Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1919-08-27
Railroads a Perplexing Problem.

Railroads Perplexing Problem.
The chaotic condition in this eoun-
try, industrially and commercially,
which has followed in the wake of the
war is causing gravest concern. Prob
lens are pressing themselves upon the
men who are charged with the respon-
sibility of shaping the affairs of the
nation and they grow more and more
perplexing with each passing ,day.
Among these are the railroads. At
first it seemed an~easy matter to dis
pose of them by simply turning the
properties back to their original own
ers, but deficit after deficit had to be
met before conditions made it posi-
BILE for the government to release its
hold on the railroads. The monthly
deficiencies in operating expenses
alone have been met by repeated ap-
preparations from the national treas
ury after the great increase in passen-
ger and freight rates failed to supply
the needed funds.
A large element, the railroad en-
ployees, are clamoring for permanent
government ownership, for they have
fattened under the appropriation-to-
meet-expenses-system. But the people
are having to foot the enormous bills
through the high taxes imposed, to
say nothing of the enormous increase
in transportation charges, which have
had much to do with increasing the
cost of living.
The question now arises as to how
these excessively heavy pay rolls are
to be met when the roads are return
ed to private owners. 1t is believed
that the people will resist any further
increase in rates and that the opera
tives will resist any decrease in pay.
So there you are, face to face with
very perplexing problem. The truth
is, it is costing too much to operate
the railroads, but just how this is to
be reduced we are unable to say.
5e4e*
Moonshine Liquor Unfit to Drink.
If persons adicted to the drink
habit would take a sober, second
thought before purchasing such stuff
as is offered for sale now at exorbi-
tant prices, they would in many cases
resist the temptation and also escape
being practically robbed of their mo-
ney. If we remember correctly, dur
ing the days of the old bar-rooms,
whiskey that was fresh from the dis
tillery, even when pure, was classed
as "green" and unfit to drink. But
it appears now that some persons
drink whatever is offered for sale, re-
gardless of it's age, quality, or what
it is made of. The following from the
Lancaster News should be sufficient
to make those who buy moonshine
liquor sit up and take notice, if you
will pardon the expression:
"Sheriff Hunter hands this to The
News for publication. 1t is from the
Mocksville, N. c., Record: "For sew
eral weeks we have heard it rumored
that olockaders in this section were
making whiskey from corn meal and
stable manure. We have recently
learned that stable manure is being
used extensively now in many parts
of the county to make whiskey. They
say four bushels of meal or corn chops
and eight bushels of stable manure
will make 16 gallons of whiskey that
sells now in the cities at S24 per gal
lon. We have heard that certain dis
tilleries have recently been reported
because the blockaders took manure
from the horse stables of the neigh
bors."
The thought of drinking such con-
coction is positively nauseating. Prob
ably very little whiskey is made of
filthy substances Of any kind, but it
can be depended upon that men who
become so depraved as to operate a
distillery in defiance of law will give
little thought to cleanliness and sani-
tary conditions. They would hardly
employ some one to swat flies about
their unlawful plant.
Cotton Pest Coming This Way.