Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1914-02-13

1t is probable that every president
has felt exactly as Mr.. Wilson feels.
but it was probably only Theodore
Roosevelt who made actual systemat-
ic daily attempts to keep in touch
with the sentiment Of the entire coun-
try. Mr.. Wilson is doing very much
the same thing that Mr.. Roosevelt
did, and time will disclose whether or
not he is wise in so doing. or course
on the face of things it would seem
hat he has been wise In keeping in
ouch with h sentiment Of the coun-
try, but IL he misinterprets the senti-
ment and legislation goes wrong, then
perhaps some u%nthinking ones will
say he went to the wrong quarters for
his Information and should have de-
pended entirely upon the advice oil
his party leaders in Washington.
Wilson's "Yellow Journal"
It is said that the number Of news
papers which reach the White House
now is greater than ever before in
the history of the country: 1t is the
business of one of the employees to
make up for Secretary Tumulty a
daily newspaper" This is simply a
compilation of news INC editorial
opinions from all the great newspa-
pers of the country.
President Wilson takes this com
pilation. which Secretary Tumulty
loosely has called the yellow Jour
nal" and reads it through, depending
upon it for light upon the viewpoints
Of all sections Of the country. The
president, of course, trusts in large
las to the press of the country
for information, but it must be said
that the press Of the country cannot
depend to any great extent upon
President Wilson for information.
Unlike Taft and Roosevelt.
President Wilson in one way is the
exact opposite OF either President
Taft or President Roosevelt. He
cares little or nothing apparently for
society as such. He attends only such
dinners as he feels that he must at.
tend because of his position as presi.
dent Of the United States. There
gather in Washington constantly con
crosses of various kinds. The differ.
ent lines of business and the different
lines of philanthropic endeavor which
are followed by men and women
throughout the United States lead fire.
quently to Washington where great
general meetings are held.
it was the rule of President Roose-
welt and President Taft to address
virtually all these congresses. Presi.
dent Wilson rarely attends any OF
them. although he always names some
official of government to represent
him.
Question of Railway Mail Pay.
Within six weeks a report must be
made to congress on a subject which
has been vexing the government and
the railroads for years. The question
to be answered by the report is how
much money ought to be paid the
transportation companies for carrying
the mails
In the last veal Of the Taft admin
istration, but when there was a Demo
cratic house of representatives, there
was a paragraph inserted in the post
office appropriation bill authorizing
the appointment Of a joint committee
on railway pay. 1t is the report of
this committee which must be made
to congress SOC The members OF
the committee are former Senator
Jonathan Bourne. Jr., former Senator
H. A. Richardson, Senators John H.
Bankhead of Alabama and John w.
Weeks Of Massachusetts, and Repre-
sentatives James T.. Lloyd Of Missouri
and William E. Tuttle of New Jersey.
While the committee, largely through
the activities of Chairman Bourne.
has don an immense amount of work
in the line of study Of a vital topic,
it is said that there are comparatively
few evidences that a scientific method
of readjustment has been discovered.
Mr.. BurIeson's Estimate.
1t is said that Postmaster General
Burleson has filed a report with the
joint committee on railway mail pay
/ setting forth that according to aseeF-
tainments and conclusion based on the
conditions of 1909. the railroads in
1913 were overpaid about $500, O0O."
1t may be that another computation
difference would wipe out this over
payment margin and prove that the
railroad officials are telling the truth
when they say that it costs them much
more to carry the mails than they get
out Of the treasury for performing the
service.
For q year OF and IN, and for the
last two months exclusively, Dr.. M. C.
Lorenz. a statistician of the Interstate
commerce commission. has been espe-
cially employed by the joint commit
tee. r. H. Turner, secretary Of the
committee and an experienced man in
matters of this kind, has made a spe-
cial investigation. He and Dr.. Lorenx
have worked independently and with
out knowledge of each others conclu.
sions. 1t is said that when their two
reports were compared it was found
both had reached the opinion that the
railroads were being underpaid about
rs per cent
The joint committee has under con-
sideration a bill prepared by DR.. Lo-
renz establishing car-ton-mile as the
united basis for compensation in place
of the quadrennial weighing which it
is said experience has demonstrated
gives rise to gross error.
wams, built a stone fort or dam and
put up an ingenious fish trap, for there
were no game wardens in those DAYS.
That trap, repaired and strengthened
from time to time, was inherited by