Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1919-05-14

congress for the private stockholders
IL not yet agreed upon. At least
9700,000,000 is demanded ~ Z first
loan" by the committee representing
the stockholders. They viii demand
higher freight and passenger rates II
further direct subsidies are not made.
In short, the prospect Of private oper-
alton IL expensive to the public treas.
ury.
Senators La Toilette, johnson of
California, Kenyon, Norris, Gore and
one or two others in the upper house
will resist the scheme, in the hope that
the organized railway workers may
create 10 strong a public sentiment
against the bill as to break up the bi.
partisan combination that 10 trying to
rush 1t through. But they do not
think that the public will act In time.
The whole railroad fight may have to
be fought over again from the start,
in another congress. In that event,
however, it will be a fight by organ.
lied labor and the allies of organized
labor to secure both public ownership
and real democratic management OF
the transportation system.
League Of Nations Sure.
League of nations sentiment 10
pretty well measured, in every state
in the Union. and the Republican
senators privately acknowledge that
there ia not the slightest prospect Of
beating that covenant when it II of.
fered for ratification. Probably no
other political issue except the choice
OF a president of the United States
has led to soscareful a canvass of the
voters. precinct by precinct. The at.
firmative majority in almost every
state and city is described az a Land.
slide.
People are reading the text of the
covenant, and are finding it very far
from the ideal constitution Of a league
of the peoples which they hoped the
president would bring home from
Paris. But with all it's weaknesses
and flaws, it still contains an implied
promise that the bulk of government.
tai power on the earth will henceforth
be bound to prevent wars or the TO-
menting of warlike plans. The Amer.
lean people think that this league of
nations will be steadily improved az
the political complexion Of the chief
powers changes for the better, until In
a few years an almost ideal league
will be developed. And In the mean
time this compromise is worth a great
deal.
Soldier Land Plan.
Secretary of the Interior Lane,
speaking at the reconstruction confer.
ence of the National American Won.
an Suffrage association here, said that
his plan for giving ready-made farms
to returned soldiers was not meant to
cover all Of the 25O,OO0,0OO acres of
unused land that might be had. He
wants only 100000 acres in every
state, or just enough in the next three
years to keep up with the growing
population that must be fed. He would
not enter into any competition with
the farmers now at work.
II would take the hundred thousand
acres,'' he said, "and in the center put
model settlement; group those farms
In small lots, in small acreages near
the central settlement, with good
roads from the farm to the church
and the school, with telephones from
the farm to the settlement, with a
man upon the project who could guide
these boys in the change OF crops
that should be had and the kind OF
fertilizer that should be used; and I
would have these farms worked as
nearly as may be along the line OF the
settlements in Denmark, cooperative.
ly selling their product and buying
what they wanted
III we can get this scheme through
we will revolutionize farming in the
United States. The women will have
back fence to talk over and the chill
dren good schools to go to-"
Patent Office Evils.
Uncle Sam has a money-maktn9 in.
st1tution known as the patent office,
which is run on principle worthy of
the most hopeless inmate of an in.
sane asylum. No matter how many
thousands Of dollars are taken in in
fees for the handling of patent bust.
ness, the bureau can not employ one
more clerk, pay a dollar in additional
salary to an expert patent examiner,
nor do any Of the other things neces-
sary to keep business institution on
its feet. 1t must go to congress and
get an act of congress authorizing
each change in the size of the staff or
the promotion Of valuable men on the
payroll.
With a reorganization of the patent
office, and an appropriation OF an ad.
ditional half million dollars-which
would merely be a repayment OF
money paid into the treasury by the
patent ofice-there could be accom-.
plished clearing up Of accumulated
work, Improvement OF the system Of
handling applications, and as 4 result
tho encouragement Of inventive genius
throughout the country. The patent
Office has discouraged many a man
who had good idea; like the old pen.
sion ONCE, It let him grow old while
he waited for action. II congress will
give the patent Office a chance, fol
which it has begged in vain for nearly
hundred years, the United States