Semi-weekly herald., 1916-09-11
NEW YORK LETTER
tFrom Our Regular Correspondent
BOrah Speaks Out.

we nave ClFlHpeu anu CraWleu,
we have humiliated ourselves, de
bauched our Government, discredited
union labor and settled nothing" In
these singing words Senator Borah
expresses the opinion, shared but not
voiced by large number of his more
timouous colleagues, he entertains re-
garding the railway wage bill which
President Wilson has just forced Con-
gress to pass. That this bill will
prove only the beginning and that no
man can foresee where the end will
be is the opinion of many members of
Congress. By a curious coincidence,
three big New York dailies announc-
ed the passage of the railway wage
bill with strikingly similar head
lines. The World (Democratic) said,
Public Must Pay for S-hour Law"
the Tribune independent Republican,
Public Must Pay for S-hour Law"
the Times (Democratic) "Public Must
Pay say Railwaymen." Freight rates
will be increased, but probably not
until after election. Then every ship
per of wheat, corn, live stock, etc,
and every buyer of machinery will
learn "who pays the freight"
Unexpected Hospitality.
ON On unexpected qu,nter comes
severe arraienment of President Will
son because of his course in forcing
Congress to increase by federal sta
tute the pay of the railway employees.
The president of the Texas Farmers
Union has issued statement declar-
ing that, "The people of this nation
have, during the past week, passed
thru the most humiliating experience
this nation has even endured. A few
labor union leaders have stood at the
portals OF Congress demanding that
the Government give them u ransom
or they would wreck society. This
nation, instead of meeting the situa-
ton brayely, has delivered the goods
in fear and trembling" The state
ment goes on to point out that when,
two years ago, cotton was selling at
six cents a pound as result of the
European war and poverty stalked
thru the Southland" it was declared
that Congress could not help. "The
organized plowmen pleaded with Con-
eress for relief" continues the state
ment, "but we were told that it would
not be constitutional for the Govern
ment to undertake to fix the price
OF cotton or to advance money on
cotton in storage and that Congress
was slow moving body and could
not meet emergencies" The opinion
of the man in the street seems to
be that while President Wilson has
made a strenuous effort to gain the
labor vote and may in some measure
have been successful, he has lost far
more than he will gain in some
more than he will gain and that
especially has he lost the farmer vote
for when all is said and done it is
still true that at is the farmer who
pays the freight"
Edison VIII Help Wilson
Thos. A. Edison, wizard of electric
ity, has announced his purpose to
support Wilson. Mr.. Edison would,
indeed, be an migrate if he did not do
so. Those who recall the extent to
which the Navy Department under
Mr.. Wilson has patronized MIR. Edi-
son and bought his inventions, going
to the extent of fitting navy sub
marines with Edison batteries even
before those batteries had been test
ed otu, will not be surprised at Mr.,
Sdison's determination. When the
E-2, in which an Edison battery was
installed, generated gas which killed
number of sailors, there was en-
phatic protest from officers against
the further use of these batteries un-
til they had been further investigat-
ed and proved safe, but Secretary
Daniels promptly utilized his military
authority to suppress the facts and
save Mr.. Edison from modification
and loss, while no change was made
in the policy of using Edison inven.
tions to the utmost in naval construc.
tion. Even if the cynical French def.
milton of gratitude, "a lively apprecia,
tion of favors to come" he accepted
there is every reason why Thos. A
Edison should support Wilson. Mr.
Edison doubtless appreciates that "s
vote for Wilson u . vote for Dan
is'a'