The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-03-08

81. nucleus
about which the new system can 81
formed.
\ PRESENT TO FRANCE.
y Senate believes in intcrnationa,
courtesy. At least, the Virginia sen.
ate does, though We would iardl,
venture any compliment to that In.
nous gathering in Washington. on,
Senators think that Virginia shoulf
show her good will to the nations ant
hence proposes that we send a replica
OF the Houdon Washington to France
as a gift to our sister republic.
We hope it will be done. We hone
II VIII be done not only from principle
puts done from a particular zeal in this
case. Virginia has always had q
~fondness for the French nation and
mas always felt that it owed an esp..
$cial debt to France. We were perhap,
the State most aided by France dur
ing the Revolution and we. with South
Carolina and Louisiana, have been the
States most Influenced by French life
and ideas. Aside from the Influence Of
mat splendid company OF Huguenot.
Which landed in Virginia and temper.
ed Jul blood. We have receivcd spe-
cial benefit from the French TRAINING
of individual men. Jefferson was. in
his creative period, perhaps almost as
much a Frerchman as he was an
American. and Jefferson, above every
other statesman. has left his imprint
upon our laws and government.
Then too, Virginia has received par.
ticular courtesies from France. That
same Houdon. who made the stat,.
now in the Capitol, came to this coun-
try at the invitation of this govcru.
ment and as a special favor from tn.
King. his master. We showed our an.
probation of this work by sending a
bust OF Lafayette, from his hand. TO
the Commune of Paris-a bust. by the
way, which inspired one of the most
exciting scenes in the French Revolu-
ton, as it looked down from the walls
of the Hotel de Vile on the angry
Parisians.
In later years, France was notably
courteous to a Virginian, William 6.
Rives, our minister to that country, ana
Was equally gracious in its reception OF
another Nirginian, John Y. Mason, for
many years representative of this
government at Paris. About the same
time, II we recall Alright, the French
government sent a special agent to
to negotiate a series OF book
exchanges. In return for a number.
OF Virginia publications which are
now IN the Bibliothe1uc Nationale, the
French Republic sent us a wonderful
assortment of the worlds master-
pieces. These included the classic re-
ports on the Napoleonic scientific cx-
petition to Egypt. the Galerie de Ver-
%sailles, the debates Of the FrenchlAs-
sembly and q first folio edition Of Vol
statre's complete works, from the old
royal library.
surely we can afford to repay sonlo
OF these old debts and can renew the
ties that bound us to the European
America.
READING AND PHILADELPHIA.
OF course Philadelphia does not care
to learn q lesson from Reading. off
in a corner and scdatc In its own rot
tenness, the Quaker Town never did
r-. = ~ L.E -.
ana never will ask anybody for adj
vice. 1t seems to be satisfied with it
SELF and with the way it is handling
It's problems. Consequently it will
scarcely be Interested to learn that
the United Power and TRANSPORTATION.
Company of Reading has increased the
OF its workmen in every branch
Of itsf service without a strike.
The country at large, however, will
note this little incident With satisfac,
lion, especially as 1t illustrates the op-
posttc principles or those now on trial
in Ihiladelphia, Heading has been
WORKING on the sliding scale system.
on a fixed rate, In the
town when businessawas dull
and times were hard, wages were re-
dllccd;; the company lost and the mcn|
lost, but they lost together. Tho mon
that rs soon us business tlm-l
proved the sliding scale would oper-
ana their wages would bn in-|
creased 'fhc company knew thlt tle|
men relied on 1t and would expect
Rlsller Wages when tie resources OF
eoinpnny warranted It, In
philadelphia no such agreement has
The men have fought TO
else thf wases TO Il fixed %standaraf
The company TO keep them downAto
] minimum, Neither side had conh
u The other md neither side
WI coneede q point, \
The contrast In the effect . the two