The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-10-20

1 but now that the lines have been re turned to the owners of the property 1t is plain to see that governmen ownership is not comparable to tn, old way.
 The board of directors of the South ern Railway in it's annual report tc the stockholders whose meeting wa. held recently in Richmond, sum marizes briefly the result of the lasr year of federal operation. On the physical side "the standards of maintenance established during the i antebellum period had not been kept up." In roadway there was "conspic. uous lack of rail and tie renewals, but when this is said it is fair to add that the roadway of the busy main lines remained in good condition.
 On the financial side the property was turned back with an empty treas ury, "so that the company was com- pelled to earn it's first pay roll, due four weeks later." But the company faces the future with a spirit of optimism. The fu- ture is indeed full of promise. Bet terments will have to be made grad ually as capital becomes available, but in reasonable time the work of upbuilding will be well in evidence.
 The Southern has done wonderfully we'll in developing the territory which it traverses. It has fostered many industries and especially has it as- sisted materially in developing the ag- ricultural resources of the south. The company, while adding to the wealth of the south, will be recouping it's for tune. A broad and energetic policy will pay all round.
 A Missouri school teacher IS years old "hipped six of her pupils for tearing down picture of Harding. small de- nation should be made from the demo- cratic campaign fund to buy those young sters peanuts and candy.
 Secret correspondence of the League to Enforce Peace. recently made public. throws great deal of light on the way prominent republicans stand on the League of Nations.
 While the consumption of liquor by congressmen has not passed unnoticed the charge that some of them may be in volved in whisky ring is shocking to one's sensibilities.
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 Since Harding is not elected, and may not be. it's trifle early for the French government to take him into it's confi- dence.
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 A British viscount. aged T, will marry a barber's assistant. If he has any fe- male relatives the young woman is due to receive vigorous snubbing.
 E * < rid of inefficient workmen. It will soon be hard for a man to draw v or 8 a day without earning it. When an English mob shows no respect for the sacred precincts of Downing street things are in bad way.
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 Search for the missing link" will be resumed in Asia. That's the logical place to look.
 The memoirs of Edwin Box should be read with interest. Most of the women in America have at one time or another written him a letter.
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 MT. Iris Speaker is as admirable In the baseball world as MT. Ed Cicotte is 
 Chairman White says the republican party is on the down grade. As an op- timist. Mir. White is without superior.
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 Cuba is to be granted financial relief. We understand the hotelkeepers of Ha- vana are not worried about finances.
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 Hi Johnson says he was casualty of the last republican party convention" !" by the Senate oligarchy." Forty costumes of a musical comedy seized at Atlantic City hardly filled q suit case. Evidently a show fer the tired business man.
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 Highway robbers have found Birming- ham happy hunting ground Y *N E The quality of Birmingham's balloon