The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-10-27
BY OLSON GARDNER.

WASHINGTON. Oct. 27.--'T am GO
Ing to propose q measure that Will
require every hen In Iowa to lay an
egg every day; and when she fails
to do so. that the government shall
make up to the owner Of that hen
the value OF the egg. she did not lay.
'I.iis will enable the farmers 10 hay.
more money with which to buy ma
chinery. This, In turn, will make the
factories keep buster; It viii keep
money In circulation, and make the
crops bigger and better. And why
not tax everybody for the beneit OF
everybody else. and thereby make
everybody richer2 How perfectly
splendid!"
Thus spoke clifford Thorne. chair.
man Of the Iowa State Railway com-
mission. testifying before the inter
state commerce commission In the
five per cent case" where the east
srn railroads are again asking the
commission for an increase OF freight
rates.
"If It IL right for the government
to shield the railroads from the Of.
fects OF the ware II II il right for
the government TO make good the
losses Of the people In industries.
then II 10 right to tar everybody for
everybody else's benefit" said
Thorne. Proceeding with his more
serious argument. Mr.. Thorne said:
"This IL the third time American
railroads have sought TO force gen.
erai advance In freight rates. In 1910
they claimed Q crisis existed. Instead
OF crisis, the commission found
that to be the most prosperous year
In the whole history OF American rail-
roads. In the five per cent case.
basing their claim on the year 1913,
the claim OF q crisis was again
made" continued Mr.. Thorne. "and
you concluded that there IL no crisis
In the condition OF the railroads In Of
fetal classification territory, taken as
a whole Now, for the third time the
railroads claim there Is a crisis. To-
day they have some foundation tor
their claim. But this emergency
upon which the carriers are relying
today. Affects practically all OF US IN
the same manner. II Ii following Q
period OF marked depression In BUSH
ness IOI dDOul yCoit oessOf~
the Balkan wars, disturbances In Eu-
rope, and the short crops Of last year
II Is Just as hard for the manufac'
turer, the farmer. the laborer, the
telephone company. or the beef trust
to borrow money. a. II Is Tor the ran
roads to do 30.
1.-THE railroads are asking for
sort Of war tax, they are asking tne
government to lift the burden on Q
part OF the community and SHIFT II
over on to the shoulders OF others.
They ask the wageearner. who has
lost his Job. or had his wages re-
duced, the cotton planter who can
not sell his cotton, and the manufac-
turer who has been compelled TO
close his shop or reduce his force,
they ask these men to carry the Dur
den Of the railroad. in addition TO
their own"
Mr.. Thorne IL not without . plan
to remedy the railroads troubles.
The carriers" he said. claim the
present emergency will compel them
to pay o higher interest rate amount
ing to or III per cent. A subsfan-
tial increase In interest charges oc-
Cured In 1893. 1904, and the latter
part Of 1907. On not one OF these
occasions did the carriers advance
freight rates. They met the situa-
ton In another. and wiser manner. A
policy that DEGREES higher rates dur
Ing periods Of depression. and lower