The Butler Weekly Times Newspaper, November 12, 1914, Page 2

THE SERIOUS CRISIS WHICH CONFRONTS MISSOURI RAILROADS Facts of Vital Interest to Every Farner - Business Man and Citizen of the ' As a general proposition, however, | strument through which it can reward the general public is inclined to view an increase of railroad rates with exag- gerated alarm. An increase of 10 per cent, for instance, over rates in effect tow on distances of between 500 and 1,000 miles. would amount to between 8 mills and and one cent on the average or punish any section of the country as the expediency of politics may dictate? A Vital Force for Progress All thinking men admit that the rail- roads are-the very foundation upon which rests the enterprise and indus- try of the Nation. Pushing their , way MAY HAVE TO PAY Federal Supreme Court to Take Up Bond Suit Against Another Car FORD Automobiles | - Just Received i ; | oe The present series of articles is per- haps the first instance in which the railroads of a great state have gone di- rect to the farmer, the business man and the citizen generally to discuss with them in a frank’ and candid manner this great problem which, in its varied phases, so vitally affects the welfare of every man, woman and child in the land. The average American voter wants to be fair about any public ques- tion and he is, once he fully under- stands the surrounding’ premises—and thus, had the railroads of Missouri and other states taken their troubles di- rectly to the people some years ago, the chances are we would not be con- tronted with the stagnation which has gripped the business world for some time past and which, unless remedied in the near future, threatens utter in- dustrial paralysis throughout the coun- try. Every railroad official in the Nation today is doing everything in his power not only to obey the mandates of the Inter-State Commerce Commission and the different Public Service Commis- sions, but also to aid and facilitate their work in every possible way. As evi- dence of this statement, we cite the fol- lowing facts with reference to the situ- ation in Missouri: In 1%7 the Legisla- ture of this State enacted a 2-cent pas- -senger fare and also greatly reduced freight rates upon a number of impor- tant items. The railroads appealed and won their case in thetzial court. There- upon the State appealed to the Supreme Court of the U. S. and that high tri- bunal reversed the case without preju- dice to the railroads on the ground that the valuation ofthe properties had not been properly established. It did not say by its decision, as 1s commonly sup- posed by many people, that a two-cent ~ passenger fare is adequate in Missouri, or that present freight rates in this “State are fairly remunerative. Had the railroads of Missouri cared to do so, they could have filed new suits the day after the Supreme Court made jts decision. Instead, however, they chose to make the best of the situation. They met with the Public Service Com- missjon at Jefferson City and agreed to give the reduced rates a thorough trial —and today, jnstead of going to the courts for relief, they are laying their troubles before the people and the Commission with full confidence in their sense of fairness and in the belief that they will be willing to grant such an advance in rates as Will enable the rail- roads to continue to give good service and to play their great part in the further development of the State. Present Situation in a Nut Shell Briefly speaking, the present series of articles has sought to establish the following facts: First, that the closing of the Euro- pean money markets, added to their already heavy burdens, has suddenly brought American railroads face to face with the gravest crisis in their history—and hence the recent appeal of President Wilson. : Second, that contrary to public opin- jon, American railroads are owned by nearly two million investors, large and small, rather than by a few rich men in Wall Street or elsewhere. Third, that hundreds of millions of dollars of the assets of our old line life and fire insurance companies, savings banks, benevolent associations, etc., are invested in railroad securities and that when you destroy the value of these securities you affect the welfare of milliions of holders of life insurance policies and bank depositors. Fourth, that the railroads are the largest employers of labor, buyers of stee), fuel, lumber and other supplies and the largest taxpayers in the Na- tion, and that for this reason they con- stitute the very cornerstone of the country’s prosperity. Fifth, that while the products of the farmer, the manufacturer, the laboring man and all kinds of materials have ad- vanced in cost by leaps and boundsdur- out as the one gigantic industry in the Nation which has not only not been permitted to increase its rates, but compelled to continually reduce them. The Situation in Missouri Looking at the matter from purely a Missouri standpoint, the time has come when the people must choose between giving the railroads some substantial - increase in freight and passenger rates or sending a lot more of them into the hands of receivers. There isn’t a sin- gie road in Missouri which isn’t losing money by carrying passengers at two cents per mile and the same is true of freight rates, which in many instances are 40 per cent lower than those adjoin- ing states or numerous inter-state rates which have receiyed the approval of the Inter-State Commerce Commission. In the meantime, the recent state- ments in the metropolitan press to the effect that the railroads are asking for advances of from 50 per cent to 225 per cent are of course untrue 5 7 shoes, Jess than one mill per pound on meats, less’ than two mills per dozen on eggs, 1213 cents on a two-horse plow and 93!» cents on a farm wagon—and for hauls of less than from 500 to 1,000 miles the increase would be proportion- ately less. Is there, therefore, any- thing about this problem which shoutd alarm or inspire the antagonism of the average citizen? For every postage stamp a Missouri railroad uses it must haul a ton of coal five miles, and many similar examples could be shown. Togive them adequate rates for the services they they render means they can go ahead with a com- prehensive program of statewide im- provement, that they will be able to put millions of dollars into betterments and new extensions, put many addition- al men at work in every railroad shop in the state, -increase section gangs, improve their road beds, install block signals, buy new engines and cars and otherwise inaugurate an era of pro- gress which will enable us to make the most of our agriculture, manufactures, mines, lumber and other interests. As matters stand, numerous railroads in Missouri are paying out more money in the state than than they collect on Missouri freight and passenger traffic. A notable example of this is the Mis- sourt Pacific which, during the last fis-' cal year,. paid into the state $1,123,126 in excess of its total receipts on Mis- souri traffic and which, but for its In- ter-State business, would have been forced into the hands of a receiver long ago. When the people of agreat state are actually receiving hundreds of thou- sands of dollars more from numerous railroads than they pay to them for service, should they not be willing to meet them half way in a fair and equit- able_-raté-adjustment?—Or, taking_the-Symptoms of weak kidneys and ther state as a whole, if the railroads are now returning practically every dollar they receive for service to the public in one way or another,. should not the people be willing to give them a dollar and ten cents where they now receive a dollar, if the additional ten cents will save them from disaster and prove dustry in the state? The charge that the railroads are merely pleading for relief against the abformal conditions produced by the European war is not true. a . . snow entulfaddedcinulie tornevervain: straightforward testimony of a Butler across trackless wilderness years ago they made it possible for the home- steader to follow in their wake and send the products of his farm to the hungry markets of the world. So, too, they preceded the miner and the lum- berman and carried their cargoes back to civilization. Everywhere they have been true pioneers—the giant pathfind- ers, the advance guards of progress. And, yet, notwithstanding these truths, for the last 25 years they have been the favorite subject of attack for count- less political opportunists whose ‘abuse of them has paved an easy road to pub- lic office. - No other industry except the rail- roads could have withstood the on- slaught. However, the very rocks fin- ally give away before the continual as- sault of the elements, and so the time has come when the railroads of Missou- ri place their fate completely in the hands of the people—confident in the belief that they will see that justice is done to this great industry which holds within it the future welfare of the com- monwealth. To this end, we appeal to every citizen in the state-who believes in the justice of our plea to make his views known to the different public au- thorities whose duty it is to deal with this great question.— (Paid Adv.) ’ STRAIGHTFORWARD TESTIMONY Many Butler Citizens Have Profited By It. If you have backache, ‘ urinary troubles, days of dizziness, headaches or nervousness, strike at the seat of the trouble. These are often the Dallas County. WILL REVIEWTHE LITIGATION David Yost of Pennsylvania Wants Commissioner Named to Make a Special Levy. David Yost’s story of his efforts. to collect on a judgment of more than 1 million dollars against Dallas Coun- ty, Missouri, has moved the federal supreme court to announce it would review the prolonged litigation that had its beginning in the early days of railroad building across the plains. A possible result might be the dis- patch of a commissioner, accompanied by federal marshals, to the Missouri county to collect the money. Yost obtained his judgment in the federal district court in Missouri, di- recting Dallas County to redeem bonds it issued in 1870 to invest in new rail- roads. The supreme court was in- formed that each time the federal dis- trict court. has issued orders to the county officials to levy and collect a tax to meet the debt, they have re- fused to obey or gone into hiding., On Yost’s motion to have a commis- sioner of the courts appointed to make the levy, the case finally reached the supreme court. . Yost lives in Pennsyl- vania, SAYS LEGISLATURE IS DRY Anti-Saloon League Claims to Have Figures Showing Liquor in Minority in Missouri. The next Missouri legislature will be dry, both house and senate, ac- cording to information received at the Missouri Anti-Saloon “League head- quarters in St. Louis. Asa result, the 30x3 Goodyear Casings $9.50, first quality 30x31; Goodyear Casings $12.50 ’ ' The above are wholesale prices We have another car of Fancy Red River Ohia Potatoes this week. Buy your winter and spring potatoes. Grape Juice 1 pint size only Grape Juice 1 quart size only.: California Honey Loose Wiles Crackers By the box only 6 1-2c Buy what you need before the advance. The price of flour crackers will go higher and this time of year they will keep until spring. New Peaches dried New Prunes.......... . New package Raisins. New bulk Raisins..... New package Currants. New Pancake Fiour..... Regular 25c Coffee only. Now is the time to buy Sugar. 15c, regular 25c .25c, regular SOc 10c pound 3 pounds for 25c .3 pounds for 25c. .3 packages for 25c ...3 pounds for 25c piticeitena sranesite 3 packages for 25c AERC COE ON 3 packages 25c 20c pound Get our prices in sack lots HEINZ BAKED BEANS 1 pound size... 2 pound size. 3 pound size... Can Sauer Kraut. Can Baked Beans. Can Hominy... Can String Beans....... Can Red Kidney Beans. Can Rhubarb: .........00 secccesernes sevens FORD AUTOMOBILES FOR SALE Any time. Demonstration FREE. Glad to have you call and look them over, is grave danger in delay. Doan’s Kidney Pills are especially prepared for kidney ailments—are endorsed by over 30,000 people. Your neighbors reccomend this remedy—have proved its merit in many tests. Butler read- ers should take fresh courage in the citizen. T. J. Stubblefield, 204 E. Chestnut St., Butler, says: ‘I had a severe attack of kidney trouble and Doan’s While the | Kidney Pills quickly cured me. Since foreign crisis has greatly intensified | then I have had no need for a kidney their difficulties, the fact remains that the present rates have beeg unremun- erative for a number of years and a re- adjustment would have had to come anyway. Missouri Should Stand for Progress Before the wonderful resources of Missouri can be fully developed we must , not only bring our present railroads up to u high point of efficiency but we must also build many new lines and exten- sions into those sections of the state where farmers on local commerce ‘and industry are still inadequately provided with transportation facilities. The chief reason why the farm lands of Iowa and Illinois are valued so much higher than lands of fully as good quality in Mis- souri is because those states have about double the railroad mileage found in Missouri at the present time. But in- vestors will not put their money into new Missouri lines if we continue to: advertise to the outer world that capi- tal cannot get a square deal within our midst. In an address delivered before the Commercial Club at Jefferson City several months ago, W. B. McKinley, the big traction builder of Illinois, gave ‘this as his reason for not having built inter-urban lines in Missouri up to this time—and until we prove to the invest- | ing public that this is not the true atti- | tude of Missouri people we will continue | to suffer the penulty. In many respects the American rail-: road problem presents queer and para-| doxical phases. Whatever abuses may | |have characterized their management Frank H Cheverton to Pete Mc- |in some ipstances in the past and the; if t ch that th highly | i i . ing the last 20 years, the railroads stand | ties eaarerateay ae Bye Bre ARNT.) EEL aim ood sto Ws Techie ood “‘watered,’’ the fact remains, as was| | shown in a psevious article, that they | not only furnish the cheapest service | medicine.”’ Price 50c, at all dealers. . Don’t simply ask for a kidney remedy— get Doan’s Kidney Pills—the same that Mr. Stubblefield had. Foster- Milburn Co., Props., Buffalo, N. Y. 4-2t . Adv. Good Country Home for Sale or Trade Only four miles from Butler, 200 acres, liesexceptionally well, six-room house, good barn, plenty of water, fruit, new fences, everything in good repair. On rural route, telephone service, fine neighborhood. Excep- tional terms. See 3-2t Wesley Denton. Real Estate Transfers C C Grider to J W Smith lots 115 116 Ist ad Adrian ............. 850 RH Chaplain to W M Carter 80 asec 31 Deer Creek........... 1 John Steich to A J Adams lot 7 pt lot 8 bik 29 Rich Hill ....... 500 JT Elhs to H A.Parker und 13 int 254 a sec 4'Moond ......... 1 J T Ellis to J D Parker und 254 a sec 4 Mound.. ; 1 Fred Gilbert to J H Bratton lots 6, 7 blk 5 Warners ad Butler .. 2700 Geo H Cox to Geo W Piper 293 a sec 11, 14 Osage..............5 4000 Eli Peterson to Chas E Johnston 160 a sec 3 West Point ........ 1 Reynolds lot 6 blk 61 Rich..... 730 2214 a sec 36 East Boone ...... 1800 C E Wendelton to J E Sims 10814 a sec 21 Spruce...............- 7500 |in the world, but that they are capital-} Mrs G W Garrison to Sam! Rusow ized for many thousands of dollars less of Europe—and yet despite this fact, the country is full of reformers who are vocifer ously demanding government ownership. The Government and the several states already make the ratés- and are now about to take the last vestige of roads by supervising the issuance of their securities. If the Government owned the railroads, could it exercise authority farther reaching? Woutd the assumption of a government debt financial authority away from the rail- | lots 3, 4 blk 173 2 ad Rich Hill. 20 | per mile than-the state owned railroads! H F Henry to Mattie Idleman 169 Mercy McKinley to HC McKinley 30 a sec 6 Hudson S Taxes Are Now Due. All those who desire to pay can find me at the circuit clerk's office. Resp’t. J. L. Barker, Twp. collector, Mt. Pleasant township. : 3-tf. ’ City Taxes Now Due amounting to billions of dollars secure these crusaders who are continually groping about for a new issue are about to precipitate a state of affairs which road industry the tool of the reigning greater rights or protection for. the} Books people? Is it not barely possible that/ corner basement court house... 3-tf will make the gigantic American rail-| w ,, 4 will be informed of the exact re- | political faction at the National Capital EJ McElwain. —Pplacing in its hands a. tremendous in- | Carrie I Gray . ss Taxes for the year 1914 now due. open in my office, northeast John S. Walker, City Collector. Marriage Licenses Gray Teague will attempt the passage of a | law providing for precinct and ward local option in St, Louis, Kansas City and St. Joseph. This- statement was made by the Rev. W. C, Shupp, state superintend- ent of the league: . “St. Louis voters saw fit to defeat the County Unit measure, which did not concern them and was desired by all the rest of the state. We will re- vive the County Unit Bill in the next session of the legislature and I think there is a way by which we can pass a ward and precinct local option bill as an emergency measure, thus ex- empting it from suspension by refer- endum petitions.” : The returns received on thé amend- ments are still too far from complete to make an estimate of the total vote county unit received. But the 70,000 majority piled up ‘in St. Louis is cer- tain to have defeated the prohibition measure, SAYS VOTES WERE BOUGHT Former Montgomery County Prose- cutor Asks Grand Jury Probe of Recent Election. Claude Ball, fermer prosecuting at- torney, threw a bomb into the politi- cal arena at Montgomery by filing a motion in the circuit court asking Judge Barnett to call a special grand jury at once to investigate alleged frauds in Montgomery county on elec- fion “day and previous thereto. He charges in, the petition that voters of- fered their votes for sale openly on the streets here and in the county and | Norfleet é Ream The Only Independent Grocery, Bakery and Hardware Store. Phones, 144 and 49. Garage 35 BUTLER, MO West Side Square that indications strongly pointed to the buying of votes by individuals in the interest of both Democratic and Republican candidates. xn Bad Meat Kills Child.—Four persons became ill and one died at Bellflower, Montgomery county, after taking a meal in which they had eaten meat supposed to have been “tainted.” Busch Owings, jr., the young son of Busch Owings, manager of the La- crosse Lumber Company at Bellflower, died within a few hours after eating a small piece of the meat. The fath- er and the Rev. and Mrs. A. C. West also became ill, but recovered. It was supposed to be a case of ptomaine poi- soning, but no autopsy was held over the body of the dead child. oe oe ol Removed as Precaution—Because of rumors of violence, Roy Wyatt, a 14-year-old negro charged with an at- tempted attack upon a white girl 13 years old, was taken from Columbia to Fayette by the Boone county au- thorities. xe County Judge Dies.—Judge R. C. Boggs, 75 years old, is dead near Tip- ton. He was a member of the county court two terms and was justice of the peace for a number of years. xe * Carthage Stone for Capitol—That the interior of Missouri’s new capitol G00D IDAHO POTATOES JUST ARRIVED The only kind that is good to eat. Get our prices on 10 bushel lots. Potatoes will be cheap this win- ter, and you will always find us there with the best goods at the lowest possible prices. We haven’t time nor space to give you prices on all our goods but will list a few among the many good things. New dried Peaches, fancy, | \ 1-120) Sey erie en eee rnin Tie -| New pkg Raisins 8c, 3 for24c | 1 can Baked Beans, 8c, GOZ ions sci eiee cc .90c 1 pkg Country Gentleman to- 1 can Hom { bacco 4c, 6 for .......... 24c GOB ccd0 05 90c | _1 pkg Old Hillside tobacco 4c, 1 can Corn 8c, Oc GHOl orcsisaasssaveatovneyy 24c 1 can Peas 8c, doz.. 90c 1 twist Granger tobacco 4c, 1 can Tomatoes 8c, doz..90c | GHOR aise sca sigks Cath es 24c 1 can String Beans 8c,doz90c | 1 twist Honey Dip tobacco 4c, 1 can No. 3 Peaches 8c, SHOR ccnisiansacncueiee 24c GE onnierera ia turceniey 90c | 1 cut Horse Shoe tobacco 9c, 1 can Prince Albert tobacco 8c | POCA 2.4 seideeeie chy 44c GBHOT ey shite croc cesntnnes 24c | 1 cut Star tobacco 9c, Ib ..44c | 1 cut ianey, tobacco 9c, GET OUR PRICE ON SUGAR BY THE SACK You all know that Itens Crackers are the best baked. We will furnish them the year round at 6%c by the box. You can always find the best goods, best prices and best accommodations at GOSNELL’S GROCERY - Phone 77 Butler, Mo. - . Home of Good Things to Eat - PHOTOGRAPHS Christmas Add to your Christmas Gift the touch of your - personality. The absent ones would like to know how how you or your family looks NOW. : You can make a dozen of them happy on Christmas day by sending your photograph. i : ‘Make your appointment with your Butler photographer AT ONCE. ik For Twelve Days Only ) beginning November 9 | we will make one photograph in-colors with each i et