The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1916-10-19

cause the negroes are III the Ot1eI
party And the negroes of the South
are in the Republican party because
the whites are in the other. Now it
stands TO reason that any political
organization that must look to its
own record for its laurels is more
likely to consider public need and
public welfare than one that is going
to continue to exist anyway.
1t is not matter of sectionalism
at all. III the Republican party were
made up largely of men who would
stay in it regardless OF what it might
do, then it would be anything but a
progressive organization, anything
but responsive TO public wishes. In
other words. any party must be sub
ject to the discipline OF popular judg-
ment. i. it is to accord with the pub
lies wishes.
Now, as for the leadership. there
is decided difference in the methods
of Hughes and Wilson. Wilson is
|secretive to a degree. He plans what
he wants, in the privacy of his own
study, and then sets forth to carry it
out; it is the life habit of school
teacher. accustomed to making his
will the law for those with whom he
IDEALS. Even when he brought the
United States into the shadow of
war by sending an ultimatum to
Germany, he old it without consult
ling his party, much less the country
| Once he makes up his mind as to
what he wants. he considers the
Democratic party merely an instru-
ment to be used as he desires. Moth
| ing could have been much more con-
temptuous of great political party
| shan Wilson'S calm Reputation of
the entire Democratic platform, af-
ter his Inauguration, by announcing
that platform is not program.
Any self-respecting party would not
have tolerated such an insulting dis
missal The plain fact is that Wilson
is Wilson and he doesn't take the
trouble to make the Democratic party
stand for anything as party When
he quits the leadership, he will leave
no more of an impression with his
party thans one would in a pail OF
water by thrusting in his hand and
then withdrawing it.
But it is different with Hughes.
He has had hut one weapon in wag-
ing his fights, and that is public opin-
ion. He MAKES the people his partner
When the bipartisan special inter
ests of New York tried to block his
bill to regulate public utilities and
his bill for primary elections, Hughes
went out to the people and told them
about it and asked them to help him
He is forceful, courageous leader
1t is his way to inject new character
into his party by going to the mem
bership. If they believe as he be
lieves. then he knows the party will
: reflect his convictions.
Considering the amenability of the
Republican party to the public will
and the difference in the methods o
Hughes and Wilson, it would appea
: to the disinterested observer tina
Hughes and the Republican party of
fer more promise for the future THAI
do Wilson and the Democratic party
: %A->S@N
GREAT EARNINGS BY THE RAIL
ROADS.
5 Following is an exceptionally sig
: nificant news item, published in TIL
Chicago Tribune as a New York dis
patch:
"In issuing his annual report t
: shareholders fortnight ago, Presi
: dent Ripley of the Atchison railfoa
= was careful to point out, with yer
: long face, that during the fiscal yea
= ended June 80 last his company "ha
been able to earn only GIG per cen
on the property investment Las
week r. S. Lovett, executive head @
the Union Pacific, with his banker
chief to his eyes, told the sharehold
ers that during the year "only IL
: per cent had been earned GIN tn
e property account" This week Fail
/. fax Harrison, president of the South
. ern railway, issued his annual repor
v That document contained the mourn
0 full statement that "only 5.3 per cen
v had been earned on the property az
k count"
s "And yet stocks are selling at tn
n highest levels since the European wa
p began.
p Investors and spectators VIII
: know anything at all know that Their
is absolutely nothing but moor
) shine in the statement that "onl
g SO and so has been earned on tn
e property account" Everybody know
e that in the good old days rebate:
7 branch line deficits, promotion fee.
q commissions" OH all locomotive
/? and freight and passenger cars bough
construction profits to insiders. etc
e all went into the property account.
"What stockholders wanted t
n know was how much was being earn
y led for dividends after all expense
v were paid, including interest charge
on bonds, etc. Here is what the 191
reports issued SO far have shown il
, that respect:
Earned per cent for stocI
f 1916 1915 1911
Y Louisville Isl G.S g..
IN. Pacific 10.5.. rs a.
I "Atchison. ..13.7 90 T..
: s. Pacific 80. 1913 ~ T..
, st. Paul So. 7.3 3.2 g.,
Norfolk & West
ern .16.7 SIS s.
Union Pacific 1876 l1O.9 13..
But that is not all. Since the clos,
of the fiscal year. June 80 railwa.
Iearnings have continued TO show sen