davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times., 1916-01-06
A GREAT CORPORATE JUooLE

People who don't know much
more about electric light in Wash
ington than that they pay too much
for light, will read with keen in
terest the analysis of reasons for
that situation, given in Mr.. Reyn-
olds' article on another page.
1t is the simple, understandable
description of a marvellous COM
plexity of intercorporate relations
through which the public gives up
to the Potomac Electric Power
Company, that company gives up to
the Washington railway, and the
Washington railway gets its divi-
dends out Of what the people pay
for electric lights.
Both the corporations are excess
sively capitalized, which serves the
useful purpose of keeping nominal
dividends low and distracting undue
attention from their fatness.
Doubling the capitalization of a cor
poration can be accomplished by the
stroke of a pen-when that sort of
thing is allowed, as it has been in
WashingtOn-and that process cuts
The Washington times., 1916-01-06
.PAN-AMERICANS GET
BIG HALL FOR WILSON
Session Which President viii
Address Tonight To Be Held
in Memorial Continental Hall.

Because the number OF delegates and
members OF the Pan-American Scientl-
fic Congress exceeds the seating ca
pacity OF the Hall of the Americas IN the
Pan-American Union building an
eleventh-hour change has been made in
the arrangements for the general ses-
sion of the congress to hear President
Wilson's address tonight, and the ses-
sion will be held at the Continental Me-
mortal Hail.
The special tickets issued to the mem
bers of the congress and distinguished
guests for admission to the Pan-Amer-
lean Union building will be honOred for
admission to the Continental Memorial
Hall. No one will be admitted without
white ticket.
White tickets have been issued only to
the Latin-American delegates and the
United States official delegates. who
will occupy the central part of the au-
ditorium. On the platform will be
seated the heads OF the Latin-American
embassies and legations, the chslrmen
of the delegations to the congress and
the Officers of the congress.
Blue tickets have been issued to the
diplomatic representatives invited en-
titling them TO seats on the north side
OF the hall, and blue tickets issued to
the members of the Cabinet and other
distinguished persons connected with
the congress will entitle them to ad-
mission to the south side of the hall.
Red tickets, emitting the holder to ad-
mission to the galleries have been is
sued to members of the congress and
other distinguished guests.
The session will begin promptly at 9
o'clock, and the introduction, of Presi-
dent Wilson to the delegates will be
made by Ambassador Suarez of Chile,
president of the congress. Because
OF the limited seating space only
delegates and members OF the congress
are to receive tickets.
The Washington times., 1916-01-06
WHEN EDUCATORS sIDRsTEP

The court order restoring to her
place in the schools a woman teach
er of admitted ability, whose only
offcnse consisted of getting mar
ricd, is highly gratifying to friends
of the schools. The only pity is
that the matter had to come before
the courts at all, placing the Board
of Education in the position of being
forced to do something which COM
mon sense should have prompted it
to do Of its own accord.
The cause was not only one in
volving simple justice to Mrs.
Gladys Aline Strong Hellman, and
other individuals placed in a SINH
lar position. The fact that the
board goes out and engages mar
ried women teachers would be
enough to justify her claim to re-
tain her position.
But the case had social and edu-
cational aspects of a broader ma
ture. When most agencies are
working TO encourage marriage the
Board of Education set itself to
placing a handicap on the institu-
tion. When most educators are try
ling to solve the problem of keeping
competent teachers the board chose
to enforce an archaic rule which
has forced it, in many instances, to
retire competent members of it's
teaching force. The board has gone
on record as encouraging teaching
as a life profession, then it pro-
eeeds to place handicap on women
who would adopt the profession by
denying it to them after marriage,
if they happen to be married while
teaching here.
Now the board has never discuss
ed in open session, the question of
married women teachers. 1t
simply let the matter slide, despite
protests and requests from both
men and women of prominence, and
then fought the case when it got to
court.
BY q curious coincidence, on the
The Washington times., 1916-01-06
$1,000 PAN-ANERICAN
AERO PRIZE OFFERED
Club Puts Up Trophy to "Hasten
Air Travel to Rio de
Janeiro."

''ro hasten the day when one may
travel in the air from Rio de jamie ro
TO New York." the Aero Club OF Amer
ioa has offered a 5000 Pan-American
aviation trophy, to be competed for
annually by representatives of the ma
tions of the Western Hemisphere.
The announcement of tho prize wes
made by Alan r. Hawley, president OF
the club, through Ambassador Domln-
cia da Cana of Brazil
1t is planned to hold the FIRST race
at Rio de Janiero as soon az possible,
and subsequent ones probably in the
countries represented by the success
sive winners Of the trophy. They will
be conducted under rules to be formu-
lated by all international committee
selected through aviation clubs In the
various countries.
Bringing the people Of the two conti-
meets into closer relations through
cult problems of transportation and
the formation OF q reserve which could
be used in case of need to defend the
Western Hemisphere. are stated as fur
ther objects OF the new competition
It's suggestion is credited by the Aero
Club Ia Alberto Santos -Dumont. Bra
lillian inventor and sportsman.
In his letter to Ambassador da CANA
announcing the pflEe, HTeSlueuI t1aWley,
OF the Aero Club, says:
There are thousands OF places not
yet connected by railways or roads
right I'm the United States. and there
must be tens OF thousands in the West
ern Hemisphere, where aeroplanes
could transport mail and eXpreHs mer-
chandise at a fraction of the time re-
quirod at present. Taking only two in.
stances from a plan outlined by the
United states Postoffice. the aeroplane
makes II possible to carry mail between
Albany, n. Y, and Lake Placid. N. Y.
In a district most closely connected by
railway, I'm two hours and fifteen mine
utes, whereas II now takes eight hourO
and ten minutes; between MancopA.
Cal, and Santa Maria. Cal, the aero-
plane can deliver the mail i'm one hour,
where Il now takes fifteen hours aud
ten minutes. This is made possible by
the fact that the aeroplane can travel In
a straight line. whereas other vehicles
must follow roads"
The Brazilian ambassador and John
Barrett have accepted an invitation 10
the tenth annual banquet Of the Aero
Club OF America at the Biltmore, in
New York, January H.
The Washington times., 1916-01-06
. REMARKABLE PROSPERITY SHOWN.

This being automatic, because It has
been proved by such long experience,
II can be said that the country without
regard to sections or special interests Is
In a condition OF remarkable prosperity.
The First Assistant Postmaster General,
who knows all about postofhce affairs.
is certain of Il, because he is transfer.
ring so many postoffices from the fourth
grade to the third grade. and making
corresponding increases in the classi-
fication of other offices.
The lowest classification of postoffices
is the fourth class. In these tue post
masters are paid according to the can
cellati0ns Of stamps, the compensation
81 200 point is reached It is transferred
to the third class, with a fixed salary.
The number of these transfers In a
given period is one OF the best tests
Of the business circumstances OF the
country and small towns
In the last six months the number OF
transfers from the fourth to the third
class is believed to have been larger
than ever before In q like period. II
Is not yet possible to give accurate
figures, but the general Information
that has come to the department Justt-
fies this impression. In fact, the nrst
half of the current fiscal year Is likely
TO be credited with as large number
in any full year for long time.
Are Steadily Decreasing.
The number of fourth class post
offices in the country is now steadily
decreasing. This is partly due to
their abolition as the rural free de-
livery extends and makes them un-
necessary, and partly due to the fact
that so many OF them are being rails
ed TO higher classihcations. On the
other hand the number of hrst, sec
ond, and thir class offices grows just
as steadily. These are so large and
important that they seldom require
to be abolished by reason of rural de-
livery; rather, their business tends to
be increased as the smaller Offices are
taken out.
The figures show that in 1911 there
were 81 ,2s7 fourth class Offices. That
number has been growing steadily
less year by year. until on July l
last there were only 47.46O; the sde-
crease running just about 1000 per
year with rather impressive regular
tty But since July l last there has
been q big jump In the number of
promotions from fourth to third class.
Even in the 1rst half of the last
calendar year the increase In these
changes was very marked; now the
changes are being made in unprece-
dented numbers.
First Assistant Postmaster General
Roper, discussing this aspect of the
business, said that when he came into
little over 5000 postoffices of the
The Washington times., 1916-01-06
LATIN-AMERICAN BUG
HAS CAREFREE LIFE
Or. L. o. Howard Tells Scientific
Congress How United States
Fights Insects.

The bugs Of South and Central Amer
lea live q gayer and more carefree life
than do the bugs of the United States.
DR.. L. o. Howard. the distinguished
bugologist OF the Department OF Agri-
culture. told members OF the PAN
American Scientific Congress at a meet
ing of the conservation section at the
Raleigh Hotel today.
DR.. Howard Is the man who started
swatting the ny into historical memory.
and has done much with the mosquito
and the meek and lowly potato bug. He
appeared before the scientists OF the
three Americas today to ask for better
tries represented with a view OF re-
stricting the activity Of bugs even more
than Is at "resent the case.
DR.. Howard explained Just what
hard time a bug is having making a llv-
ing in the United States at the present
time. BY the expenditure OF $1.5OO.OOO a
year on the elimination of the bug from
the agricultural equation in this country
something like from fifty to one hum
dred millions of dollars per year has
been saved in agricultural products
previously destroyed by bugs There is
no such work as this being carried on
in South and Central America. and as
result South and Central America have
become the most favored places for
bugs. DR.. Howard explained lust what
undesirable citizens the bugs made and
suggested the organization of a Pam
American bug eXterminating commits
sion. The European countries and
Japan support institutions of this char
acter.
'''rhe support OF such a service" DR..
Howard said ''is obviously a highly
paying investment for any country in
the protection that 1t affords from the
ravages of insects upon all agricultural
crops and in other directions. Such a
service is further needed I'm American
countries to intelligentlY prevent the i'm
PRODUCTION of new insect pests. through
quarantine and comnetent inspection
this competence being brought about by
a thorough scin~'ific knowledge OF the
Injurious Insects of all countries"
The Washington times., 1916-01-06

three highest grades; he estimated
that this number had now increased
by a round I 900
One of the causes OF. the more rapid
raises in the classificRtion OF postof-
fices Is the increasing volume OF the
parcel post business. Salaries Of all
postmasters In the country except those
IN the six greatest offices, are made
to bear relationship TO the business OF
the offices, As result, the postmaster
Ing business is a highly prosperous one,
as proved by the great number OF
salary advances due to bigger business.
The parcel post has earned. and has.
the gratitude of an army of minor post
masters whose offices have been made
worth the holding by reason of the
larger business 1t has brought.
A like experience was felt. beginning
twenty years ago, when rural free de-
livery was initiated. The volume of
postal business showed a big jump, and
II Kept on jumping rapidly until prac-
tically the whole country was gridiron-
Cd with rural routes But the present
increase Is not due to such causes: the
delivery, system comes pretty near being
universal now. so far as is practicable;
and the advance in business volume
once more reflects steady conditions.
Difficult To Get Men.
Yet another sign Of the prosperity felt
everywhere, is the difficulty of getting
postmasters for the smaller offices.
There is never any difficulty securing
service in the first, second and third
class offices. which offer bigger nav
and have larger communities on which
to draw for postmaster talent But
when II gets down to the little offices
It's different. Hundreds OF cases are
presented every year. in which rural
communities have to be raked over
with all care in the effort to find some
body willing to read the postal cards
and cancel the stamps. The rural Of
fice is a good deal OF a nuisance and
a rural responsibility.
The department has discovered, how
ever. that when a community fails TO
produce a candidate for postmaster
there Is one proceeding that is alto
gether likely to bring 1t to terms. That
Is. to abolish the office. This Is often
rescrted to as a means to stirring up
the folks. Offices are abolished with
all solcmnity and appearance OF good
faith. almost every day. when the de-
partmont has no notion of "pialSing
good on the matter. 1t is jrst a blum
to arouse the people to realization
that their postoffice means something TO
them. and that unless they proluce
postmaster, or consent to accept the
possible one to- whom perhaps they
have been objecting, they may lose the
office altogether. AS a rule. the an
nouncement that an office will be abol-
iShed at some future date produces the
postmaster; II not, the actual discon-
tinuance OF service Is pretty certain 10
do il
The Washington times., 1916-01-06

the dividend rate in half. It looks
better.
The public and the Washington
railway are the customers Of the
Potomac Electric Company. The
public pays excessively high rates
the railway company pays Excess
sively low ones, The public in ef-
feet pays for the current that the
railway company uses. The rail-
way company owns all the stock in
the Potomac company. Thus, in
addition to getting electric current
at less than cost--paid for by the
generous 10-cents-per-kilowatt
public--the railway company pipes
into its treasury the cash profits Of
the Potomac company; and there
they become the dividends Of the
Potomac company!
This is "a many-sided and highly
efficient way Of "getting it on" the
public. First, it must pay Excess
sively for lights, in order that the
railway company may get current
at ridiculously low rates. Second,
it must pay still more excessively,
in order that after this charity has
been given to the railroad company,
it may still earn enough to produce
a big dividend also. Third, it sees
this big dividend passed along to
the railroad company.
Now, this would not be SO bad
if the public, at the end of this
milking process, got cheap service,
or even good service, from the rail-
road company. It gets neither. It
pays the same fares for bad service
that it ought for good, and it pays
excessively for electric lights in
order that it may have even this
poor privilege.
How the trick is turned is ex-
planned by Mr.. Reynolds article.
Congress has undertaken to break
up this partnership, and the Public
Utilities Commission is on its trail.
Perhaps they will get results some
day by legal process.
, But the sure way to get them
would be to reduce the rate for
electric lights in this town to a
decent figure.
The Washington times., 1916-01-06
Education Should Extend Channel
OF Opportunity 70 Every Child,


IN yesterday afternoons edition OF
The Washington Times lind an article
by Winifred Black on 'Education,' -
which takes me to task for the alleged
statement that l made recently In
Boston to the effect that children OF
OVor parents should not be educated
spove their condition in life. IL Is
- atllylhg To see that tho writer of
the article states that She does not
DeiieVe l meant what / a,n alleged to
rave SAID. AS the matter has received
70 much publicity, trust you can End
Ioom IN your columns for my state
ment that / not only did not intend to
sey any such thing, but that as mat,
thing.
In my talk in Eoston OF perhaps
lHEee~quarterS OF an hour, ] spent
maybe five minutes of it discussing
ns relatlon OF mental hygiene TO edu-
Helion, and II is perhaps not surpris-
ing, from the brevity or my remarks,
mat they should have been misunder-
STOOD. ] was speaking in general for
usetul versus a useless education,
ne needs Of the individual rather
than for an educational scheme into
winch every individual no matter
what his needs. had to ht.
As l take II, the fundamental char
acteristtc of democracy which gives
us faith in its greater value than an
autocratic form OF government is It's
much broader extension of opportun-
iity. Education II one of the channels
Inrough which opportunity is extend
ed, and this channel should be made
az Droed and as serviceable as pos
slpie. Just as we have come to the
belief that education is for the puO-
pose or developing to the fun the pos
sibilities of the child, 40 oDportunity
- to develop to the full the possibiIi-
ties OF the people, ana the broader and
more extensive II Is tho better. Very
truly yours, WIN. A. WHITE.
WAHhinRtnR n
The Washington times., 1916-01-06
OUTNUMBERED TEUToNs

One of the most extraordinary
statements put out from the Berlin
bombast factory is the German an
nouncement that the central powers
now control countries with a popu-
lation of 15O,O0O,OOO, as against the
entente powers with a population Of
1876, ,000, 900, $50 that the difference
in population has decreased from
114,000, 900 to 46,O00,0O0."
The population of the German
empire on the Continent is 65,OOO,-
900, of the o-Hungarian en-
pire 5O,OOO,O0O, of Turkey in Europe
and Asia 21,OO0,0OO, of Bulgaria
100000, or, in all, 141 100000.
Germany may count as added pop
ulation in territory held by her
armies, French, Belgian, and Poles
on whom hundreds of thousands of
Teutonic troops must sit to hold
them down; but the Austro-G German
and Turco-Bulgarian league for the
advancement of civilization cannot
number more than 141,O0O,OOO for
the military purpose Of that COM
binatiOn, no matter how it tries to
count them.
AS for the allies directly fighting
the central powers the United King
dom has 46,OOO,O 900, France has 40
100000, Italy $4,000, 900, and Serbia
about the same number as Bulgaria,
or 100000.
Here are 126,0O0,0OO on the south
and west of the central powers
without counting Russia's 100000
600 on the east. But there is a good
deal more than that to count. There
is the Dominion of Canada, which
has been good for a quarter of a
million Of troops and is going to
send another quarter million; which,
in addition, is sending vast stores of
grain, munitions, and other supplies
to the allies on the battlefield. The
same thing is true of Australia and
South Africa. Add them to the pop-
ulation of the United Kingdom,
France, Italy, and Serbia and those
numbers are about equal to Ger
many, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and
Bulgaria, with Russia's hosts all to
spare.
There is, too, the rest of the Brit
ish empire, which all told counts
435,OO0,000 people. If not a large
part of this population is available
for fighting in Europe, it certainly is
available and is of incalculable value
in sending all manner of supplies to
the allies.
And then back of all that there is
Japan, with $4,000, 900, ready to
strike into the great war game
whenever the central powers show
themselves in the East or whenever
1t otherwise may become necessary.
AS for quality the central powers
have yet to prove that the French
soldiers and the British soldiers
facing them in the west aren't as
good, man for man, as the best Ger
man warriors that are in the field.
The Canadian, Australian, and South
African troops, with their vigor Of
youth, their Individual strength.
their spirit and daring, are, we ven
ture to say, the finest soldiers and
the hardest fighters in all the armies
of this war.
We don't think anybody questions
mat the Italians are superior to the
poor Austrians, who have never been
able to face fire unless they were
backed up by German troops. No
body will doubt the natural fighting
qualities of the Russians once thew
get arms and Ammunition in their
hands so that they can hit back on
even terms as to weapons.
:. So just what these claims of Ber-
IN are intended to convey is mighty
hard for anybody to puzzle out.
The Washington times., 1916-01-06
"Peace By Education"
Theme At Prayer Meeting

At today's session Of the week OF
prayer being conducted at st. Paurs
English Lutheran Church oy the Worn.
ems Interdenominational Missionary
Union, peace BY Education IN
Schools" was the theme discussed. Al
yesterdays session, presided over by
Mrs. j. n. Culbertson the subject dis
cussed was Unity in the Church
Throughout the World Among the
speakers we're the Rev. ID. b. Rirnie,
OF the sixth presbyterian Chmch,
southwest Washington; the Rev. j. r.
Esaias, pastor OF GOTsuch Methodist
Church, southwest Washington, and
Mrs. ]. p. Hart