The Lamar register. [volume], December 01, 1915, Image 1

About The Lamar register. [volume] (Lamar, Colo.) 1889-1952

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The Lamar Register
VOLUME XXX.
SETTING EXAMPLE
Democratic National Administration
Teachew Business Dishonest} by
Its Flagrant Abuse of Book
keeping Rules
In the past month the government
has had a number of young business
men arrested for the crime of obtain
ing credit through falsifying their
accounts by transferring items in
their liability account over to their
assets, thus showing a solvent con
dition when in reality they were in
solvent. These men as a defense have
called attention to the fact that they
are only doing in their private af
fairs what Secretary McAdoo of the
treasury department and son-in-law of
the president has done in the nation’s
busincss affairs and with the sanction
of the president. On September 3t'
the books of the treasury department
were closed with a balance of ap
proximately forty million dollars,
showing an alarming decline of forty
five millions since the beginning of
the fiscal year on July 1. Next morn
ing though, on October 1, the nooks
were opened showing a favorable bal
ance of $128,000,000. This was ac
complished by the simple device of
taking items which had for years
been carried in the liabilities and
amounting to over forty millions out
of that column and placing them in
the assets. Secretary McAdoo calls
this a judicious change in improving
the department’s bookkeeping, but
they are arresting the poor young
men who attempted to improve their
bookkeeping methods in the same way.
That dishonesty doesn’t pay is being
demonstrated to the administration
now, for this forced balance is dis
appearing so rapidly now that it is
almost down to the September 30
figures again, and Mr. McAdoo now
has to resort to the disagreeable ne
cessity of withdrawing some of the
funds he so generously presented free
of interest charges to his southern
banking friends.
Enterprise Not Checked
President Wilson is so accustomed
to dealing in vague rhetoric in dis
cussion of domestic affairs, avoiding
all concrete illustrations, that his po
litical opponents have been at some
thing of a disadvantage. It is diffi
cult to answer a prose poem with
tables of statistics. But by inadver
tence, the president ocasionally makes
a specific statement. In a speech some
time ago he said: "For twenty years
enterprise in this country has been
checked.” The Globe-Democrat at the
time mustered an array of outstand
ing facts in refutation of the asser
tion. Now comes Jonathan Bourne,
who specializes on such subjects, with
a formidable showing of figures glean
ed from statistical abstract prepared
under direction of that world famed
champion of efficiency, William C.
Redfield, secretary of commerce.
Mr. Bourne shows by these figures
that in 1895 we had a population of
twenty-three to the square mile, while
in 1914 it had increased to thirty
three. The national wealth in 1915
was slll7 per capita, while in 1912
it was $1965. During the same per
iod the national debt decreased from
sl3 per capita to $10.41, although we
had in the meanwhile fought the
Spanish-American war and built the
Panama canal. The per capita of
money in circulation increased from
$23.24 in 1895 to $34.35 in 1914. The
clearings grew from fifty-one billions
in 1895 to one hundred and sixty-four
billions in 1914, over 200 per cent
increase, although the population in
creased but 43 per cent. The individ
ual deposits in national banks, sav
ings banks, trust companies and pri
vate banks increased during the same
period 350 per cent.
The annual per capita exports of
merchandise more than doubled, the
total wheat crop practically doubled
the cotton production more than doub
led, coal production trebled, pig-iron
production more than doubled and the
sugar production trebled. During the
same nineteen years the annual rail
THE PIONEER NEWSPAPER OF PROWERS COUNTY
LAMAR, PROWERS COUNTY, COLORADO. WEDNESDAY. DEC. 1, 1915.
’ way passenger tralfic increased 100
per cent and freight traffic 200 per
cent. The gross revenue of the postal
service increased nearly 300 per cent.
What would not this country havt
done during those twenty years if en
terprise luid not been “checked?”—
Globe-Democrat.
Discredited
The Underwood law was discredited
in peace, and war has changed the
situation of commerce and business.
The end of the military struggle will
still further alter our circumstances.
Already the lessons ure written for
those with sufficient wit to learn them.
The menace of an industrial struggle
of unprecedented intensity is over
our manufacturers and merchants,
their workers and all who are depend
ent on them. Has Mr. Wilson recog
nized it, or is he blind to the danger
on the one hand and insensible to the
wonderful opportunity on the other '.’
With a tariff adjusted to its needs
and its situation, with schedules de
signed to meet the facts of business,
and not the economics of the hustings,
the United States can regard with
confidence the assaults industrial
Europe will launch when it stops kill
ing its men; but with the Underwood
law in force, this nation will be at
the mercy of the most skillful ami
desperate competitors the world has
ever known.—New York Sun.
President and the Republicans
The announcement of the Presi
dent’s purpose to consult with re
publicans regarding his plan for na
tional defense indicates a change iu
, his attitude almost as great as that
shown by his shift on the question of
! military preparedness. It is only ten
months ago that Mr. Wilson went to
| Indianapolis and made his Jackson
Day speech. His utterances then dem
onstrated his opinion that the repub
| lican party merited no consideration
; whatever in national affairs. He de
j dared the party to be* a “covert and
a refuge for those who are afraid.”
1 Is that why he is now turning to the
i republican party ? la he afraid that
his belated conversation to prepared
ness cannot be imposed upon the
party in congress and is he therefore
turning to the republican party as “a
covert and a refuge.”
At Indianapolis, last Jonuary, Pres
ident Wilson assured a partisan meet
ing which he there addressed that
“this country is not going to use any
party that cannot do continuous and
consistent team work.” The democratic
party is showing that it cannot do
this. Bryan, Kitchin, Bailey, Fitz
gerald and others, on one subject or
another, are at odds with the Presi
dent. Though commanding a majority
in both House and Senate, the Pres
ident cannot bring his party to work
with him on the vital question of na
tional defense. “Continuous and con
sistent team work” is no longer a
democratic characteristic, and this
country is not going to use that party
any more.
It is rumored that the White House
has picked the democratic candidates
for New Jersey next year. A Mr.
Katzenback is to run for Senator and
a certain Judge Haight for governor.
This is certainly kind of Mr. Wilson
to relieve his party of all trouble in
the matter of nominations—but sup
pose his party should insist on mnking
the nominations for itself!
Entirely Too Enthusiastic
i A big revival is in progress at
Evansville. Indiana, and one of the
new converts got so happy and en
thusiastic the other night that he bit
I off the ears of the two fellow con
, verts nearest him. This is certainly
carrying fervency in the cause too far.
Religion is a good thing within rea
sonable bounds, but most of us don’t
care to swap loose fragments of anat
omy’ for it.
IT REFLECTS SEVERAL REFLEC
TIONS
Chiefly that the Country Must Get
Back to a Sound Basis Through
Protection
“Duty-free imports comprise 71.6
per cent of the total imports for
September, 1915, and 61 per cent of
those of September, 1914. Their in
creased percentage this year reflects
the marked growth in imports of
factory’ materials, mostly • the free
list.” —Athens (Tenn.) Athenian.
This is quoted from the advancc
statement of our September trade. I
issued by the Department of Com- 1
merer.
A great many other things arc re
flected in that paragraph. It also
reflects the marked growth in im
ports of meat and dairy products,
farm products generally, fish, etc.,
which ure coining in free of duty. But
it does not reflect any decrease in Un
cost of living. The reason why th»
average rate of duty on all imports
for the past year hovers between 11
and 12 per cent is reflected therein,
which, in turn, reflects the reason
why the a<lministration would like to
filch republican plumage and restore
sugar, wool ami other articles to re
publican rates, with the declaration
that it is “primarily for revenue,
with incidental protection." and this
sudden conversion reflect.- the ap
proach of a campaign year. It re
flects so much that it gives a good
cause for reflection, and that is ex
actly what the American people ure
doing today. The result of that re
flection will find Uncle Sam in 1917.
r»*ady for the gong to sound which
announces the beginning of the bat
tle royal for commerced supremacy
that is scheduled to ta place with
the cessation of war. iT means the
return of the Federal government to
a sound business basis, and that means
the restoration of the republicans to
power. You can’t stop ’em!
Duty-free goods continue to pour in
to this country. The value of imports
for the week ending October 9, 1915,
at the thirteen principal customs dis
tricts of the United States was $32,-
.”.64,630, on which duty was collected
to the amount of $.”.,691,113, or an
average ad valorem of 11.4 per cent
compared with the annual average ad
valorem of 17.6 per cent for the fiscal
year of 1913, under the republican
tariff law, a law which gave ade
quate protection to American indus
tries and labor, and handed the demo
cratic party a handsome treasury sur
plus with which to begin business.
Democratic inefficiency and extrava
gance have changed that surplus into
a large deficit. Foreign producers
ure reaping the benefits of a Free-
Trade tariff law, and Secretary Mc-
Adoo is at his wit’s end to devise
methods of patching up the leaks in
the treasury reservoir. Meanwhile the
cost of living does not decrease, as
was promised by the democrats.
Uncle Sam’s Expensive Lottery
Imprisonment is the legal penalty
for conducting a lottery however fair
ly it may be managed. An individual
would soon find himself in trouble
who would announce a grand drawing
for 700 prizes, tickets one dollar each,
30,000 tickets to be sold. Such an act
is supposed to be harmful to those
engaging therein, and this harm is
further supposed to more than coun
terbalance whatever benefit the prize
winners may obtain.
This being the case, what excuse is
there for the United States Govern
ment conducting a lottery .’ f*i No
vember 4, a drawing was held >n
North Dakota at wljich 700 j rii.es
were distributed to as many more or
less lucky winners. There wer * 29,-
861 losers. The prizes ware home
stead sites in an Indian reservation
thrown open to settlement. No tick
ets were sold at one dollar each to
players v.ho could then n*r iri at
home and g » ahead with their regular
occupation v.hi.e awaiting the result
of the drawing. Only an immoral
concern like the old Louisiana Lot
tery Company would run matters
that way.
No tickets were sold. The par
ticipants had but to pay railroad fare
to Minot, Bismark or Plaza, where
the land offices are located. There
they could register free of charge and
wait for the drawing. In addition to
railroad fare, they lost whatever their
time was worth. In some cases, this
was several weeks. The losers are
worse off us a result than if they had
been allowed to play the Louisiana
lottery.
The worst feature of it all is that
the proceeding was unnecessary.
There is much more than enough un
used land in the United States to fur
nish better homesteads to all who
want them than is in this reservation.
Hut the United States Government
I and all the state governments insist
on encouraging the owners of unused
land to keep on holding it out of use.
Then, having done so much to render
• the people landless, the government
I offers them a gambler’s chance at
more than an ordinary gambling risk
to acquire a home. To call such a
• policy discreditable is to state the case*
mildly.—Salina Union.
Odd Bits of News
Can Francisco, Cal.—Thomas Thorn
ton, a carpenter, nailed his feet to
the floor in church in an effort at self
crucifixion. Thornton doesn’t feel
any pain because, he says, he has the
faith. I’hysicians say he is a relig
ious fanatic, and his diseased hrnin
makes him immune from pain.
Clinton, Md.—Delmar Gentry and
wife have the smallest baby ever born
in Missouri. At birth it weighed 16
ounces, and was placed in a quart
cup. At two weeks old, it measured
12 inches in height. An ordinary band
ring will slip over the hand of the
baby and up to its shoulder. It is
healthy and thriving.
Hammond, Ind. —Two minutes be
fore Riley lane died, a noise was
heard at the door, and when opened
Dobbins, Lane’s old horse, walked in-!
to the room and stood at the bedside r
until his master died.
London, England—lard Charlemont
eighth viscount of the Irish noble fain- 1
ily of his name, is to join the Tin-!
platers' union. He has been working :
in a munition factory earning from
6 to sl7 a week and, having learned
his trade, wants to join the trades-;
union.
Whaddaya Mean
The Pueblo Chieftain's headlines J
the othc r morning announced that
"Dr. Smith’s Pioneer Wife Dies.” Can
it he possible that the Doctor has :
such a predilection for matrimony that
his earlier “ventures” are spoken of
as pioneers?
Tut! Tut! Mr. Wilson
Last Friday's associated press dis
patches contained the information that
President Wilson cancelled his
Thanksgiving day date with Mrs.
Galt ami spent the day with his type
writer. Evidently he is enjoying his
freedom while it lasts.
Still in the Ring
Before starting to Washington to
aguin take up his temporarily inter
rupted duties as a congressman,
“Uncle Joe” Cannon gave a big dance
to his neighbors and constituents. The
liveliest man on the floor was the
seventy-eight year “young” states
man himself. The majority in con
gress will soon discover that he is
still some live-wire.
Country Saved
At last our people with a great
sigh of relief feel assured that the
country' is no longer in danger—at
least for a short breathing spell. No
longer will the citizens go about their
daily vocations with bated breath fear
ful that the government will not last
the day out; no longer will they lie
awake nights oppressed with terror
lest the country go to the demnition
bow-wows while they sleep. Eddie
Keating is back in Washington ready
to assume the guidance of the gov
ernment, while our president, bowed
down by great cares, goes courting.
NUMBER 27.
SHOULD STRENGTHEN NATION
AL GUARD
Lite Proposed Continental Army Will
Be impossible to Recruit
Heads of the Colorado National
Guard declare that the plan of Presi
dent Wilson and the Secretary of
War for a Continental Army of 400,-
UOU citizens to be enlisted during the
next three years and trained for na
tional defense in case of emergency
is doomed to failure.
Like the National Guard ollicers of
40 other slates and territories who
heard the first otlicial details of the
administration Continental Army
pian at the recent San Francisco con
vention, the Colorado militia heads
say the plan is impractical.
1 heir opinion is nut based on any
desire to hamper the national ad
ministration, and they would endorse
any other practical plan submitted,
but all are skeptical about the Con
tinental Army.
These ollicers believe that the Con
tinental Army would be an unwieldy
mass of recruits, which could not be
assembled at the rate of 133,000 u
year nor kept in training for two
months each year for a period of three
years. Ami where, they ask, will the
government provide the necessary
staffs of ollicers to handle the train
ing of such a mass of men, provided
the recruits could be kept together
for thut long?
It is pointed out that the war de
partment is now using 3,200 officers
and spending $3,000,000 to keep up
our present comparatively small
standing army and securing new re
cruits.
As far as recruiting the Continental
Army is concerned, Colorado militia
officers point to the popular indiffer
ence toward recruiting even in the
Nationul Guard of this state and al
most every other state. “This pres
ent apathy on the part of the public
to their duties to their country and
state Is deplorable, but it exii ta nev
ertheless,” says one prominent of
ficer of the Colorado National guard.
“Every young man in Colorado
should have the training which the
Guard offers —the training which
would enable him to answer his coun
try’s call in case of attack by a for
eign nation. It is a duty not only of
patriotism and state pride, but one
fundamentally of self-interest.
“But regular army and National
Guard officers everywhere know the
recruiting problems and the difficul
ty** of their solution. How then can
th' national adminiiitrution hope to
assemble 400,000 recruits for three
years and transform them into de
pendable soldiers with the facilities
at hand ? The logical alternative is
the strengthening of the National
Guard.”
Nothing Matters Now
The daily papers of Sunday an
nounced that President Wilson and
Mrs. Galt .->at for an hour in the rain
at the football game and didn’t mind
it : bit. They were probably holding
hands and didn’t know it was raining
—it works that way the first time, at
least.
Our Citizens Slighted
All Colorado is up in arms over the
insult Henry Ford has offered to
Alma Lafferty and Pearl Jolly in not
inviting them to go along on that
“peace or bust” trip. Ye gods; Think
of it! A free trip und free board and
those patriots not invited. They defy
anyone to show w’herc any freak in
the crowd has anything on them.
Getting Wise
Henry Ford, who at first thought he
could get a lot of free advertising out
of taking a menagerie of freaks over
to Europe to talk peace, is beginning
now to soberly consider the question
and ponder over what may happen to
him when he puts them on exhibit
over there. Consequently he has now
decided not to land but to have them
talk to foreign statesmen by win
less. With that ship having Bennie
Lindsey, Helen Ring Robinson and
Jane Addams all on board wandering
around over seas, the German sub
marines have a wonderful opportunity
to prove they are really worth while
and that Germany is truly our friend.