davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13
OUR SUBMERGED CONGRESS

nNE of the most poignant word pictures
~ that has come out of Washington in a
long time was that which revealed young
Mr.. George Creel b~reezing into the dazzled
and passionately resentful House to ask
s2,oas, 900 for his Public Information Com.
mittee. Congress in that instant was
crouched, in a beetling rage. for a deadly
spring at its cheerful visitor. This, in
dubitably, was one of the great moments of
the war. Black resentment ebbed in the
House. Mr.. Creel was promised the money.
lie deserved it. And yet the incident in
volved one of the memorable tragedies of
government.
For reasons altogether subtle and in
telligible only in Washington, Congress
shudders at the name Of Creel. And this
is not the fault of Mr.. Creel, who is resented
in some quarters to a degree out of all
proportion with his occasional mistakes.
The reason lies much deeper.
Congress suffers. 1t is in pain. 1t is
enduring the precise sort of agony which a
brutal war has inflicted upon the small
nations of Europe. 1t is the Serbia in our
midst. 1t is in a fix as awful as that
which has made the wailing of the Jugo
Slav audible over half the world.
The truth is that Congress has been
deprived of its most ancient and deeply
cherished rights. 1t can no longer revel
in the bliss of talking its head off as the
voice of the people. The President does
most of the talking now. And what the
President hasn't time to say Mr.. Creel says
with the aid of battalions of bright young
men recruited from the forces Of the met
ropolitan press.
1t Is not difficult to perceive why Con-
gress in this bleak hour of oppression and
servitude should gaze with troubled eyes
upon a brisk young man who arrived to
ask for s., 0S9, 900 with which to tighten
the abhorred chains, Mr.. Creel was awaited
with depth bombs and verbal bear traps of
every conceivable description. And then,
as if through some mystic sense of hope
out cry or moan.
The thing was all the more sad because
Mr.. Creel is running a bureau which is
efficiently engaged in many large and es.
Unable enterprises that quite overshadow
the earlier mistakes of the airplane propa,
ganda. Congress should not be blamed. In
the blessed days that are no more the
consOled by the SOUND of its own voice,
This comfort is gone now because Con,
House, in any dire emergency, was always
gress is only a whisper in government. We
should regard its situation with com,
passion. Somebody yet may even organize
a rescue expedition to save Congress from
its matchless orment.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13
IS LUNCH A

vows, of course, are demanding higher
~ wages. And it must be admitted that
the costs of catching, killing and hauling
pie are greater than they used to be.
Still, i~narticulate souls without mum.
Der yearn for the day when a congress
slcnal commission, headed by a dauntless
crusader like ]. Ham Lewis. shall rumble
down Chestnut street and into the res
taurants to tell US why pie that used to
be I'VE cents a section is now ten and
why milk that used to be obtainable at
fve cents a glass has increased in cost in
the same magnificent ratio.
A relentless investigation would show
Why other foods are similarly creeping
beyond ordinary human reach in the res
taurants favored by the crowds. 1t is to
he assumed tina some one is making more
money than the munitions contractors.
And the feat is based upon an apparent
conviction that the average American,
when he goes to lunch, is in too much Of a
hurry to think.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13
Why DO B DIE!

,YrHE theory that the increase in infant
y mortality in this city is due solely to
sfke higher cost of milk does not seem to
b supported by the facts. Just as much
milk is consumed at the new price as at
the old.
%It has been suggested that the general
Shlgher cost Of living, of which the higher
mice for milk is but an incident, is respon-
tasible, as the poor have to live in more
5oramped quarters and skimp on food of all
S1inds.
Doubtless this is partly responsible. but
E1here are physicians in town who are con-
tinced that IL the street-cleaning depart
Dont would compel the contractors to keep
tlke 0lth out of the highways the lives of
\ mnuy infants and adults would be saved.
n there is scarcity Of nourisbing food in
the homes Of the poor. the duty of the city
I 3 keep the streets clean is doubly i'm
orotive. In order that those persons with
Ntnkensd vitality may not be attacked
germs allowed to accumulate
4Fn U
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13
THE CHAFFINC DISH
Our Foreign Correspondence
Ernu~N Mav

france, May ~.
l have been here since August, and as a
result Of trials and tribulations wear a
service chevron on my noble left arm and
In a couple of months will have another.
Some of us fear that before we get back
we will be wearing them down our trouser
legs, for we get one every six months.
But we feel that only on the dark days,
for as a matter Of fact things are very
bright and rosy over here now.
II. A. NORWOOD,
First Lieut.. Sanitary Corps, Base Hospital
why is It that a man who smokes a pipe
at his work always looks as though he
we're working harder than the fellow who
doesn't smoke?
We try not to disagree with people more
thar we can help, because SO often we find
they are right.
Germany has a neat name for that part
Soviets. She calls it Residue Russia. But
Residue seems rather an optimistic word.
why not be frank and call 1t Dregs?
Zeebrugee gets its daily ration of twelve
or fourteen tons of British bombs quite
regularly. DO the U-boats there punch
bomb cards?
Another of Kaiser Karl's letters has
turned up. He wrote to Ferdinand of Ru-
mania saying that this is a time when
all kings must stick together" We won
der If the stenographic notation at the
bottom of that letter runs thus: VIII. XII?
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13
TO ROBUSTA
On Stacking From the War


with profound apologies 90 the outraged
shost of Sir Richard Lovelace.)
TELL me not, Sweet, that I'm too kind
L When to the nursery
OF thy strong arms | have a mind
From horrid war to fly.
MO OTHER mistress now | chase
~ Though others be afield,
Because no others stout embrace
So we'll my neck could shield.
AND though my constancy be such
"A That you can't we'll adore,
You must admit l love you much
More now than ere the war!
THE FAIRY GODMOTHER.
They say the Weather Man
Is going to cable his prophecies
over Ia Pershing, so that
Our boys in France
May know when it's going to be fair
And warmer for the Kaiser.
Well, we only hope 1t won't
be the Philadelphia weather man,
The fellow who said yesterday
would be bright and sunny.
SOCRATES.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13
s24,599,721 500


Isn't that Illuminating? Out of a total
of S24. OOO, 900 capital paid in by these
underlying shareholders, they draw more
than IS, $1,000 yearly, or an average of
90 per cent excess profits for sure. Yet
they are protesting against paying a
war tax that everybody else has to pay.
They want to throw it back on the p. r.
T., Which means that eventually ii would
hare to come out of the pockets of the
street car riders in Philadelphia IN the
form of increased fares. Can Congress
hesitate over such an alternative?
Yes, but what about those blessed con
tracts? Sol body will bleat. Well, that
is up to the court, which more and more
incline, and rightly so, to consider public
interest before pirate gain.
Perhaps some of these gentlemen who
have been getting their dividend checks
regularly out of these exorbitant rentals
may not know it, but the fact remains
that the judges of the higher courts have
shown a tendency in recent years to
modify very considerably the old, stiff,
~hard-and-fast adherence to the maxim
about the sacrosanct character Of con-
tracts like these which are prejudicial to
public interest.
For example, when the Interstate Com
merce Commission first began to inter-
fere in the matter of contractural rela-
tions between the railroads and their
patrons, the freight shippers and the
passengers, it was declared that their
power was in violation Of the constitu-
tional clause which prohibits impair
ing the obligation of a contract. But
it was very clearly pointed out that
no such impairment could be found,
| since the commission merely was ex-
ercising the power of regulation in the
public interest over the exercise of
public utility franchises which are in
herently u~nreiinquishabie rights belong
ing TO the public and only loaned, not
given outright, TO the operating cont
panies.
1t is this doctrine which lies at the
base of every public service commission
law, Federal and State, and it is becom-
ing more apparent and generally under
stood with every decision handed down
by these bodies.
Courts as a whole no longer are guided
in their decisions entirely by TECHNICAL
ties. Public interest is paramount at all
times, and those Judges who do not re-
alize this fact are back numbers, reac-
t~ionaries, legal mummies whose influence
upon the legal thought Of the day is
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13
Old St. Peters

The other afternoon We were walking
beautiful old graveyard of st. Peters
Church., at Third street. The tall tower of
the church, of rudy brick summed and mel.
lowed by the years, stood up over the toss
school near by came the clear voices of
children singing. We looked at the tomb
of Commodore Decatur and rambled about
in great content. We have always been
fond of churchyards, and as we shall prob
ably have to spend a long time in one of
them it is just as well.
And then we came to the following in
scription, which amused US as an echo
from a day when England and America did
not feel quite so cordial to each other as
they do now:
In Memory Of
Mrs. Mary Hamilton.
who departed this life
the 18th Of October. 1793.-
A Lady of AmiabIe Character
and
Polished Manners.
Descended from the illustrious family
Of that name
in North Britain,
She resided many years
In Philadelphia,
which she preferred
TO her native country.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13
rapidly disappearing along with the jar
gon and empty forms of the last century.

rapidly disappearing along with the jar
gon and empty forms of the last century.
So IL is that in dealing with questions
like these which touch the daily life and
welfare Of the public so intimately and
vitality the courts may be depended upon
TO take the liberal and enlightened view
that contracts which are inequitable in
their literal reading shall be construed
to accord with public interest.
And who knows but that If this be So
and the reasoning is inevitably suggested
by the able brief filed with Congress by
the counsel for the p. r. r. himself
the courts would not go further along
the same line and completely revise such
a set Of contracts as that which bind the
?. r. 7. to pay unreasonable and excess
sive sums to dead companies which have
only "vested rights" to sustain them?
1t is the abundant water in these under
lying companies which has proved the
chief barrier to a solution of Philadel-
phia's transit problems. If the Public
Service Commission has the right to de-
termine what is a fair rate of revenue
for the p. R. T. Company to demand of
the car riders, it would only be logical
to assume that the commission has the
power to determine what is a fair profit
or dividend to pay to the underlying
stockholders on the basis of actual CAPT
tai invested instead of hypothetical values
set by a rang of promoters who fat
tened off crooked deals long years ago.
At any rate, the idea is alluring and
might he worth giving a trial in the
form of an action or complaint if the
present attempt to invade the "sanctity"
of the lease covenants shall succeed.
The weather man seems to have shame
lessly gone over to the Vets"
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13
4! ! '.::.:'::s!s''s'''!>E|!!!!!l!'':':::::::,::: .: .:
n Contracts With < Varies Can Be Vic.


lated on Tax OueNkc Ion, Why Not on
Watcrcd Stock Question Also!
LIVERY street car rider in Philadelphia
should cry "Amen!" to the RAPID
Transit Company's appeal to Congress to
make its underlying companies pay their
own wal income and excess profits taxes.
For once, at least, the P. r. t. has the
popular side Of the argument.
The intention of Congress in imposing
war taxes was or should have been to
distribute the burden upon the person or
interest receiving the income and not on
the source from which it is derived.
That is to say that the stockholders
of the subsidiary companies who are
dra ling incomes ranging from 10 to 70
per cent of their original actual in
vostment in cash should pay their war
taxes out of their huge dividends rather
han force the P. R. T. to pay the taxes
in addition
SO much for the fundamental principle
involved.
But the snag lies in the lease covenants
whereby the P. r. T. operates under the
underlying franchises. These all provide
that the p. r. r. shall pay these annual
incomes. or rentals, tax free, and it
seems necessary for Congress to pre-
scribe in the new revenue act that these
covenants shall he disregarded before
the P. R. T. can pass on the burden.
E,-an tl,. tloxz q. .,ra 4, H., , lou,
suit to test the constitutionality of such
an enactment. OUncrs Of battered stock
hate TO disgorge eren to help make the
Worid safe for democracy. They demand
the ultimate pound of iesh-and blood
money.
What chance is there for the courts
to sustain such a law? Apparently a
lot. Before the litigation is ended we
are likely to hear a great deal about
sacred vested rights and the inviolability
of a contract. Likewise about the invest
ments of widows and orphans whose sole
support comes from these iniquitous I'M
derlying stocks. That is an old story.
1t has been told with sobs and plaintive
ordinations many times during the last
twenty years; in fact, on every occasion
when any attempt has been made to
squeeze the water out of the people Of
Philadelphia have heard it with few
variations.
But here are the facts--a table show
ing the paid-in capital stock, the rentals
which the p. r. T. has to pay yearly
and the percentage Of income Of the
principal underlying companies:
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13
THE D VIEWPOINT
America Must Win
To the Editor OF the Evening Public Led.


To the Editor OF the Evening Public Ledger:
Sir-While I object to the fraszled and
WORKOUT term Of German efficiency one Of
my friends objects more strenuously to 50
much newspaper writing about the Kaiser
stating that our enemy is not the brains, ex-
cept as he may have cast the, evil eye"
over the whole German people. By this time
/ think all understand that the term 'kaiser"
has become, and will remain for all time. q
synonym for evil; the personiication of AMI
evil power which would crush out all hap.|
piness, all that 10 desirable In life for a Tres
people whose monument In history representQ
one whose military necessity knows no IawsI
And these military necessities constitute no
mean monument. from a satanic standpoints
including, as they DO, drowned women 2
children. poisoning with gas fumes or 4o.o0U
heroic soldiers, taken unawares by such qev-
i'ish. 'emcient ana unexpected metnoos %
warfare; bombing OF nurses ana sk'iieo sur
geons as they minister 10 me suHer.ns any
the wounded, ana many horrible atroclties
to Belgian and french wives, sisters, motherS
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13
What Do You Know?

QUIZ
I, where II Hayerfosd College:
2. What II the capital Of France:
5. Name the aWthor Of "Dresm Life"
4. who Il Premier Of Italy?
5. Give the origin Of the name Of kentueks.
6. Wks = head Of the University OF PENN,
yaRis: t
Z. Identify "Ths IAttie Corpsrsi."
9. Whs IL conductor Of the Cincinnati Orchestk
o. Whs was "Ik MaYvel"?
~. what IL Tsmmsay Hsli:
Answers to Yesterdays Quiz
l.. shavlsn. . iitersry disciple Or ds,etss
GessGe Bernard Shaw.
2, william n. Wilson u Secretary Of Lsbod
the Wilson Cabinet.
.. Lafayette University Is located at EssG
re-.
4. General Sir william Robertson. formeriy a
Of ntnn. has been named Commanded
chief Of the home forces In liresft 0VtQ
S. "Piisrin,'s PrsGress' IL BY Sshn Bunya
from ~. birthplace and tr.as.
L ~" word. %s%slns' .%.fssSjss 70 h. W Nh.
.. LeepoIs. siskowski IL ecn3uciSr 81 ~ 3
delphia Orchestra.
shcyt aftesa niles frsia the A9
y. u-issssLi !: "a ssSssvissss tern = ss>e
N XXWe y tt3t
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13

Professor Lomonossoff, al eminen: Men
shevik and head of the Russian railway
mission in this country, created a sensation
during his speech in New York by drinking
milk at the end of each paragraph. 1t is
y long time since the City of Magnificent
excavations has seen anything so simple
and pastoral as a glass of milk.
We don't blame Professor Lomoncssoff
for sniping all thee fresh milk he can get
through his beard. The various factions in
Russia are rocking the boat SO hard that
all the milk in that country turns into whey
before they can drink il.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13

And be those juggling fends no more be.
lieved,
That palter with us in a double sense
And keep the word of promise to our ear
But break 1t to our hope"
said Macbeth. 1t behooves Spain, another
one of whose merchantmen has just been
attacked by a Teuton U-boat; to ponder
these pregnant lines.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13

Those chubby" monarchs. Charley of
Austria and Ferdy of Roumsnia, who are
now so anxious to stick together" are GER
tain TO have their wish more than ~gratiied.
THEY'LL be stuck" for fair when Uncle Sam
moe~ oyer the top.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13

Max Harden says that Germany will not
win the war by requisitioning door knobs.
kitchen utensils and ash cans. Quite true.
Nor yet by .requisitioning all her man-power
and Strengthening It TO amuse the Clown
Prince.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13

No, Madge, dear. the reported struggle
of the Georgians In the Trans-Caucssus' has
nothing to do with the rivalry between At
lanta and Savannah.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13

1t is hard to see any real novelty in the
policy of 'skip-stnps' which the r. Il. T. en-
perts are now considering. That's an old and
sad story at the rush hour.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13

German Sailors WELD Hoes says a
headline. But that scarcely compensates for
the lack of salty "Heave Hos y impossible,
to a fleet that skulks In KEEL.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13
An Invitation to Tirpitz
The British and American Grand Fleet
At Home in the North Sea
Every Afternoon, from three to seven.
To meet Der Tag.
Music and Dancing.
R-S.N.P.

During the last month we have struck
S3.s62 safety matches that wouldn't light.
If they could be taken down to Hog
Island they would furnish timber for quite
a good.sized raft. seaworthy enough TO
ferry the Kaiser to st. Helena.
Did anybody think to show the Mexican
editors our collection of junk in the City
Hall courtyard? We don't know anything
so impressive as the fact that Philadelphia
is so busy with war work that we ha"en't
time to clean up that tangle of old pipes
and beams.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13

The suggestion that American readers
pronounce Disc as Was" is particularly
happy today, when description of the Ger
man advance has to be made mainly in the
hast tense.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13

The new ''Follies'' has opened in At.
lantic City, but the old ones are still ruin
ously running in Berlin.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13
Overdue
A Sunrise

Donnerwetter That second Paris Dime
Is getting cold.-Sayannah News.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13
Settled

The proposal to let
Settled 1900 convicts from the
Eastern Penitentiary
fight in the army has two flaws. The other
two million soldiers might not like It. And
military regulations deny the honor of mill
tary service to men who have served prison
terms for serious offenses.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13

The American Red Cross delegation now
winding up it's relief work in Guatemalh
city will probably soon start overseas. b
main earthquakes in Europe just now.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13

German soldiers were told that the Ameri-
can boys would run, but nothing was said
about the general irection.-Toledo Blade.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13
The Spirit of '7s is also the Spirit of rs

"Tokio's intention" says = news head
line. lis not clear" That means that
Tokio's Intention y clesy.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13
Dust Covered

And what, In the meantime. has become
of Mr.. Trotsky and Mr.. La Toilette ?--Iaead
Ing Telegram
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13
Gentlemen,
BE seated!

why do the cafe
Gentlemen, courtroom boys and
BE Seated! theatre lobby attend
ants long to be in Eu-
rope today We'll, why. Mr.. Tambo p"
Because often the Germans compelled to
take checks don't even get their hats back. :"
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13

Germany's rumored ma
Speaking Of val plans for gaining
German Music the high seas are like
ly to prove as windily
futile as the efforts of her hatulent operate
tenors to reach them.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13

Don't forget that your
Don't for To-day income tax must be
paid by the 18th.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13

The weather man seems to have shame
lessly gone over to the VETS"
The Pascagoula chronicle., 1918-08-10
PUBLICITY AND CRITICISM.

Congress shall make no law =
abridglng the freedom of speech or OF
the press" so reads clause in our
Constitution.
This Is wise provision. The citi
zens of a democracy should at ali
times know Of and be able to criticisc
the management Of their affairs. In.
vestigaton and criticism in the pres
ent war have been of great beneti
In Fastening our preparation by point
ing out errors that have been made
There is no doubt whatever that the
great safeguards in the conduct of the
war are almost unlimited publicity and
the right Of criticism.
We are told that constructive crit
icism Is always welcome, but who Is
to decide what Is constructive? Why
not criticism without the adjective?
Most citizens believe that Universal
Military Training as corrective of
our unpreparedness would have been
constructive, and yet 1t was not adopt
ed. Who can tell, If 1t had been ac-
cepted when first proposed, what the
result would have been on this war!
If we had had more publicity upon
the production of aeroplanes, shipping
and ordnance, the suggestions of think
ing men would unquestIonably have
stimulated the rapldlty with which
these articles were being produced,
and the delays that have occurred
might have been avoided.
There are things the Government
cannot make public, and these the peo-
pie do not ask to know. But in the
main full information concerning the |
progress of preparation can safely be
given to the people. 1t Is the peoples
war; it is a war supported by the peo-
Pile, financially and physically, and
by them should be sought |
and considered.