The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1921-03-17

couragement, as their salaries are
small, and their futures usually blank,
New Workers are interested in the
fact that Senator Hiram Johnson has
been selected by their mayor to pre-
ven the raising of car fare prices in
that city. Most Of the good lawyers
are said to drift toward New York,
but Senator Johnson has broken pre-
cedents by entering Gotham before his
term has expired in the senate. Per
haps Mayor Hylan thinks: why have
an ex-senator, when here is a real one
fiuttering around waiting, as Mr..
Johnson puts it, TO serve the PEG
pie"
Washington is even more than in
terested, since there are questions OF
vital interest in the capital demand
ing the constant attention of what
Mr.. Harding calls the best minds. >
These questions concern larger rams
%portation issues than are localized in
New York, since the whole railroad
SltudlIol appears " ~ Nop'hliiS -
self because the lines report that they
are 80 per cen below the guaranteed
return on their capital, amounting to
six per cent. Then there is the QueS-
ton as to what we are going to ID
about getting rid Of the war, that is
to come up in the new administration
The League of Nations, the merchant
marine. tariffs, all can wait. There
are ten thousand other cities besides
New York working on public utility
problems, and the majority of the poll
ticians have already learned that what
the people want is simply ~eVen-handed
Justice for their utilities: readjusting
the operating and financial processes
where the reason exists, to fit the new
conditions that have reshaped our en-
tire economic processes.
Senator Johnson may have good rea-
son for leaving his public duties at
this time. but the things that have
been said about Judge lands are mild
compared to the criticism that is heard
in Washington about the Californian.
The new cabinet does not differ
much from former selections made by
new presidents, because it contains
perhaps two wise statemen who are
regarded as equal to the great tasks
before them. Then there are personal
friends who have been rewarded, and
neither prophets nor sons of prophets
can tell what their finish Will be.
Next in order are two or three clever,
astute politicians, and the usual
dark horses" When Woodrow WI
son first picked his cabinet the news
papers of his party printed Mandatory
stories which read just like those that
are printed today about the cabinet
Of President-elect Harding. But a
strictly candid. unbiased opinion,
would have to be content with con
Guiding that the new cabinet gives
splendid promise for the best results,
with the qualifications that as a whole
the personnel may reveal in time,
SOIilt StIlouS ld"S. i VI HVIl''If 'i'
men are all we'll known to Washing
ton. and they will have the help and
support of all officials and people of
any importance.
The coinage Of silver dollar IS be-
ing resumed at the Philadelphia mint.
the first that have been put into cir
culation since 1905. In 1913 the Pit
man act fixed 800 an ounce as the
price at which the purchases Of liver
should be made. The price of silver
in the open market now is about sixty
cents an ounce. Treasury officials
state that about $50. 600, 900 silver dol
lars will be coined-enough so that
everybody will have some Of them.
The congress will adjourn without
passing the soldiers bonus bill and
various reasons-most of which are
pure "stand-offs," have been given by
members of congress. It is evident
that 1t Is not the intention Of con
gross to put through this legislation.
Presumably the opposing forces are
strong enough to tire out the cham
pions of these bills: and they are
relying on the hope that as time goes
on the pressure back of the bills will
become less and less.