The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1921-08-25

WASHINGTON LETTER
By ]. E. JONES.
A CURIOUS TANDEM

The plan to push through relief
for the railroads appears to have
become mixed-up with farmers re-
lief legislation. There is "Bloi's
of twenty-five Senators, whose prin-
cipal concern is to look after every
interest that will help the farmers.
These Senators are members of both
of the old parties. While the Adj
ministration has been pushing leg
islation for a speedy refunding OF
the railway indebtedness, the Sena-
torial group is insisting that the
farmers has been hit harder by the
after-the-war REIMBURSEMENT of prices
than any other group or class in the
country. Some of the Senators have
gone so far as to dispute the railways
in their claims for millions for re
funding" but while most of the
agricultural bloc" are quite willing
to make provision for reasonable
settlements with the railroads they
hold that it is far more important
to provide additional credits to aid
the farmers in marketing their crops
and particularly their. surplus which
has hitherto been shipped to Europe.
The agricultural plan includes de-
mands for law authorizing the de-
posit of $4O,000,000 of federal funds
in farm loan banks, and place on
the Federal Reserve Board in de-
manded. The farmers really Go not
want much, and in fact their petit
tions to Congress have been very
modest, considering the fact that
they represent the countrys great
est basic industry. The "Sneatoria
Bloc" has been standing firm for the
demands Of the farmers, and they
maintain that if the railways must
ride tandem with them, that they
will remain in front saddle. >In
consequence the railways seem great
ly provoked, an dthe advocates of tn
measures to pull their irons out of
the fire are calling the Senatorial
Bloc" by names like that of cob
structionIst," etc. The Interstate
Commerce Committee of the Senate
has closed hearings on the railwa.
funding bill, and as the farmers leg
islation is also before the Senate i.
remains to be seen how much of al
this legislation will find its way to-
wards final passage.
BUYING MOVING
PICTURE STOCK
It may be easy fer some folks t
get rich .'in the MOVIES and one of
the methods towards this kind of
riches is in the sale of moving pic
.ture stock which is being offered t,
investors and gullibles. The wood
are full of fy-by-night promoters
an dexperience shows that Their
stocks and rat-holes possess almos
an equal degree of security.
The moving picture game appears
to be hard one, even for the faith
full. Famous Players Lasky stands
at, or near the Top of the list ans
its stock which sold considerably
above par two years ago is nov
humping along at less than one-hal1
its face value. To be more exac
an investment of sos in October
1919, is now quoted on the marke
at less than $50. Items in the
daily newspapers the first of the
week told of the postponement O.
dividend action by this company de.
spite the fact that dividend was moro
than earned. Adolph Zukor. hea.
fthe company, at the same time,
took out a $5,00O,O0O life insuranc,
policy in the name of the company.
because, it is said that he is the
genius" of the organization-the
same genius under whose direction
the stock has shrunk, and under whose
management the Boss Barnes book
publishing scheme in New York
State was given a boost. Zukor's
insurance policy likely cost the
Famous Players-Lasky company a
pretty penny, and just how the
genius expects TO justify such ex-
penditures of the money he has made
out of his stockholders is not clear.
But luxor has Rodman Wanamaker,
Pierre DUPONT and John Wanamaker
beat in the size of his insurance
policy-and this ought to be COM
forting to even a movie king. Mary
Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and
Charles Chaplin are each insured
for $1,0O0,0O0 in favor of their COM
panies, and when Olive Thomas died
in Paris last year the L. J. Selznick
company collected $1710000 But
they are small "geniuses," since they
are only actors; and no one would
expect their lives to be insured for
lie @l.aA 0f Z,1Eox. I-o ..aoI