Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1912-04-26

public to pay enormous dividends IN
ADDITION to creating huge annual
surplus Oh money that is not invest
ed, and on capitalization that repre-
sents nothing more than blue air.
Senator LaFollette has shown that
the corporations Of this country are
capitalized at 1917, 900, 900, and that
20 per cent of this capitalization is
water. More and more water Is
constantly being injected into the
capitalization Of the railroads which
makes it necessary for the ROADS to-
be continually boosting freight rates
and increasing the cost Of living to
every man, woman and child in the
nation.
Under the Roosevelt and Taft ad-
ministrations, Congress refused to
pass a bill providing for a physical
valuation of railroad properties, which
appears to be the only solution of
the evil which permits the gouging
Of the common people in order that
a few railroad magnates may be siA
| further enriched. Before this session
closes, however, the Democratic
House win enact such legislation, the
bill having already been favorably
reported from the committee on IN
terstate and foreign commerce.
Blocked by Senate standpatters.
The Democratic House OF Repre-
sentatives started out in this session
of Congress, to cut down the expens-
es of the government. Many slashes
we've made into government extraVa-
gance, but in no case was a. cut
made without the most careful study
The effort to save money for Uncle
Sam was a thoroughly honest one.
The economy program Of the Dem.
ocrats, however, is being fought at
every turn by the Senate standpat-
ters. who have promptly placed back
into the appropriation bills either all
or part of the amounts trimmed out
Of them when they were passed in
the House. The Democrats proposed
to put stop to practices, long prev
alent of spending government money
for no other purpose than to allow
certain Senators to keep themselves
in Congress, and TO cut out unneceS-
sary expense all along the line. The
saving, if the Democratic bills should
90 through as they passed the House,
would be tremendous. The Senate
Old Guard, however, looks upon the
right to dip into the treasury at will
as a GOd-given prerOgative, and the
appropriation bills were promptly re-
stored to their former size just as
soon as the Senate committee, dOmi-
mated by the Stamdpatters, got hold of
them.
The Democratic leaders have an
nOmced, however, that they will in
sist on some of the cuts, and they
will adopt drastic measures to en-
force their position unless the SEN
ate recedeS.
The Old Guard Senators want a big
expense bill, so they will be able to
point to it, later, as justification for
high tariff.
Democrats Progressive.
The Democrats OF the House go
RICH along being progressive. The re-
cord that is being made daily in the
lower branch of Congress constitutes
even a stronger claim to progressive
support in the coming campaign than
the progressive promises in the Dem
ocratic platform.
The House committee on interstate
and foreign commerce has incorpoUat-
ed into the Panama Canal bill a pro
vision which the New York Herald
calls "the most drastic ever reported
from committee in Congress"
This provision stipulateS that no
railroad in the United States may
own or control any steamship line
with which it completes. The purpose
Of this provision is to give the people
the full benefit Of the Panama canal.
by insuring genuine and effective
competition.
Lorimer.
No Senator who voted to retain
William Lorimer in the United States
Senate has since been reelected. Ten
Senators, Hale, Scott, Kean, Bulke-
ley, Depew, Piles, Dick, Burrows, Car
ter and Flint, who voted for Lorimer,
retired from the Senate March 4.
Three other. Paynter, Bailey and Gug-
gelheim, announced their retirement
after their vote for Lorimer, an two,
Foster of Louisiana, and Cullom Of
Illinois, both of whom voted to keep
the Blonde Boss, we've defeated re-
Gently in primaries. Jones, Of Wash
ingto1, who voted to sustain Lorimer