Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-03-15
BEWARE AN INFLATED PORK BARREL

unexpected panic.
4 BEWARE AN INFLATED PORK BARREL.
/ 1t is not difficult to infer from the
temper displayed by Mr.. Hill and many
other railway nagnates that he was
somewhat sore and just little bit pet
ulant in what he said before The legis-
lative committee in Minnesota yester-
day, nevertheless Mr.. Hill did mention
/ one OF the greatest dangers that could
| come from government ownership Of
railroads. The size of the pork barrel
would be SO enormous that the strug-
gle In Its vicinity over the distribution
would not only absorb the attention OF
congress, but cause many a commune
! ity to shrivel and stagnate for the lack
of railway extension while others would
| be overbuilt at the expense of the
whole public.
Hill said that he was ready for the
government to take over his roads pro-
Fided he got a fair price. 1t is not re-
markable that a man of his age ready
to retire from business, would be will
Ing to sell to the government at q. prof-
| it., The government would have no
l'difficulty getting options If it wanted to
buy railroads.
The main thing for the people Of this
country to notice in Mr.. Hills outburst
lis this suggestion of the scramble for
pork. If congress appropriated money
for new railroad buildings as it does
for river and harbor improvement and
for postoffice buildings, the best con-
gresham would be the one who could
secure the most railroads for his dis
trict Communities would get rail-
roads when not needed, while others
would wait until their progress was
paralyzed before needed extensions
came their way.
The evils Of railroading as managed
from Wall street have famed a. flame
of public sentiment favorable to gov
eminent ownership Of railroads to inn
nlense proportions within recent years.
A note of warning is needed. People
should think of the pork barrel In con-
gress and listen to those who propose
to prevent overcapitalization and gov
eminent regulation, rather than gov
eminent ownership. Everybody knows
how pork is distributed now, but It
would become joke Of much serious
ness If any OF us should have to walk
while waiting for a piece to come our
way from the committee on railways.
THE DIVORCE BILL.
The bill forbidding Divorces to
marry within . year from the date Of
the decree shows a weak spot that
might have been, it would seem, avoid
ed. Under the present bill to marry
before the year is up is simply a VIOLA
ton Of law and punishable by a fine
of 800. How much this will check the
divorces with that amount of cash on
hand, is hard to see. The fragrant
cases of divorce for the plain purpose
Of marrying another do not occur
among those who cannot raise 500 as
frequently as among the weather.
class, where a monetary loss of a hum
dred or SO of dollars would not be per-
mitted to bar the way to a marriage
preceded by the breaking up of fam
lily with this special purpose in view.
The indecent will not shun fine they
are able to pay. Those who brazenly
defy public opinion to the extent of the
divorce court have fiirted with pub
licity until additional exposition Of
their purposes is little feared.
The law might have been much more
effective from the viewpoint of its
promoters had 1t provided for the with>
holding Of the decree for one year, or
in effect postponing its validity for
term. This would have left the strict
Iowa laws relating to violation of mar
rage relations in force and been an in
superable bar to such marriages within
or outside the state. Marriage would
be bigamy. As the bill stands it ap-
pears that the possession anf u, will