The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1914-04-17


prejudiced, his knowledge of condi-
tons and his ability as a lawyer are
said to be of great service to the com
mission in finding out the truth as
between the conflicting statements of
witnesses to the two sides OF the pre-
sented case.
The country probably has no realiz-
Ing sense of the immense quantity of
material which must be gone through
before a decision can be reached in
this advanced rate case. The charge
Is that some of the railroads are either
paying on watered stock or trying so
to do, and that II they had issued no
stock without ampls foundation for it,
they would all be now in prosperous
condition, and would not need to ask
an advance in freight rates. There is
one big railroad which is paying
five per cent. diviuend and which some
men declare would be paying 40 per
cent II the securities which it had
issued had a basis more stable than
water
Innocent Investors Plea.
cent people have bought this watered
stock and they ere expecting their
dividends, and they maintain that II
an advance rate is necessary to en-
able them to realize on their money
the increase should be allowel be.
cause they made their purchases in
good faith and should not be made to
al nf n<A oio1
and great bankers who have helped
to manipulate things 30 as to benefit
peculiarly the few to the injury of
The many
1t is little to be wondered that there
has been slow progress In reaching
decision In this case. The shippers
who do not want to pay advance
freight rates have been sending In
their protests with their reasons for
opposing the increase which il granted
OF course they will have to pay. The
stockholders are sending In their pleas
for an increase. The railroads are en-
deavoring to show how they are
obliged to conduct business at loss
under the present return ON freight
of the roads in the past are being laid
bare In the rooms of the interstate
commerce commission. The matter Is
deep one and the hope is that one
way or the other the meal ers OF the
commission will be unanimous in its
final decision.
Civil Pensions Up Apain.
There has been introduced into con-
gress a bill to create a commission
to consider the matter of pensions
for aged government employees. There
Is reason to believe that the bill
Is likely to pass. The commission
IL appointed will be expected to
submit plan for what must be called,
even II SO calling 1t is unpalatable, a
scheme to create civil pension list.
Ever since the foundation of the
government there has been objection
to pensions for civilians. 1t has been
hard work even to secure the passage
OF legislation giving the widows of
army officers of high service, pen
sions sufficient for their support OF
course army officers widows have a
pension which is fixed by law, but
whenever it has been attempted to
increase the pension largely, strong
opposition has been shown by the
lawmakers. There are few civil pen
sioners OF the government today and
virtually none outside of those who
have had some connection direct or
indirect with the armed services of
the country.
For years attempts have been made
to get congress to consider the civil
veterans" Members OF congress have
had the necessities in the case before
their eyes in their daily walks When
one passes the treasury building. for
instance, at the hour when work is
about to begin, or just after 1t has
advanced years going In or coming out
of the big structure, some of them
on crutches and others almost being
carried to their desks. Congressman
have looked on these scenes for years
and it has been the looking on them
which has moved scores of represen-
tatives to introduce bills for the pen
sioning Of the aged and decrepit. The
introduction OF the bills heretofore
always has been just SO much wasted
effort.
In Continental Europe and In Eng
land they have set the example OF
pensioning aged government workers,
and the pillars of state OF the coun-
tries which have shown generosity
have not been shaken from their foun-
dations by the government act.
Official Washington is beginning to
look with different eyes upon this
Always there has been sym
pathy for the aged who had to stay
at their work in order to live, but
always the thought that civil pen
sion system was utterly wrong has
moved the majority of the lawmakers
to withhold the vote necessary to rem
edy condition which certainly seems
to appeal for remedy.
Talk of Old Age Pensions.
Not only are congressman looking
more kindly on proposals to pensions
for government employees, but they
a a cio To- toll g