The Tacoma times. [volume], February 12, 1913, Page 4, Image 4

About The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949

Image provided by: Washington State Library; Olympia, WA

                
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.Tlaua Pah. C*. Kv«*T Kvenlu* Bxceßt Sunday.
"HONEST OLD ABE"
HONESTY IS THE LESSON THAT THE LIFE OF LINCOLN SHOULD
TEACH US.
One hundred and four years ago today there was born America's great
est son, Abraham Lincoln. "Honest Abe" his friends back in Illinois called
him when he was a lad working hard with his hands for his daily bread.
"Honest old Abe" it was when with bursting heart and clear head he led
this country through the hell of fraternal strife. And "Honest old Abe" he
was when, lying dead with God's peaceful smile on his rugged face, a great
nation dropped its tears into his grave.
Honesty is the quality that makes the world hold in reverence the name
of Abraham Lincoln.
Honesty is the lesson that the life of Lincoln should teach us.
Honesty is the virtue for the lack of which we are suffering most of
our evils today.
As a boy Lincoln walked weary miles after a hard day's work to make
right the little matter of a mistake in change. He did not have two standards
of morality—one for his friends, and one for his customers. Greed never led
him to short-weigh his sugar, to adulterate his butter, to enslave little chil
dren, to employ men and women at starvation wages, to water values.
America needs to look at the example of Lincoln! Our great land needs
honesty in its business!
As a lawyer Lincoln said: Discourage litigation. Persuade your
neighbor to compromise whenever you can. Point out to him how the nomi
nal winner is often a real loser in fees, expenses and waste of time." A law
yer discouraging litigation!
As a politician Lincoln was honest! "I have no other ambition so great
as that of being truly esteemed of my fellowmen b}- rendering myself wor
thy of their esteem!"
As a president Lincoln never grew conceited. He never felt that he was
wiser than the people that elected him. Amidst experiences that would
shake the faith of any but the stoutest heart, Lincoln tittered the words
engraved on every school boy's hearts
"That government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not
perish from the earth."
Honest to himself, honest to the people, honest to God, was Abraham
Lincoln. And even as honesty is the essence-of democracy, so was Lincoln
the great democrat.
Lincoln fought and died that black slavery might be erased from our
land. He felt the danger to coming generations of the subtle poisons of
cruelty and injustice.
Today we are suffering from the effects of increasing industrial slavery.
The same invidious poisons are creeping into our national life.
Knowing these dangers, let us thank God for the life and ideal of Abra
ham Lincoln.
Shakespeare hit the nail on the head when he said:
"To thine own self be true;
And must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man."
Lincoln was true to himself. And his neighbors called him "Honest
Abe."
Is there a greater praise than this!
THE MOTHER'S PENSION
The Scripps papers feel proud today because their campaign to secure the
enactment of a mothers' pension bill has begun to bear fruit. The Tacoma
Times, the Seattle Star and the Spokane Press early last fall began to advo
cate a law that would help destitute mothers. Progressive legislators took the
matter up, and progressive legislators saw to it that the measure was intro
duced in the legislature.
The mothers' pension bill passed the house yesterday.
It marks a new era in legislative enactment in Washington. As passed,
the bill provides $15 a month for every destitute mother with a child, with $5
a month additional for each additional child.
The bill is intended to assist mothers who have been deserted or left by
death with a family on hand, to keep them together and give them the care
essential to make good future citizens of the state.
It is not what many advocates of a mother's pension desire, but it is a
starter. The charity feature is repugnant to many who are the most ardent
advocates of a motherhood pension. They object to a mother being compelled
to practically announce herself a pauper before she can be paid by the state
for rearing citizens for the state.
The real mothers' pension is one that will give to every mother payment
from the state no matter what her conditions. A lot of the real tragedies in
the homes of Washington are found where parents are of such temperament
they never would apply to the state for a pension if it carried with it an
acknowledgment of destitution.
But the present bill is a starter and may open the way for more.
LISTER IS RIGHT
The people will back Governor Lister in his order to the politicians in
state institutions to get back to their tents.
One of the patent evils of legislation in every state in the Union is the
lobbying of politicians in state institutions. The penitentiary officials rally
in the legislative corridors and demand legislation to better their political
conditions, university heads get busy and fight in the state capital over their
appropriations, state institutions generally are embroiled in a general pie-cut
ting scramble to the detriment of the institutions themselves and the scandal
izing of the commonwealth. ,
Lister is right. If the state employes do not stay at home and tend to
business fire them. If the legislature wants any assistance it will call for it
all right.
The governor makes it plain he wants the officials to give all possible
information desired by the legislators. But he does not intend to stand for
the "official visitors" swarming to Olympia to impress legislators with the
things state employes want to get through to better their political pull.
For changing presidents poor Mexico
has almost as good a record as the base
ball manager who is always changing
his line-up to win the pennant.
Of course you can't blame George
Lee for coming right out in opposition
editorial Page of Cfie Cicoma €imes
to municipal ownership. George won't
be in the public service very much
longer.
The Balkan war seems to have
dropped off the map a bit since these
friendly difficulties broke up house
keeping in Old Mexico.
THE TACOMA TIMES
IF ADAM HAD HALF A CHANCE
Repartee.
At a dinner party In London,
at which several distinguished
medical men, including Sir Win.
Gull, were present, the conversa
tion happened to turn upon the
subject ofquackery, and Sir Will
iam expressed his conviction that
a certain amount of it was essen
tial to success in practice, ad
ding: "It is an example of the
old saying, 'Populus vult declpl"
—people like to be deceived."
"Quite so!" said the host. "Now
can any one present give an Eng
lish equivalent to that?"
"Nothing easier!" remarked
the Manchester physician. "The
public like to be Gulled."
"Beeleysport has Hi' kind of
streets that never would livae ter
be repaired ef it wuzn't fer,t|»"
hotel bus usin' them."
——————— -jan
She—No; I simply could not
marry a poor man. ,•; m
He—But I'm not a poor man.
She— but you soon would
be if I married you. o*!
Of Connie. ' IJS
"Oh, papa!" exclaimed the
young glj-1, "that pretty plant I
had setting on the piano is dead!"
"Well, I don't wonder," was
all the father said. ..- -'^]
I—|
FOXY LAD HER $EAU IS, EH, WHAT?
"Pa Is getting cross." sighed
the dear girl, "so we must listen
or he may pop in and catch us
spooning."
"We should worry!" smiled
the youth. "I fixed up a little
i
He Jx-ft at Once.
The N. T Tribune tells of a
man who called on a girl In Fort
Scott recently. The couple talked
soft and low and when the young
man looked at his watch It was
in the small hours of the morn
ing. Feeling rather embarrassed,
he asked:
"Doesn't your father object to
my staying late?"
"Oh, no," returned the girl, 'he
says it serves me right for being
at home when you call.
Looked Susr.ii ions.
A banker In central Kentucky
was in the habit of wearing his
hat a good deal during the busi
ness hours, as in summer the flies
used his bald pate for a parade
ground and in winter the cold
breezes swept over its polished
surface. A negro workman on
the railroad each week presented
a check and drew his wages, and
one day, as he put his money in
a greasy wallet, the banker said:
"Look here, Alone, why don't
you let some of that money stay
in the bank and keep an account
with us?"
The darkey leaned toward him,
and, with a quizzical look at tne
derby the banker wore, answered,
confidentially:
"Boss, I'se jes' afeared. You
look like you was always ready to
start somewheres."
Modern Progress.
Kelr Hardie, the English par
liamentarian, tossed back his
thick white mane of hair, strok
ed his white beard, and said In
broad Scotch accent to a New
York reporter:
"The rise In world wages has
been great, but the rtse In world
prices has been greater. We
have had progress, but it has been
progress in the wrong direction.
"A tourist was traveling In
your Far West. As he Inspected
an Indian encampment, he said
'to his cowboy guide:
" 'And are these Indians pro
gressing?' '
' 'Betcher life,' the cowboy an- (
awered, taking a fresh chew of to- '
toacco. 'Betcher life they're pro- (
pressing. All their medicine men '
jare patent-medicine men now.' "
arrangement— '
"That wifl completely put him f
off his guard when he comes 1
prying around." And then it «
worked like a charm—eg you
can see. <
FATHER AGAINST SON IN MAYORALITY FIGHT
Gray-Haired Doctor, Condemning
Political Character of Hon He
Has Disowned, Enters Fight to
Save Oily From ."His Own
Blood.
TERRE HAUTE, liid., Jan. 12.
—"Would you, sir, recommend a
man for mayor of this city who
had betrayed his own father? No,
sir, you would not, and neither
will I, even though he be my
own son.
And the portly, gray-haired
man who Is known In Terre
Haute as Dr. W. H. Roberts, a
pioneer physician, brought his
fist down on his desk with a
thunderous thump that made
the Inkwell jump and the pens
clatter to the floor.
The old doctor has Just thrown
his hat into the ring, with a
platform of law enforcement, to
gether with the initiative, refer
endum and recall, and other pro
gressive principles.
His "own blood" Is Dorm Rob
erts, political lieutenant to Craw
ford Fairbanks, the biggest
brewer in Indiana, who has mil
lions invested in big corpora
tions.
Fairbanks became boss of the
county administration at the
last election through the work of
his lieutenant, who is democratic
county chairman, and is known
over the state as a shrewd poli
tician.
' Roberts, jr., has announced
that he is going to get the dem
ocratic nomination for mayor at
the spring primaries.
"I am for a wide-open town,
but I will throttle the big cor
porations which now boss the
city," he says.
So the millionaire brewer is
depending on Roberts, jr., again,
and that aspiring politician on a
platform professing to be against
corporation rule is going to try
to carry out the wishes of the
owner of one of the city's biggest
corporations, a brewery.
Several years ago, "Old Doc
tor" Roberts, with a fortune at
his back estimated at $200,000,
started in to make the apple of
his eye a celebrity in the en
gineering world. Young Dorm
was graduated from Rose Poly
technic at Terre Haute with high
honors. He became a contractor
on public work, and at one time
was city engineer.
He lost scads of money, and
liis fond father supplied more.
Then he promoted 1 a traction line
which has never been built, but
which took many dollars out of
the pockets of investors, and
finally hopelessly involved Rob
erts, jr., again.
Failure In engineering endeav
ors swamped him vith debts.
The old doctor came to his res
cue time and again, for more
How Dog Made Get-
Away
Pardonable Curiosity.
The country bad never looked
more beautiful. It was the hey
day of sununer, and the setting
sun glided the roses and glinted
on the tiny panes beneath the old .
thatched roof. „
Little Willie, who was a town
bred boy, and had never before
visited the country, occupied an
old-fashioned stool beside the
farmer's wife, marveling at all
around him.
By «nd by the good lady began
to pluck a chicken that was de
stined for the next day's dinner,
and the little boy marveled the
more.
As the feathers came from the
defunct bird and were dropped In
to a basket Willies attention be
came more and more flxed, and
his mind began to work freely.
Finally he could stand it no long
er, go he blurted out:
"Do you take off their clothes
every night, auntie* |
nifAUPP BnslneM Office M»ln IS.
PHI IN T S Clr.ulatlon Dcpt. Main IM.
• IlVllliW Editorial Dept. Main 794.
OFFICE — 770-778 COMMERCE ST.
THK TWO RIVALS—DONN KOHKRTH AND HIS FATHKK, DX.
W. H. RO BEKTS.
than once his "own blood" was
in danger of criminal prosecu
tion.
At last the proud old doctor
practically was penniless. He
had failed to change his son's
course. The rupture came.
Heartbroken, his fortune wast
ed, Dr. Roberts decided he would
check his son's influence in city
politics.
How? He would run for
mayor on a better platform—a
direct opposite of the platform
on which his son Dorm was
standing.
"Dorm, my son, seeks to USE
men for his own purposes," says
the doctor. "1 seek to ELEVATE
them.
"I want no man's vote if it is
(With Ci-imi'iK to the Pujo Committee.)
We are looking, we are looking for the Masters of Finance,
And it's no use fleeing from us as we dauntlessly advance
With a summons and subpoena and a warrant in our hand
And with double-barreled questions and an air of stern command;
We are trailing wily captains of the wicked system camp
And the malefactors tremble when they hear our sturdy tramp;
There are men of mighty millions who were never known to quail
Till they heard us stepping softly as we hit upou their trail.
Let the Wall Street powers thunder, we arc not a bit afraid.
We're the bravest little hunters that you ever saw arrayed.
We've been probing, poking, peeking through the jungle where they
roam,
And when we've got 'em captured through our skill and courage
high
The fierce and savage monsters who are feared in every home;
We'll put 'em on the witness stand and make 'em testify.
We're out for big game hunting—there's a lot upon our list,
And when at last we've got 'em, WE SHALL SLAP 'EM ON THES
WKIST!
IN THE EDITOR'S MAIL
Everybody in Pierce county reads this column. Short let
ters from Times readers, of general interest and without per.
sonal malice, will be printed. Write about anything or anybody
you wish, but do not have malice aft your motive. Many letters
are not printed because they are too long. Keep 'em short.
Tacoma, Wash., Feb. 10.
Editor Times:
I am a citizen and taxpayer of
Tacoma, and I am. for that reason,
very much interested in the munic
ipal ownership of all public utili
ties, especially street railway and
telephones. My idea is like tills:
If the city Ib not financially able
to build and operate a car line on
account of the bonded indebtedness
being too near the legal limit, why
could not the city issue certlficl
cates of stock to resident property
owners of the par value of $1.00
each. Hundreds and even thous
ands of willing buyers would avail
themselves of such stock certifi
cates, buying from $1.00 up to $100
worth of shares, these shares to be
assessable and become Interest
bearing only after the first car line
is built and fully In operation.
Then the holders of these cer
tificates should be paid a reason
able rate of Interest on their in
vestment, the city reserving the
right at all times to redeem these
stock certificates as fast as the
earnings of the road over the oper
ating expenses would permit the
city to do so.
By this means the city would not
"Andirons and Fire Screens, Electrical
Fixtures and Supplies, Wm. A. Mullins
Electric Co., Inc." 1014 A Street
KENTUCKYLIQUORCo.
Incorporated
WHOLESALE DEALERS IN WINES AND
LIQUORS
Sole Agents James E. Pepper & Co. and Louis
Hunter Rye
. Family Orders Solicited and Promptly j
Attended to. "
1102-4-6-8-10 So. 14th St. Telephone Main 113.
Ko Bar in Connection.
jreo. 12,1918.
not an honest vote. I want no
man to vote for me who expects
that I shall show favors or will
not enforce the law.
"The people must take the
government out of the hands of
the bosses and tho corruptlon
ists. Public service corporations
must be made of service to the
public. Franchises must not be
given away. The people must
have the right to vote whether
they Bhall be granted and what
the price shall be."
As soon as the doctor came
out as a candidate, his "own
blood" began to campaign with
a roll of money.
The younger Roberts refers to
his father's candidacy as "one of
the old man's whims!"
be obliged to sell bonds and at the
same time the money, whatever It
would require to build the road,
would belong to Its own citizens
and taxpayers. This would cut out
the bloated Boston and Wall street
bond holdings.
SUBSCRIBER.