. 1 1. il;jiimi)iJipRif)pqppiF T ' K". if . I. 51 Vive thi . KlAt,' aw w K r-j r m- iNMfC UMM COMPANY LjHMnLlMteWirvic VreoMestl ? oha 0. bhBP Mmutr ura Treneureri Fill II B. MyMli jnuiuni, John f. BviTfOn. ditoiwal board i jk EB.!h.c.!!t'.':.f.h.,.'...nw JWBf O. KMITW,..Oiinl Baelneos MtW 1 , -' MMkM att at rmn Xambb BuU4uut. ...Broad 'an chaatnut Stroeto ... 0 MelraMllUn Tower .......irreaaLriitm nui.uiw om. . . ..tia rma u,,,,i," MMMtailvvB unenwn nwiimiw ...l.y? Jnnnw outturns BBUBKWJ UfT 1 ' ' r"WI cBMuib k. & , , NWW9 BUREAUS! f,v t. i. If. .Cor. Pennerlranta Ave. f f JWT Tmi Bnuu...i..., Th .nA 1lli fit. r Mt toil Bomuu. ....... Th Sun Bulldlnc ; Vim on Boiuo,,. ...... .Marconi Ilouae. strand - 'i rdia &VUAU.. .!.... ..82 Ilu Loula la Oraml in AMNiuujv ffDaaAU..........iart'rmi l SUBSCRIPTION TERMS Brasmte Pratio LrnxJia la oerv4 to eub- la hnadalbta and eurroundtns towna rate of twelve (12) centa per . parable WTHT. U4I to POBtS OUieiao or 1-niiaaaiD'ii. in totted StatesT Canada or United 8tas poa. .ataa- trmm. eiftr (SOFeanta or month. oilam par roar, parabUIn advance, foreign countries on (II) dollar par ihaornnra wtahbia? nddreaa ehanioa old M wail as new eddreie. MM WALNUT XEYSTOXK. MAW MM WAMtom oil remmmloattona to Evmlnff PabHo Ilir. axupmdme Sowar, PMIoxfeloMa. AT tsm rsruzmirniA row omes ai mm cull KtL wiTTaa. Mlaa'elpkla.Totad'ir. December II, HIT SHALL UNCLE SAM JOLT THE THROTTLE? TTIX DO sot believe that the President 1 contemplates government ownorshlp ot the) railroads at this time. Ho and the rest of the country have been Impressed, how ver, by the obvious failuro of our boasted transportation system to measure up to the exigencies ot tho existing crisis. It Is m failure. It appears, of terminals as much as equipment. For years experts have been preaching that terminals constitute the heart of tho distribution problem. But jto arguments under the sun could convtneo powerful railroad leaders that barging freight around Now York harbor was costly and destructive ot efficiency. They had It firmly fixed in their heads that tho nation revolved around the port of Now York, tho greatest ot all competltlvo points. Ono of the most valuablo public servants Philadel phia ever had. a private citizen, lost his fortune, his health and probably his lifo In a vain effort to mako the railroads ee the importance of being fair to them "selves by being fair to Philadelphia, What Philadelphia suffered, Baltlmoro suffered and Norfolk and all tho seaports along the coast. Boston tried to meet tho situation, and did meet It by building terminals of her own, as did New Orleans, and Philadelphia has been compelled to turn to municipal wharves for relief. The railroads, nevertheless, havo not been entirely at fault. They wcro harassed by all sorts of ridiculous Inhibitions. They Ik S, BB1 t fiSW r Srisr i'S w. isVi "were deprived of the right to own their own ships and oner a through service from any Interior point to any foreign port. They were, subjected to all sorts of hard ships by different Stato commissions. They found their efforts to co-ordtnato blocked by ah antagonistic! national policy. They got to the point where railroad financing was a herculean task. They had to skimp on upkeep, and they did not btvo the money with which to. buy now equipment and meet the increasing demands ot busi ness. Besides, there was an abundance ot empty cars In tho lean years preceding the war, and It did not occur to anybody mat tnero would do such an enormous revival of business as tho nation has wit nessed. The contrary was anticipated. It may be necessary for tho Government to administer tho roads. Thero would bo nothing novel In that, for virtually every .business In the nation, from steel-making to pig-kllllng, Is already under virtual Gov ernment control. Moreover, the grip of Washington will tighten as tho war goes on. But ownership and control during war times are different things. The credit ot $L; the country is needed to finance our armies; v, we can talk of buying railroads when tho J-f ;y Kaiser is out of Franco. iik Tne PresIdent is a firm believer in tho ', ' aUthorltV nf Tltlhltr; nnlnlnn IT. ...nlu nn f "ft ' ' """"' ow"l' 9-!3Aar tin imkum-ii ..n.4tnnt .. t.ii. . '- ; ' vwam.; iftUIWl flUbiUJIl WHICH fljl- -Utjtred requisite to win the war, having ,'M JUncoln to guide hlra in that course, but gov- t-nTiernment ownership of railroads involves bo : yvltal a change In our previous concepts ot ?j;raocratlo government that It may bo . ; swuDiea u no wouia movo in tlmt direction '-. lr 1 rOt.1ff A .n.nlfl. mn.ilnl. . .1.. -;, ....mwwi. BVW.1WW nmuuaio 11UJ11 lue PCOPlC. j, j naa no uuen nimiaaio now, Decauso tho '. "iseue has never been fought out at the "'foils. The public Is quite ready to sane- jjYtlOB. almost any temporary expedient to promote war efficiency, but It dislikes the llaBUoTuratton of Irrevocable national poll- by executive edict. The Emancipation reclamation was a war measure which Mtvclt at the very heart of the enemy. ;kt the Issue of government ownership of jsallroads Is not Involved In the present atruggle to preserve civilization. "Tha rflllrniM nrnhlem la .....11.11.. t .----- -.. ... ..aecitiiaiijr ono ervlce. If we get that. Incidental prob- r Vaasiwill solye themselves. W. - HcAOOO AT THE LEAGUE Union League was founded as a : flsMUenge to enemies of the Union, The of the Union are not now in th party which happens to dominate .Oeyerament. but live on foreign soil, m nr isroo ana one-nair years the rsasyea. every artifice ot deviltry to 'U the rorcea of freedom and IT,, for. an attack on the United itS. I J, w. has been exposed and we IJa'JdOM. In the prosecution rijrrfat campaigns of M la; taHMM-Unt. that; ail :'yWJn tA'H ,. i 10 ' , nV " (tosarir. We etsjratHlete the Utuoa League on Use pa. monsm manifested In the breaking of its precedents, when, last night, for the first time In Its history, It entertained as Its guest of honor a Democrat, the Secretary of the Treasury, forgetting his politics and knowing him only as a man who Is de voting his abilities to the one great purpose of winning the war. "BOOZE- GET3 A WALLOP TT WOULD be folly to underestimate the "Importance of the voto in tho House proposing to the States ratification of a national prohibition amendment. Tho enor mous spiritual revival of the lost few years, which has steadily been capitalized by those who bollovo in morality through legislation, is clearly revealed in tho present situation. The strength of the prohibition wave has been augmented also by economic pressure. Business divorced "booze" years ago. Wo predict somo amazing campaigns during the next six years. Tho proposed amendment starts with a big following. A failure to ratify by thirteen States will bo sufficient to kill tho proposal. Every doubtful Commonwealth will bo mado a battleground, and Into every ono of them will bo poured tho heavy artillery of tho Prohibitionists. There will be no let-up in tho fight so long as tho amendment Is short of tho requtslto ratification by three-fourths of tho States. Tho press will run riot with charges and counter-charges and much money will pass over tho dam before tho mills stop working. The liquor Interests can thank their vicious nlllanccs with corrupt politicians for the dilemma In which they find them selves. It tho beer and light wlno interests intend to mako a fight they can make it best In tho open. Corruption Is beginning to bo a suro loser In American politics. WE WANT COAL PENNSYLVANIA Is tho coal reservoir ot tho Union. Tho scarcity In this city, which was foreseen months ago, now threatens Industry. It had already caused Intense suffering among tho poor. Tho sit uation is Intolerablo and docs not permit of argument. Let tho hoarders bo sent to Jail, where they belong, but let tho blun derers. It thero nro any, go with them. Wo Want no moro excuses. Wo want coal. TUNNEL OR BRIDGE?. Tho chief reason why business men wilt follow General Goethals In favoring a Hud son tunnel for vehicles Is tho cost. ll'.'.OOO, 000. That Is less than tho cost ot land for tho Manhattan Bridge terminals alone. 1 Now York World, WD ASSUME that the Delawaro can not bo an everlasting barrier between Philadelphia and Camden. Commerco will go cither over tho river or under It. Plans havo been drawn for a brldgo and It may bo that this form ot construction, rlesplto tho great cost, la desirable: but cer tainly no deflnlto decision should bo mado until a tunnel project has been fully con sidered. It is not good business, in any event, to permit New York to shoot any moro direct arteries into Jersey beforo wo establish ono of our own. GERMANY'S "ECUMENICAL CONSCIENCE" WHEN Prince 3Iax of linden calls for an "ecumenical conscience" 1io means that Germany must pretend to bo In sym pathy with tho Ideals which in ono form or unother aio becoming the dominant characteristic of all tho civilized people of earth. Democracy Is dlffuhlve. It is elementally centrifugal as opposed to tho centralizing, centripetal movements of autocracy. I3ut It Is all for 0110 and ono for all when a crisis such as war comes. If Germany, however, can persuade tho rest ot tho world that It has an "ecumenical conscience," whercforo no real crlsl3 exists, and can tlui3 lull democracy Into its normal state, dCHtroylng Its unanimity ot design, it can v. In tho war. But It Is going to bo hard to convince America that tho consolenco ot German leadership Is ecumenical when America is already convinced that German leadership hasn't any conscience at all. When farmers soldier who will farm? Wo do not know who Is getting tho coal, but wo are not. It tho Germans get Venice no doubt they'll deport tho gondolas. A man may havo brains, but he does not show It when he neglects his health. If lco wcro a political Issue they'd bo telling us thero was noiio on tho side walks. If railroad employes want more money they've got nothing on tho railroads they want It, too. A lot of Ice can float In tho ware, but there's never so much a channel Is not thero also. Dela clear Maybe Philadelphia Is too close to the coal fields to get coal. The best oranges are seldom on sale In Florida. A deserter has been sentenced to twenty years in prison. He ought to be thankful that he was not sent promptly to tho place the Kaiser came from. -The Government is about to con struct additional munition plants, to the value ot $90,000,000, it is announced. American sufficiency will put German ef ficiency to rout yet. Will the Kaiser demand in Ala Christmas peace proposal that Jerusalem bo returned to tho Turks? The question Is an Interesting one for his deluded fol lowers to contemplate. 1 Shipbuilding In Increasing above ship losses and the destruction ot submarines is Increasing. Sir Erlo Geddes. There Is ono thing to be very thank ful for. Not for this reassuring statement of Sir Eric's the more the merrier of such statements of course but for the fact that we have passed the stage when offi cialdom thought It had to put a twjut of "psychological effect" into every remark made on U-boata, We can bear to hear the, truth' now, when It is bad, ana eyaa ::til6cato'iBt)o - 1UGIN 2ND WORK OP THE RED CROSS nericn Responsible for Civilian telief of Great Society for Humanitarianism in War who founded the Red Cross and nine eraons out ot ten will reply confidently "'nee. Nightingale." As a matter of fact ,hable English woman and philanthropist, 'ed at tho age of ninety In 110, as fu" honors and good deeds as of years, did found the great world organization wnoslsslon of mercy has been to alleviate tho g.i,ardshlps and horrors of the battle field. 1 Nightingale's work In the Crimean ar, i.v.r nr.n.red tho, wftv b v Its streis on huntartgn ldea,9 anfl ,ta practical aem onstrat, that the alter.ten.0rs of battle could bUevlaled by organized and sclen tlflo mctg The Inti,,,, 0j a noi,e American woman compllrae, y,, of y,,, neS Cross So. clety, asen condueted, in applying Its princlplesj extending its aid in civilian relief In a Dt ca)amtyi pestilence and famine. 1 waa CIara Bart0n, born tho year after ,8 Nightingale and surviving her by two Th8 ncd Cros3 branches In all countl signatory to the Convention of Geneva n rcgpond beneficently at the call of distress , war and peaco. Florence Nl,neale was earIy interested In nursing and,pltal conditions. Frightful conditions amc ths wounuea in previous wars roused hc,ty and at th8 outbrea1t of tho Crimean Win 18B4 Ell8 determined to put Into practict0 thoorlcs which had de veloped In her m during an apprenticeship served In nurslntu tll0 Sster3 0f Saint Vincent de Paul I,ar9 and at o,. Kaisers- wcrth Institution c,0 nhlne. She organized a hospital departing gcutarl, the eminent success of which i,ed tll9 justice of her claim that war was,nec(!ssariy cruci ami which gavo har wwIdo fam8- During tho Civil War In thls.n,ry and the Franco Prussian war slto w.rrenu,ontjjP consulted by tho authorities an.cndered substantial aid. At the closo of tl7rlmean -5vnr a tcs tlmonial fund of $:60, wag tendered her, which M10 Immediately atcd tor tlle foumi. Ing of tho Nightingale 110 0f St. Thomas Hospital, London, for t training of war nurses. Dunant's Pcct Her humanitarian ldeahlci;ed by extra ordinary emelency mado twrM recepUvo for tho project of Jean nrl Dunant, a philanthropic citizen of Swlrian( u0 wa3 present at the Battle of So.,no 'Jun0 2i 1859, and witnessed tho cno,, suffering. Hetually unnecessary, duo to, inability of tho regular surgical corps to,pe ivitli do mamls mado on It. Limited 'lumbers and not well organized or provld.wli1 facili ties, tho doctors and nurses od not car0 properly for the thousands of nd0(r ns observations and his knowledge- tho Ideais of mercy, turned Into reality Florence Nightingale, led to the writing un you. enlr de Solferlno," In which ha-ophlcally described tho horrors that had .cted his eyo and stirred his pity. Ilut Ita3 moro than a medley of horrors ; it was ijnstruc tlvn document. Dunant suggested that all nat!on,rm t0. cletles for tho training of nurses art10 ac cumulation of supplies for lmmece E0 on the outbreak of futuro wars. , waa really tho forerunner ot "preparcdnt" His proposal was cordially received by , So ciety ot Public Utility of Geneva, .h'lcu started an agitation that led to an lrna tlor.al conference, October, J863, follo ty another In August ot tho following yeaiom. posed ot authorized diplomatic repre,ta. tles of sixteen nations. Tho Geneva Convention, signed Augunn 1S64, was tho fruit of the conferences. ' Ueneva Convention, which has uecoma part of international law by tho accepU0 of tho original and later signatory natU makes no provision for the organization know as the Hed Cross, contrary to us belief. The first conference, however, form lalcd an agreement that each country wUU signed the convention should have a natlonJ society, civil In nature and functions, to b vested with the sole right to authorize tin dent in defending this Union against the as dlspatch of a surgical corps and to establish saults of men who wero doing nil In their field hospitals In case of wars. Fourteen P'er to destroy tho greatest Republic that nations ratified the convention Immediately the Almighty ever permitted man to create." and tho number of signatories Is now close to fifty, virtually the entire world being rep resented. It Is this universal acceptance of Its mission" of mercy that has given tho Red Cross recognized standing In International law. Its operations were first put to test in tha Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. Naval Warfare This conflict, however, by Its disturbance ot peace conditions, militated against Inclu sion of additional powers and responsibilities. In 1S6D tho first international Red Cross con ferenco met In Paris to mako revisions found desirable and necessary out of experience. It proposed several supplementary articles. In cluding tho extension of Red Cross principles to naval warfare. These were formally pro posed to the signatories by a diplomatic con gress at Geneva In 1870, but wero never binding, as the Prussian drive Into France prevented ratification. Tho Hague Peace Conference of 1891) finally brought naval war faro Into the scope of the Red Cross. Other subjects have been discussed at the quin quennial conferences In various capitals. The relation of the Red Cross to army organiza tion has been worked out, and measures taken to Impress on tho soldier the meaning of the inslgnlum and the necessity of respecting It. One of the chief subjects, of discussion was of methods for preventing abuse of the emblem In cloaking hostile designs ; this came up particularly at tho time of the Boer War. Amplification of scope has been blocked by the fact that the conferences cannot make their recommendations mandatory. To be written Into International law they must be ratified by all the signatory nations. The various national committees or "societies" are not Internationally linked, but the ono at Geneva Is accepted as the central body in matters of announcing policy and conducting International negotiations. The American Red Cross The American National. Red Cross Society was formed In 1881 by Clara Barton, long a humanitarian and with a glowing record as a Civil War nurse. The United States rati fled the Geneva Convention the next year. Miss Barton made the suggestion that the organization use its offices for 'remedial and relief work in peacetime emergencies and the Innovation was welcomed by "the interna tional." Among the crises in which the Amer ican Bed Cross performed notable work were the Michigan fires of 1881, the Florida yel low fever ot 1888, the Johnstown flood of 1889, the Russian famine of 1891-93, the South Carolina tidal wave of 1898, the Ar menian massacres ot 1898, the Spanish recon centrado system of 1897-98, the Galveston tidal wave ot 1900, the Mont. Pelee eruption of 1902, and the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906. Many disasters of great distress but less magnitude have 'been re lieved. The American National Bed Cross was In corporated by Congress In 1905 with .head quarters In Washington, It Is supported by numerous loeal chapters. The President of tho United States is ex-offlclo Its president. Miss Barton was the active head during her long life. Former President Taft Is tha pres ent chairman of the central committee, con sisting of philanthropists, financiers, states men, surgeons, physicians, aoclal workers and assigned army and navy officers. Henry p, Davison, ot the firm of J, I. Morgan & Co,, is the general executive in the present war. The director general of military relief Is Colonel jerrerson it. tvean. The director gen eral of civilian relief Is Ernest P, Blcknell, Til (vrasldent of tha International Red Cress .! OlwUve A4or, of aeneya, aiwltivtand. i - . . " W.-W .If... 'feigb PATRIOTfC EPOCH AT UNION LEAGUE Reception to Secretary McAdoo Adda Scope to Organiza tion Purposes THE HONORS paid to Secretary of the Treasury McAdoo at the Union Xieague last night would make clear to us that some thing Is happening In this country to break down partisan prejudices, even If we had failed to notice other signs atl around us. It's an unusual thing for a Democrat to be permitted to eat a square meal to the ac companiment of music and tho approving murmurs of the assembled members of that great Republican Institution. It seemed to us when wo first heard of It that a remark able precedent was being established, and we started out to learn if we were right In our surmise. We ourself recall a famous dinner In the old banquet hall of the League when the Confederate General Longstrcet was a guest and a speaker, but he was not odlclally "the guest of honor of tho League," as the Secre tary of tho Treasury was last night. We weren't able yesterday to find o single mem ber who could lay a specific linger upon any Democratic name previously so honored. Indeed, It was difficult to find any one willing to ma1 any positive statement be yond tho boast that Union League dinners are always superb and that no other or ganization In this city has held Its own hospitable roof over bo many. Which Is very likely tho truth. In the course ot a fairly long life about town we havo attended dinners thero which left upon us deeper Impress than most others wo recall. But It is hard to get a bon vlvant to stick to details. The man who has had tho privi lege of attending but one big banquet In all his poor, narrow life and that a quarter ot a century ago will be able to describe for you the sort ot knlfo his peas rolled off, but a Union Leaguer's memories are too numerous to coagulate properly and promptly. Tho Quest for Detalrs Wo ourselves were not present at the great dinner to General Grant when ho camo back from his tour of the world In 1879, to yes terday wo Invited Colonel Louis Kolb to ask us to luncheon at tho League, that we might g.ither homo first-hand gossip from old members who had been present. "Vcs," said one. "I was at that dinner, but I don't remember much about it. But Bill Koandt-o could tell you." Dili had Just passed down tho corridor and wo toddled after him and caught him. But Bill couldn't remember anything except that Grant probably Fjwkc. "However," said he, "Colonel Blank's over In tho reading room and ho suro known all about It." Wo found tho genial old gentleman and poured n question Into his car trumpet. Ho brightened up. "I'm ashamed to confess It," ho bald, "but thero was a flro Just around tho corner that night, tho Central Theatre, I think, nnd a lot of us ran out to it. I was ono and I don't remember much about tho dinner." Thero arc In this town a number of men who perfectly recall that dinner, no doubt, but tho memory of no Leaguer with whom wo talked yesterday traveled, wftli any cer tainty, further than our own recollection of less ancient functions. The League's Crown of Crowns We remember the flurry of excitement that rippled through tho town when thero was talk Idlo talk of tho Union League's offer ing a reception to President Cleveland at a period of his first administration, when his popularity arose high enough almost to war rant tho overlooking of his political faith. And no ono could add to our own recollection of tho reception to LI Hung Chang In tho fall of 189C, when for once somebody's, foot slipped and more guests wcro admitted to the clubhouso than could bo accommodated with the wonted dignity of tho houhe. But tho most Important function over held In tho Leaguo occurred on Founders' Day, November 24, 1D00. when at a banquet In tho old hall on tho second door wero gnthcroi. together tho President of the United States and the cntlro Cabinet, to say nothing of Vice President-elect Theodore Roosevelt and many Senators and Congressmen. Joseph O. Darlington waB then president of the Union League. In his opening Hddrcss he said: "The Union Lcaguo of Philadelphia was rounded and organized for the specific pur poso of 'fostering and promoting tho lovo of republican government' and aiding In the preservation of tho Union of the United States, and to this end assisting the Presl. which Is a sentiment that might have been ot Inappropriately repeated In explanation last night meeting. Hut upon that occa on, when tho League was for tho moment s seat of tho Government of the Republic, io was no danger of assault from without, J even from tho hungry Democrats who 'I Just felt again the somewhat accus t'ed sting ot defeat. resident MoKlnloy spoke with his accus to,d grace, but tho Vice president-elect, as weecollect .It, was tho orator of tho eve-nlf-unless ho might havo been said to share tnadistlnctlon with Senator Henry Cabot Loc, A,r the dinner tho President and all his dlsUulshed retinue stepped down from tho banc,t room to the first floor and received the r-nbers of the League who were unablo to cnd into the comparatively small ban nuet i. The. and then was held tho greatest Re publlci jovefeast this city ever sheltered. But la night's function, considering all it means ,r broad patriotism, was the biggest thing j League has ever seen. MISNDERSTANDING WILSON In thAmerlcan press and to a smaller extent i American publlo opinion there contlnueso be a truly extraordinary blind "f 'o ' scope and meaning of President Wilson a r policy. The newspapers, with a few honor,iB exceptions such as the New "" Sun -d the Philadelphia Ledger, have interpreted is message as virtually identical In meaning ith Clemenceau's recent procla mation thatse Allies' only war aim Is vie tory. They lVe Ignored, as they did In the case of his atver to the Pope, but with less excuse, his obous policy of seeking to pro mote victory I restating war alms, to the achievement of,hlch a dechlve military vie tory might help,ut is not indispensable. The opposition betwn clemenceau's diplomacy and that of the-res!dent Is sharp and ir reconcilable, and is further emphasized by the French Preier'a repudiation of the American progran, international organlza tlon. Americans We every reason to rec ognlze this differ and to congratulate themselves on the Uude assumed by their own leader. He lsntrihnfin. . .u. ..... S"",,?'J,l?f.l?.Tn' y "t Wea' which are. Indeed, tl common, possession of iV?$Il'h but Which Uv.u... - ...., .-. America than to other countries, because the. are rooted In Am". Cai'..,",gr."I)1lcal det?"nent and the better RaHte P0llcy.-lNevv JOHN BULIS5TOICISM The British flag, now te 0Ver th iri City in symbol ot qbrUaJ trtBph wr the Turk, has been Very,,,,,,, m evidence during the progress of the Te.ent war. ThJ Englishman is not given demonstrat'on of his feelings at any time. -t VTad ft?rn?S The jubilant ebullience of Peking was not typical, but symptomatic UnBuH v? merely for the nonce akenW his ruard The celebration ot the viotorw ,h. smm. was more to his national; liking T. eager to place on record InVceEbra! tlon of the great drive, romei3ed m! down the Strand, notebook !n and To hi. surprise not a flag, not a strl, of' buntlni was to be aeen Londen bad filed to show any outward sign of the tremndous emo tions which he knew lay Underthe surfaX. ot things. Sorrowfully, he wenij hfs wav back to Fleet street, when-oljoi ! hi .ye caught sight of a flag flutttin.- in ti,. Er.LLia"i - " fib ".' C -LOt THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE Problem of the Railroads Urges Single Tax as Medium of Real Patriotism . To the Kttitor of the livening Pnhlic l.nlfr ; Sir Tho railroads nro certainly up against It. with their employes asking moro wages, with Insufficient ready money to make neces sary Improvements and extensions and with their profits possibly lessened by tho actions of tho bewildering array of prlce-fixlng and other regulating boards and commissions. That the Government should bo back of the financing of the railroads seems to bo tho proper Idea, hut this arrangement should not be made without a ddflnlto declaration of a platform, and I havo two planks In mind as ti start for tho structure: First. Tho railroads should be left abso lutely freo to fix rates ot transportation, etc., and not bo interfered with by national and Stato legislation. Second. Tho railroads should guarantee tho payment of tho highest possible wages hi all departments 1 to Increase wages as business warranted; to allow their employes to organize In any way they desired. The emplovcs on their side should guarantee not to strike until all grievances had been thor oughly Investigated and arbitrated, and then tlvo thre months' notice of a strike. With these planks as a foundation, the railroads and the Government could get to gether and arrange the financial program. Let us say that an agreement w?s reached whereby the Government would finance the roads on the following basis: All present forms of securities and other Indebtedness to be done away with and securi ties limited to one single uniform stock cer tificate, guaranteed to bo redeemed In cash on demand, at par or at the market price, as arranged. The roads to bo allowed to capi talize all the "water" they could maintain payable in cash on demand. Tho Govern ment wduld hold half of the stock securities issued as security and would generally act as a trusteo for the roads. In tho financing ot a new line, tho Government would become absolute owner of one-half of the new com pany's stock, and would, when the new com pany was able to maintain Its capital pay able In cash on demand, turn over the profits of the transaction to its owners. The equiva lent to a year's dividend on a railroad's capital would be a sufficient reserve for the redemption of securities, even under private management, and the Government could moro easily guarantee the redemption. In raising money for extensions, etc., tho Government could sell Its own securities or the securities of the roads, which ever there was the best market for. Of course, the securities ot a good dividend-paying road would find quick markets. The Government should put all Its own forms of indebtedness into a uniform certificate payable In cash on demand. The extension of the same Idea to States and cities, with States financing State cor porations and with cities financing building operations, would soon result In business being on a cash basis. Maintaining corpora t'on capital payable In cash on demand, as banks pay deposits on demand, would grad ually prevent the capitalization of land values wages would rise to the maximum, which would be when wages paid to labor would allow labor to buy back all It pro duced, including capital. Any financial legislation that does not realize this fact the total wages of labor must be 'sufficient to allow labor to buy back all It produces Is bound to be a fail ure A year's business of any country Is limited to the amount ot money that is paid in wages in that year. ANTHONT. H. CROWELL. Philadelphia, December 17. "AMERICANISM" AND SINGLE TAX Tq the Editor 0 the Evening Putlto Ledger: gir During one or two years preceding our entrance into the vwar, "Americanism" was a wrd much used and ofttlmes misused, but we do not hear It so often now. Perhaps this Is owing to the personality of some ot Its most valiant users ; perhaps the definitions given were not complete and satis factory, or, possibly, because the war has enlarged our conceptions ot human brother hood and democrats Internationalism oper ates against the use of a word merely of national application. While I have been, and still am, an advo cate of word unity and democratic national l.CO-OpflU jxv, nmBf.MW,mwB, . y tt --A'v. . "yY ALMOST .CAN!' BEBIEPIT that we can find a better and truer definition for tho word. It Is tho spirit of Americanism which has put our boys Into tho trenches In France: It Is the samo spirit that Inspires us to feed tho democratic nations ot tho world and to repair tho ravages mado by autocratic Ocrmany and her allies. Can not this spirit bo made to lead the world lu political, social and cconomlo Jus tice? Our traditions and history glvo us a Just claim to the tltlo of leadership. Tho "new experiment In human government," born July 4, 1770, and fathered by democrats of tho Thomas Jefferson type, was tho result of tho spirit ot Americanism asking for a practical demonstration. In the declaration that "all men havo an unalienable right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness," It gavo a strong expression of Americanism; but It was only an oxnresxlon. becauso tho fathers who framed tho declaration neglected to provldo a way by which these unalienable rights 01 all would bo conserved and guaranteed to tho oncoming generations of Americans. It Is wrong for us to profess a belief In the right of nil to these things while wo glvo to somo men (who- own land) tho right to say to other men (who own no land), "This land Is ours, wo do not caro to use It our selves, and wo will not let you uso it." It is the part of Americanism of these later days to remove tho cause of Involuntary poverty In this great, rich country landlordism. The greatest exponent of this kind of Americanism was Henry George, who recog nized the spirit of Americanism working In the wonderful progress we had made, but ho could also sco what was operating against true Americanism nnd causing poverty to keep pace with progress. Tho plan he proposed was to make every man, woman and child a Joint owner of the land of tho United States through taking, for the benefit of nil, tho value produced by all the rent of land. This would make It profitable to use the land of the United States and unprofitable to not use It. It would, bring morality and Justice Into the distribution of "God's free rift to the children of men." Get this kind of Americanism up as a' beacon light on our shores so that the world could see. and world-unity and the democratic co-operation of the nations would be a ques tion of years, not of centuries. , OLIVKR MCKNIGHT. Philadelphia, December 10. ENTRY IN RED-TAPE CONTEST Our claim of 833 against an express com pany having been received, filed, numbered, Investigated,' considered, briefed, pigeonholed, reconsidered, revived, studied, forwarded for confirmation, returned for action, filed again, advanced to third reading, approved with reservations and finally settled, all within tho brief period of four months, we are now seeking to get In debt to the aforesaid ex press company In order to follow, the same system of payment up to the psychological moment, when It will be either pay or get sued. The express company system of hold ing up claims and paying them only when the muzzle of the law Is pointed at It has Dickens's circumlocution office backed oft the board. We observe that express company earnings are decreasing. Can this be because we are now putting our trust in the parcel post whenever possible? aalllpolts (O.) Tribune. What Do You Know? Quiz 1, Who la anartermaater central of the United Htatee urmjT 2, Where la Mount Caprlle? t. Name the anther ot "Leares of Graia." 4. What la freatT 5. Whr are "bulla'' and "beare" ao called la the stoek market? 0. What la a Laodicean? 1. Whlth la the Creaeent Clti? S. What la a Jerusalem artichoke? B. Ii identlfr "Old lllckorr." 10. Who woa l'rocruiteit Answers to Yesterday's Quiz 1, James M. Cox la the Oorernor of Ohio, haa commandeered ooal for State ui I. llcnrr Wndaworth Lorn-fellow wrote who The louriftmp pi piiira fswaaian-- 3. LaUau Wood It a atratetle foroat about too a Ilea dne aeuth of- Cambral, In poaaeaalon the Qcrmana. 4, General William . Croxlor la chief of era- nance or tne untied SUtea array. A ha relief la a farm ol acnJptv or molding In which the datura aUnaa oot from ths background. 5. S. Bojtor la. town In.aoBthoro Kuaala aior la m 10 AriTO on Bolal tha ""' . n ..opjfc'wo 01 :W(t the Cooaack 1,, Chicago la rail Uuata.n to. the Indr Oltr. la oiaaia rrom Mlrni 'nlKAMf , a S. Tho eentliraae tnerniornaler la ao nam, eauav n acaiti imiara-wiw jvu from frMafne- to bolllnK nofnla. bollln icireca 9. DaTld Rltlenbou.a. ol 1'hlladalphla, was the Brat treat, American aalroaoaiar. lie. waa - u .H , Am&X bm aiao onoa ojropiur m wa uaiaaa aiai Tifira MYSElftT 1 Tom Daly's Column TOO SOON I When poor -Mia' James Bogmcddcra died It was an awful shock to Jim; He jest aot down an' cried an' cried An' nobuddy could comfort him. She'd al'ays been a faithful wife, Hard-workin' an' so kind an' true, Thet noiv she'd passed out of his life He didn't know what he would do. 'Most every one turned out an' went I To 'lend the funeral that day. ' An' nearly cverybuddy sent A wreath or some kind o' bokay. The one Jim valued most of all Wuz one his orphan children gave. "We'll hang thet on the parlor wall," He said, "to 'mind Ms of the grave Where all we love most dearly dwells." So thet wuz what they done with it. 'Twuz jest a wreath of immortelles . Across the top o' which wuz writ: "Too Soon." Waal, Jim he meter grievo an' fret Until he made hisself real thin, But gradually we noticed thet ' He started sprucin' up agin. One day he told Si Peters, "Si, I'm giltin' so disconsolate I've got to thinkin' mebbe I Had better take another mate." An', sure enough, come March he did. Although it wuzrit half a year Scnce ho had saw the coffin lid Close over "all he held most dear." An' in thet same old parlor where The bran'-new bride an' Jim wus wedl SMI hung where all could see it there Thet wreath of immortelles that read: "Too Soon." "OLD FRITZ" Two German ladles, no doubt heavily veiled, are reported to have been Btcaling'bp to tho statue of Frederick the Great, In Ber lin, recently and depositing at the base there- ot a wreath Inscribed, "Wo need you now." Like most past historical Incidents, this on is probably only the figment ot some Idle cor respondent's brain, but as an indication ol what the Germans think It may not bo with out value. It has often been pointed out thai tho bad example of Frederick, who was al lowed to get away with Silesia, has been lurk ing in tne oaexground of many German mind: during this war. What these Germans d not realize is that Old Fritz took seven yean to legitimatize his burglary and that In tin meantime Prussia suffered unspeakable woe Berlin was occupied and burpt by the enemy They ought to be taught Instead that If the; want to accomplish Frederick the Great's re suits, Germany of today will have to suffe infinitely greater hardships than did th Prussia ot his time. To an Unprejudiced ob server It would seem as If Germany had ha altogether too much Frederick the Great to its own and the world s good. A NEW AMERICANIZATION A conference Is to be held In Costa RlcJ shortly by representatives of the five Cenir American republics, Costa Itlca, Honduras San Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua, 'tl discuss a proposal to make one republic the five States and to formulate a new treat to take the place ot that of the Washlngto convention, signed In 1907, which expire this year. c The welding together of these five State in one ropubllo would be a great advantaa to Central America and the world at larc There is no souna reason for their malnti nance of separate governments and. In fao so closely allied and Interwoven are the ftv peoples that it used to be that a revolutlo in one easily overlapped Into the one adjaeen Foreign Governments, investors and exportex would nna greater stability and simplicity aeaiing wiu a uninea Government, ana potato themselves -would undoubtedly.?! batter able to undertako the dovelopmeat-i their country, which, unlit uu Into -flva 1 I fJovenussnis, tnoy are taaoie to uti "Jivff "' "; 'V:" -n -: , - t . 7", -- : j U. T . 'm. ' - '. i-.rraw;' ,,"- ' ,r-"- f ri-v A -i-as.'.'j; ,.-:vii; ttiaJth u
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers