Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1920-05-17
bRYANHAS DEM
OCRATS SCARED
Washington Believes he Will
Force Prohibition
Plank in Plat
form.
NEEDS OF RAILROADS
Senate Excited Over du-
Points Making Dye
Stuffs.
NEEDS OF RAILROADS
nv 7. r. JONES.

Cleopatra vamped Anthony they were
wont to wander through the streets,
and note the qualities of people" In
those early days of which Brer.
Shakespeare wrote there was not as
much difference in people as now,
and if the drama depicted by Theda
Bara decked in her Scant costume,
gives us a correct line or Cleopatra
we will have to assume that the dress
making profession was usually on a
strike, and that the cops were not max
ing any arrests for abbreviated ward
robe effects. But the qualities of
people, were not so varied then as
now, for those were the early days
when Antony hoisted his glass and COM
banded Fill our bowls once more :
let's mock the midnight bell" And
Theda Bara leads us to believe that
Cleopatra would lift her bowl, and
defy midnight bells by dancing all
night till broad daylight.
Quality in bowls excites he ma
TONS politics, and it is said that Mr..
Bryan will force a prohibition plank
in the national democratic platform.
In consequence he has bourbon demo-
Gratis s~quealling with rage that 1.-The
shirt of Nessus is upon me-" because
they do not want prohibition in their
platform. And they would duck, it IT
they could. The issue, in the opinion
OF Democrats at the capital, evidently
cannot be side stepped and there is, in
consequence, gloom in the bowls" CT
the politicians.
Making Railroads Function.
There is Il determination in official
n,,l ~, s1r,o~ A N uo,,ant ripnlnc TN Oat
the railroads Of the country up-tO-date.
That is the reason why there has been
so much talk in Washington about q
half billion dollar treasury loan to the
railroads for the immediate purchase
Of cars and engines in order to relieve
the serious equipment shortage. Sena-
tor Cummins convened Il conference be-
tween the interstate commerce commit
tee of the senate and representatives
Of the leading New York financial in
stitutions at which expert investment
advice was solicited as to the capacity
OF the market to absorb new railroad
securities.
Telegraph appeals to Washington for
more freight cars, coming from farm
els, livestock r~aisers, lumbermen and
other western agricultural interests
have been received by members OF con-
gfess, the interstate commerce commits
sion, and the car service commission
This has been supplemented by per-
s0nal visits Of grain and livestock men
who have come to Washington from
the middle west to personally appeal
to Senator Cummins, and Chairman
llscll of the house committee. The
shippers are insistent that the alarm
ing shortage OF cars, which has existed
for Il long period, shall be cared for.
They say that there will be heavy loss
.es during the coming crop moving sea
son on account of Il lack OF cars to
handle their products. At the Wash
ington conference it developed that
the turning over Of car n locomotive
plants for the manufacture of wal ma
terials has resulted in a three years
shortage Of orders for the new equip
ment, which is estimated at 225,OOO
freight cars, 1000 passenger cars ana
1920 locomotives. Railroad execu-
tiyes estimate that nearly One-half OF
these requirements must be met TINS
year. The estimated cOst Of new equip
ment needed to make up the total war
deficiency is 3OO,O0O,OOO Of which
the estimated cost of the minimum
1920 requirements is $61O,OOO,OOO.
Railroads and Wall Street.
Under the theory Of the old time
political cumpaigners the railroads and
Wall street controlled the country ana
worked hand in hand. There must
have been some mistake about this,
since now, in their dire need, there Is
no investment money available IN the
great financial districts Of the country
for the weaker railroads. The stronger
railroad companies who have placed
their orders for $140,OOO,OOO worth Of
new rolling stock and equipment have
beer warned by the investment bank
crs that the market will not absorb
more than 500, 100000 additional OF
their securities. These loans in the
market are costing seven and one-half
Per cent to eight per cent. OF h $500
uOO,OUO fund in the transportation act,
only $25O,O0O,OW is available for new
capital expenditures, and half OF this
is needed for additions and better
mglts, leaving only 1925 100000 for
e1uipment. If maturities OF weaker
roads have to be met from this fund,
the balance for equipment will be even
less.
According to information received by
Senator CumminS 1t appears that the
builders Of cars and engines will not
lie able to make any material deliver
les until late in the crop moving sea
son, and that the bulk OF the equip
ment will be delivered in 1927.
The Dye Industry.
That the senate sometimes get eXcit-
ed very easily was emphasized by the
amount of surplus conversation occa-
stoned by the alleged discovery that
the duPonts we're attempting to corner
the American dye market, to h ex-
clusion of all future German cOmpetl-
tien. 1t would seem that almost since
the age of man began we have been
told that the only people In the world
who could make dye stuffs were the
Germans. The duPOnts, with a gen
nine determination TO utilize thelr
great munition plants for the purposes
of peace, have about worked out u per-
manent solution of the dye industry
that will leave us free from German
domination or dependence. a year or
two ago this sort Of thing was nero
islnin industry" All of a sudden some
of the senators get excited about II
and BECOME fearsome lest the duPonts