The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1914-01-10
ignorance or predict something which
might NOT he fulfilled

AS far as the congress Of the Unit
ed States is concerned, the currency
law is an experimental measure. Sen
ators and representatives know what
the banking interests have said in ia
vor of the bill and against it. They
realize that the doctors" disagree and
if the doctors disagree how can the
layman decide?
President Wilson's currency meas
ure will not come into full operation
for some time. In Washington its re-
suits are looked upon much as were
Louisiana lottery. 1t may be major
prize legislation. it may be minor prize
legislation, or it may be blank legisla-
ton representing the loss Of all the
energy which was put into its passage
plus the loss of business stability.
Wilson Seems Confident.
So it is that the currency measure,
over the passage Of which a sigh OF
relief went up because it brings with
it cessation OF congressional labors
and a surcease of present sorrows,
will become the law of the land and
go into operation without any definite
knowledge, so far as Washington Of
ficials are concerned, as to whether 1t
is to do" the country or to do some
thing for the country.
p sident Wilson seemingly is sure
that money will be easier, that Wall
sire will not get it's hogs share" in
tim of stress, that stability under
lies the law in every one of its classes,
and yet Mr. Wilson may be mistaken.
He admitted before the bill was intro
duced that he did not understand the
currency question thoroughly. Has
he been able to master it in three
months? Other men who have stud
led money and its ramifications
through the avenues of peace for
years are ready to confess today that
they are still cropping. The law is to
go into operation. There will no
more surprise in Washington at it's
failure to do what it is intended to do
than at its success. On currency
matters the lawmakers have been
guessing and now after all the weeks
Of debating it can still be said that
perhaps one mans guess is as good
as another's.
Remarkable Work In Alaska.
Lieut. Col. Wilds P. Richardson.
United States army, chairman of
the board of road commissioners
for Alaska, has come "out Of the
wilderness" to Washington to report
at headquarters. Colonel Richard
son and his fellow road builders, Lieut.
Glen Edgerton, corps Of engineers;
and Lieutenant Louis A. Kunzig, Thir-
tieth United States infantry, have SUI
perintended the construction and have
attended to the details of administra-
ton of a government road which runs
from Valdez near the coast to the town
of Fairbanks, and over which in the
summer time automobiles find easy
passage.
Perhaps when one reads this short
statement of road construction the
Idoh appears " NC hOIhih6 PhShohhS
nal, but it must be remembered that
this road which the army officers
planned, laid out and built runs
through 400 miles of what is virtually
a wilderness. The natural difficult
ties which are overcome seemingly
were enough to dishearten the hardi-
est and most resourceful of men. but
the road has been built and it has cost
the government $1,000 mile less than
the estimate made by engineers who
went over the proposed road nine
years ago.
This government road, which has
opened up Alaska to wagon traffic in
summer and to the traffic of mail
sleighs and other shedding vehicles
in the winter, cost $4,000 a mile to
build. Army engineers fixed the pros.
pective amount of expenditure at 3d..
500 mile. The road today is as good
as the ordinary country road and II
the government chooses to expend an
additional 81 900 for each mile of con.
struction, which the engineers recon-
mended. it can be made one Of the
model roads of the country.
Hardest Kind of a Job.
There is a plan at present for the
government to build railroads in
Alaska to be owned and possibly to
be operated by Uncle Sam. 1t is said
in Washington that II the govern.
rent's railroad shall be constructed as
well and as economically as the wag
on road which Colonel Richardson
and his associates have just com.
pleted, the tax payers Of the country
and the travellers who use the rail
way well may be satisfied with gov
eminent work. Road building In
Alaska is a hard task. All sorts OF
conditions must be met. Landslides
torrents, glacial action and variety
Of assortment of problems, to the lay
man seemingly impossible fsolution
confront the builders at intervals all
along the line of construction. Fol
years Colonel Richardson has been al
his work, and last fall with his col
leagues he made the trip over the new
roadway the whole distance from
Fairbanks to Valdez in an auto truck
Lieutenant Colonel Richardson, who
has spent so many years in the gov
eminent service in Alaska, is sturdy
Texan. He graduated from the United
States military academy in 1884.
Uondor ubotber tho originator nj