The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-04
KANSAS COMAENT
ARGUMENTs THAT COUNT.

ARGUMENTS THAT COUNT.
the minority presenting a report
against the ship subsidy bill says
among other things:
! But when it is recalled that at Seat
tie north of Cape Mendocino is the ex-
listing steamship line owned by ]. j.
Hill and south of 1t at San Francisco Is
the Hartman line, the Pacific Mail, we
may begin to suspect that there is a
| niger in the woodpile.' Who are J. ].
Hill and E. H Hartman? The former
Is the great railroad magnate of North
| ern Securities notoriety, who tried to
merge vast interests in violation of the
| law and was only prevented by pro-
ceedings in the court. Hartman is an
other leader of corporate wealth who
controls more railway trackage than
any other man in the world. It is hard
TO guess who, under this bill, would
pocket S1,400.000 of the peoples
money!"
AS arguments go this is a strong ap-
peal for the defeat of the BILL because
the people are becoming prejudiced
against the system which makes mil
lionaires and many will feel the force of
this presentation whom a sound argu-
ment wouldn't reach.
The objection to the ship subsidy is
in principle. 1t takes money from the
treasury and gives it to certain bust
ness industries. To tax the many and
ious in Republican form of govern
ment
1t makes no real difference who gets
the money. If it is right to give it,
Messrs. Hill and Hartman might as
well have it as anybody. In fact they
are more likely to carry out the terms
and give good mail service to the de-
sired ports than less worthy men
would be.
Still the arguments against giving to
the rich count. The sugar tax wouldn't
seem so bad If the profits didn't go to
a bunch of millionaire sugar kings. OF
course 1T make no difference to the con-
sumner who robs him, but he would feel
better to know that his stolen purse
fell to needy family than to a rich
one.-Wichita Beacon.
THE WRECK QUESTION.
Not a daily paper has reached this
office for days. perhaps weeks, that has
not contained an account of a railroad
disaster in which one or more person
have lost their lives The heart grows
sick as it contemplates the bloody pic
ture. 1t is time to let up on the con-
tinuous chanting of the demand for a
reduction in passenger rates long
enough to demand that railroad COM
panies build double tracks and equip |
their roads with proper safety appli- |
ances. Humanity is being murdered by |
companies may pile up more, and even
more millions. Traffic such as the roads |
of this country are handling is too |
heavy for single lines. For fifteen |
years the groans of the dying have rent
the air and the blood of the dead has
Redeemed the land. Why should men
allow such a state of affairs? Give the
roads time to lay double track and put
In automatic block signals, and on their
failure to do these things take charge
of all the lines. i Stop this murder
Better Way.
LOBBIES.
1t looks like the preachers lobby
had the sport Lobby distanced when
he baseball bill was up in the house
And at this crisis In our country's his
-ory, where, oh where was the peo-
Pies lobby ?-Hutchinson News
MARK TWAIN QUOTED
When the house voted for United
States senator last Tuesday Dave
Blaine cast his vote for Bristow, which
recalls Mark Twain's old saying: BE
good and you'll be lonesome "-Sedg-
toll Do,