The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1914-03-21

have in their employment Louis w.
| Brandeis as special counsel II is he
who is presenting the commissions
side of the case, which in a way meant
the shippers and the consumers
side. Brandeis has made a study or
railroad conditions and while good
many people think he is somewhat
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 az
between the conflicting statements o;
witnesses to the two sides of the pre-
scented 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 watercd stock or trying so
TO do, and that il they had issued no
stock without ample foundation for 1t,
they would all be now in a prosperous
condition. and would not need to ask
an advance in freight rates. There is
one big railroad which is paying a
five per cent dividend and which some
men declare would be paying 30 per
cent If the securities which ii had
issued had basis more stable than
water.
Innocent Investors Plea.
Now of course thousands of limo
cent people have bought this watered
stock and they are expecting their
dividends, and they maintain that If
an advance rate is necessary 10 en-
able them to realize on their money
the increase should be allowed be-
cause they made their purchases N
good faith and should not be made TO
suffer for the sins of railroad officials
and great bankers who have helped
to manipulate things so as to benefit
pecuniarily the few to the injury OF
the many.
1t is little to be wondered that there
has been slow progress in reaching a
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 If granted
of course they will have to pay. The
stockholders are sending in their pleas
for an increase. The railroads are en-
~
obliged to conduct business at loss
under the present return on freight
shipments. The financial operations
of the roads in the past are being laid
bare In the rooms of the interstate
commerce commission. The matter Is
a deep one and the hope Is that one
way or the other the members 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
if appointed will be expected to
submit a plan for what must be called,
even if SO calling it is unpalatable,
scheme to create a 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 or
army officers of high service. PEN
sions sufficient for their support. or
course army officers widows have a
pension which is fixed by law, but
whenever 1t has been attempted to
increase the pension largely. strong
opposition has been shown by the
lawmakers. There are few civil pen
virtually none outside of those who
have had some connection direct or
indirect with the armed services OF
the country.
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 nave SuOWn generosity
have not been shaken from their foun-
dations by the government act.
Official Washington Is beginning to
look with different eyes upon this
situation. Always there has been sym
pathy for the aged who had to stay
at their work in order to i've but
always the thought that a civil pen
sion system was utterly wrong has
moved the majority of the lawmakers
to withhold the vote necessary to rem
edy a condition which certainly seems
to appeal for remedy.
Talk Of Old Age PensIens.
Not only are congressman looking
more kindly on proposals to pensions
for government employees. but they
are occasionally talking Of pensioning
all worthy men and women who have
served the state by leading decent
lives and who in their old age must
face either penury in the cities or
towns or the poor house with its self
respect killing conditions.
It may be that the bill which Mr..
7, ILL, 80 Coppocfic,f hoe ipfrr~-