 1 The tentative minimum valuation of the railroads at the end §1 of 1910 was found by the Interstate Commerce Commission to ■ be $18,900,000,000. This valuation was based mainly on cost of I labor, materials, equipment, etc., on June 30, 1914. The sub- H sequent investment from January 1. 1920.'to December 31 f§ 1923, brings the Interstate Commerce Commission valuation foe ■ rate-making purposes as of December 31, 1923. up to -about ■ $21,200,000,000. ■ Each reader can Judge for himself the fairness of the con tent ion that the Interstate Commerce Commission valuation should be reduced by from $7,000,000,000 to $10,000,000,000. H Such a confiscation of values would in effect be a denial to 1 be railroads of their chief means of keeping pace with the aH development of the country. Fair recognition of railroad property value* i* e**ential for ^ adequate earning power and credit for further expansion. c. K. GRAY. Omaha. Nebraska Provident March 1. 193 4. UNION PACIFIC SYSTEM