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SURVEY OF CURRENT EVENTS
ENTENTE ALLIES REPLY TO WIL
SON'S PEACE NOTE.
The entente peace view in brief:
"They (the entente allies) believe
that it is impossible at the present
moment to attain a peace which will
assure them reparation, restitution
and such guarantees to which they are
entitled.
"The allied nations are not fight
ing for selfish Interests, but, abore all,
to safeguard the independence of peo
ples, of right and of humanity.
"They associate themselves with all
their hopes with the project for the
creation of a league of nations to in
sure peace and justice throughout the
world."
The answer to President Wilson's
demand that peace terms be stated:
"Their (the entente allies') objects
in the war will not be made known in
detail with all the equitable compen
sations and indemnities for damages
suffered until the hour of negotia
tion.
"But the civilized world knows
what they imply in all necessity and
in the first instance.
"The restora'tion of Belgium, of
Serbia and of Montenegro and the in
demnities which are due them.
"The evacuation of the invaded ter
ritories of France, of Russia and of
Rouinania with just reparation.
"The reorganization of Europe
guaranteed by a stable regime, and
founded as much upon respect of na
tionalities and full security of and
liberty of economic development
which all nations, great or small, pos
sess, as upon territorial conventions
and international agreements, suit
able to guarantee territorial and mari
time frontiers against unjustified at
tacks.
"The restitution of provinces or
territories wrested in the past from
the allies by force or against the will
of their populations, the liberation of
Italians, of Slavs, of Roumanians and
of Tcheco Slovaques from foreign
domination.
"The enfranchisement of popula
tions subject to the bloody tyranny of
the Turks.
"The expulsion from Europe of the
Ottoman Empire decidedly to
the western civilized world.
"The intentions .of His Majesty,
the Emperor of Russia, regarding Po
land have been clearly indicated.
"It has never been their design, as
has been alleged, to encompass the
extermination of the German peoples
and their political disappearance.
"They desire, above all, to Insure
a peace upon the principle of liberty
and justice upon the inviolable fidelity
to International obligations."
A GREAT VICTORY.
The United States Supreme Court,
on January 8, In a case coming up
from West Virginia, fully sustained
the constitutionality and validity of
the so-called Webb-Kenyon act of
Congress, the effect of which is to pre
vent the shipment of liquor from
"wet" to "dry" States, and upheld
the provision of the West Virginia law
prohibiting the importation of,, liquor
In interstate commerce for personal
use.
Under the United States Constitu
tion the regulation of interstate com
merce is within the jurisdiction of
Congress; hence the States were with
out authority to prohibit the ship
tqfcnt of liquor from one State to
anAther. But in the exercise of Its
conf ro1 over commerce between the
Statt18' Congress, by the Webb-Kenyon
act, In effect waived Its right to regu
late such commerce so far as Intoxi
cating liquor was concerned, thereby
making this phase of interstate com
merce subject to State law. This is
seen from the title of the act, which
is, "An act divesting intoxicating
liquors of their interstate character
in certain cases."
The opinion of the court was deliv
ered by Chief Justice White and was
concurred in by five of the associate
justices; and Justice McReynolds,
though not agreeing with the opinion
of the majority of the court, did con
cur in the court's decision; while Jus
tices Holmes and Van Devanter dis
sented, making the majority in favor
of the decision seven to two.
Chief Justice White, in the opinion
of the court, says:
"The all-reaching; power of gov
ernment over liquor Is settled. There
was no intention of Congress to forbid
individual use of liquor. The purpose
of this act was to cut out by the roots
the practice of permitting violation
of State liquor laws.
"We can have no doubt that Con
gress has complete authority to pre
vent paralyzing of State authority.
"Congress exerted a power to co
ordinate the national with the State
authority.
"Under the Webb-Kenyon act, there
is no power in interstate commerce to
ship liquor from one State into
another to enable it to be used in
any way prohibited by the State."
It was contended that the Webb
Kenyon act applies only to shipments
from one State to another for a use
prohibited Dy the State to which the
liquor is shipped; and that, as the
West Virginia law did not prohibit
the personal use of liquor, the act
did not apply to liquor imported for
that purpose. But, on the contrary,
it was held that the act applies, in the
words of the act Itself, to shipments
of liquor "intended to be received,
possessed, sold or in any manner
used" in violation of the laws of the
State.
A GOOD THING FOR AUTOMOBIL
ISTS.
In addition to the familiar "Stop,
Look and Listen" signs, erected at
crossings of its lines and public high
ways, the Southern Railway plans to
install approach warning signs on the
highways 300 feet away from the
tracks. Permission will be asked of
county authorities, as such signs will
be placed beyond the railway's right
of way.
It is planned to place the signs on
the right of the highway, approaching
crossings, in the hope that they will
attract the attention of automobile
drivers while they still have ample
distance in which to stop. Experience
has shown that automobiles are driven
so swiftly on the public highways that
frequently their drivers fail to bring
them under control after they see the
customary sign on the railway's right
of way.
The approach signs will consist of
the letters "R. R." and a cross painted
boldly in black on a white field on
cast-iron disks 24 inches in diameter,
mounted on pedestals nine feet high,
being in accordance with standards
adopted by the American Railway As
sociation.
Several months will be required for
placing these signs throughout the
territory served by the Southern Rail
way, but In the meantime county offi
cers will be requested to grant the
necessary permission.
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TAX ON BUTTER.
One piece of class legislation of
which the national government is re
sponsible, and from which a very large
proportion of the people have been
suffering for many years, is the tax on
the coloring matter in butter and its
substitutes. This tax was imposed,
not for revenue, but to keep up the
price of butter. Oleomargarine in its
various forms is lacking in the golden
color that belongs to butter. It must
be supplied by artificial process. Oleo
margarine was being sold at a lower
price than butter, and to prevent this
a tax of ten cents a pound was im
posed. It was not considered lawful
to put a tax on this particular pro
duct, and so the tax was imposed upon
the coloring matter. This is not
needed in butter, but is essential in
the substitutes to give the proper ap
pearance. In addition, very heavy
taxes are imposed upon dealers in
oleomargarine.
The result has been that the con
sumer has had to pay 12 or 15 cents a
pound more for his butter, whether
real or imitation, than he would other
wise have to do. Thit>, of course, is a
benefit to the butter-mak?r, but is a
great burden upon the consumer.
There are probably ten people who
buy butter to one who sells it. Why
should the ten be taxed for the benefit
of the one. Besides, only a small
part ofnhe advance cost goes to the
producer of butter. The balance goes
into the treasury of the United States.
It has always been contrary to the
policy of this government to tax the
necessities of life.
If this tax were removed every one
who chooses to use a substitute for
butter could buy it at a great saving,
and in these times of high cost of liv
ing the government ought to make this
possible.
It is claimed by some that dealers
will substitute the artificial for the
real butter. This is possible now.
Require each kind to be marked
plainly with its own name, and let
the buyer decide what he wants. The
chemists and the experience of mil
lions of people have shown that one
is as good as the other.
Sugar and molasses were for many
years made altogether from cane.
When beets and'Cbrn were used as a
substitute for cane no one thought of
taxing the product made from them.
And the same is true in substitution
of cotton-seed for the hog in produc
ing lard.
The price of these products has been
kept down for the consumer. Why
should it not be done in the case of
butter?
The question of the removal of the
tax on butter substitutes Is being
agitated. It ought to be done at once.
ELECTRICITY SUPPLANTING THE
LOCOMOTIVE.
The wonders of electricity! Who
that rides daily in the trolley cars
would Imagine that electricity is re
placing the steam locomotive over the
heavy grades of the Rocky Mountains
for over 300 miles on the St. Paul,
and promising to do the same in due
season on all other transcontinental
lines. Look at the map of Montana
beyond Helena and you will find Great
Falls. Here is one of the finest water
powers in the country. It is harness
ed to propel the gigantic electric loco
motives on the St. Paul and carry
the heavy freight and passenger trains
that cross the Continental Divide.
These motors are now operating for a
distance of 330 miles, from Alberton
to Hardowton, and in February will
be running 110 miles farther to
Avery, Idaho, a total of 440 miles.
The electric locomotive used on the
St. Paul is the mightiest in the world.
It towers above you like a black giant
of steel. It is 112 2-3 feet long and
weighs 6000,000 pounds. It has 32
wheels, 16 on each side, and no ten
der, as it uses neither fuel nor water.
It can cover 1,000 miles without over
hauling, having no flues to clean nor
boilers to inspect. Forty-two of these
monsters are required for the traffic
of the road in its electrified mountain
district. There is no smoke, or gas,
or cinders in the tunnels or snow
sheds. The motors are always ready
to start, and operate best in cold
weather. Frozen pipes and snow
drifts have no terror for them. One
electric takes the place of four steam
locomotives, and on a heavy grade will
handle its full tonnage at a speed of
from fifteen to sixteen miles an hour
as against eight to ten miles for the
steam locomotive. Nature really does
the hard work of the St. Paul. The
Montana Power Company, with its
plant at Great Falls, on the Missouri
river, and smaller plants at othor
points, delivers to the railroad at sub
stations, thirty miles apart, a 100,
000-volt alternating current, and this
is utilized at a reduced pressure of
3,000 volts, the highest direct-current
voltage employed in railroad work
anywhere in the world. This is more
than five times the pressure used on
the trolley car. Instead of brakes, the
pull-back force of the electric motor
is used to slow up. Strangely enough,
a portion of the electric energy con
sumed in climbing the grade is re
gained ? or "regenerated by gravity"
? while descending. Every electric
engine has a meter to measure the
consumption of power, and while de
scending a grade this power is "re
generated by gravity." The restored
current automatically sets back the
power company's meters and credits
the railroad with the amount, so that
the electric current not only saves but
records its savings.
From what Mr. Coors told me, if all
the railroads could be electrified, the
Adamson eight-hour law would not be
a terror to them. He said that the
electric motor increased the speed and
thus shortened the hours of work so
that a trip could be made In seven and
one-half hours which, with a steam
motor, would take ten. Thus' the
eight-hour day could be provided with
no extra pay for overtime. ? John A.
Sleicher in Leslie's.
John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and other
wealthy New York men have formed
a corporation to assist Billy Sunday's
New York city campaign.
WOODS
Seed Catalog
for 1917, tells about the best
farm and
Garden Seeds
and gives apodal information as to
the best crops to grow, both for
profit and home use.
The large increase in our busi
ness which we have again experi
enced during the past year is the
best of evidence as to the high
quality of
WOOD'S SEXPS.
Write for catalog and price* of
Grass and Clover Seeds, Seed
Potatoes, Seed Oats or any
Farm Seeds required.
Catalog mailed free on request.
T.W.WOOD & SONS.
SEEDSMEN, - Rlchmond? V?.
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