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-xfonor to the last tJK I <
Xmen one & the
to him:
“I say, Johnny, we’ve got your pres
ident!”
“And the devil’s got yours!” the man
shouted back angrily.
Mr. Davis leaned out and shook his
head sadly, saying, “My friend, if his
president had lived, yours would not
be in this condition.”
A President’s Prejudice.
Davis himself never felt the resent
ment of some of his friends, for he un
derstood. The man who had succeed
ed to the presidential chair had a pet
ty personal grievance against him, dat
ing back from the time when they
were both senators of the United
States. Mr. Davis was a stranger to
most of his fellow members and had
slight acquaintance with their former
occupations. In an argument in favor
of military education, he asked who
thought that the results at Matamoras
could have been attained by a tailor or
a blacksmith. Without reason, An
drew Johnson regarded the query as
a personal insult, and he had an ex
cellent memory for affronts. He him
self, at least, never forgot that by
profession he was a tailor.
Mr. Davis loved children. When
the delegation came to escort him to
the capitol of the Confederacy to take
the presidential oath he was mending
a toy for a child whom he held on his
lap. He finished the work, put the
child down and said, “Here is your toy,
my dear, as good as new.” Then he
rose and received the delegation, say
ing: “This is my last day of freedom.
Tomorrow I shall belong to the peo
ple.”
After the war Colonel Parsons, who
had belonged to the - federal army,
came to Richmond with his family.
His children had some toy soldiers
with which they and my two little boys
would fight great battles, the Confed
erates being permitted to win one
day and the Federals the next. Mr.
Davis came in one day when the star
of victory shone on the southern side.
“I am glad I came today,” he said.
“I like to see the Confederates win.”
There is one memory of Jefferson
Davis that lingers with me nearer
and dearer than all the rest. It was
long after the war. We were still
living in Richmond. Our little boy
lay on his deathbed. It was the last
time that Mr. Davis came to us. I
drew up a chair for him; but he said,
“No, may I not sit on the bed be
side him?”
I do not think the child took his
eyes from Mr. Davis’ face in all the
time he sat there talking with him.
Oh, but that face was so awfully, pa
thetically changed! Every express
ion, the sound of his voice, the look
in his eyes, was the echo of a broken
heart. Only the harmony of motion
and the melody of tone remained.
They were a part of him. It was
after he was gone that Corbell asked
what it was in his throat that made
his voice sound so “musicky.”
Corbell was always interested in sto
ries of his father’s fighting in Mexico,
and Mr. Davis told him of those bat
tles. He far outranked General Pick
ett in that war, but when Corbell
asked, “Were you in papa’s company,
Mr. Davis, or was he in yours?” rather
than hold any precedence over his
father in the boy’s thoughts, Mr. Da
. vis replied:
“We were both in each other’s com
pany.”
General Robert E. Lee had recently
called, and, speaking of the visit, Cor
bell said:
“Mr. Davis, General Lee knelt down
by the bed and prayed for me and
asked the good Lord to make me well.”
“I should like to do that, too,” Mr.
Davis said, and holding the child’s
hand, he knelt beside the pillow, A
strain of deeper melody thrilled thr igh
his voice as it went up to.
that heartfelt prayer. Z>‘
The last picture of Jes gk Davis
in my mind and heart i' »a£e bent
over the bed, bidding the wl invalid
farewell. ta,
* * *' f*'
GERMANY MAKES A MINT OF
MONEY OUT OF RAILWAYS.
By Harry M. Farmer.
Berlin.—Government ownership of
railways in Germany has been organ
ized as nearly as possible in the way
it will have to be done in the United
States if America ever tries it.
Practically all the railways in Ger
many. 30,000 miles, are government
owned, but instead of comprising a
single national system the various
line form a series of state systems,
co-operating by interstate agreement.
Notwithstanding the fact that there
are eleven different systems of state
ownership within the empire, the
railways work smoothly and without
friction. A national convention meets
from time to time in order to secure
uniformity of service.
The greater part of the German
railways, 22,000 miles, are in the pos
session of Prussia.
Successful at Once.
Thirty years ago the Prussian gov
ernment svstematically • acquired or
constructed railway lines, which might
on occasion be important for military
reasons. The state railway lines were
worked with such success from the
very beginning that surpluses were
realized, so that the government was
able to extend lines into sparsely pop
ulated districts. Extension wa«? not
pursued without opposition within the
Prussian parliament and ultimately
regulations were made for the dis
posal of the annual surplus, in order
to prevent the financial side being
unduly developed to the detriment
of the economy of the state, or vice
versa. Measures were taken also to
preserve the rational credit, for the
acquirement of private railwavs and
the construction of new lines doubled
the national debt.
(Bv 1882 the annual surplus of the
receipts over the expenditure of the
Prussian state railways was approx
imately $35,000,000. Tn 1904 it
amounted to $160,000,000. This lat
ter surplus is equal to a dividend of
7.17 per cent on the invested cap
ital.
Up to 1905 the Prussian govern
ment had expended $2,225,730,402 for
nationalizing the railwavs and ex
tending the existing system.
All the publicly owned railway
systems of the smaller German states
are not so successful as those of
Prussia, hut the majority make a
profit equivalent to 5 or 6 ner eont
on the invested capital. There is no
state in which the public ownership
of railways results in a deficit, and
the lowest earning is equivalent to
3.5 per cent on th« capital invested.
Prussia employs 393,000 men on her
railways, each of whom is entitled
to a pension on disablement or on
reaching the ago of 65. Salarfos
vary from $2,625 a rear, paid the
manager-in-chief, to S3OO a year to
brakemen. General passenger agents
draw $1,200 ticket collectors. $375.
conductors, $375, and engineers, $450
a vnar.
Fares are ver}” cheap in Germany,
cheaper than in any European coun-
THE WEEK zZ JEFFERSONIAN.
try where the railways are not pub
licly owned. The rates are 3 1-2 cents
a mile, first-class, 2 1-2 cents, sec
ond-class and 1 3-4 cents, third-class.
It is possible to travel from Ber
lin to Cologne, 370 miles, for sls
first-class, $lO, second-class, and $7,
third-class. The German state rail
ways also provide on the slower
trains fourth-class carriages in which
impecunious persons can travel for
infinitesimal small sums. These fourth-’
class carriages, which are a great
boon to the working classes, would
be impossible under a system of pri
vate ownership because they are pro
vided by the surplus gained on the
other classes. The cars are well
built, comfortable, efficiently heated
and well lighted.
The only serious drawback to pub
lic ownership in Germany is the slow
ness of the trains, which is perhaps
due to the absence of competition, for
(the German express trains cannot
show any brilliant performances. The
fastest train from Berlin to Cologne
shows an average speed of 45 miles
an hour. The fastest train in Ger
many, from Berlin to Hamburg,
gives an average of about 52 miles
an hour.
HMM
$68,000,000 UNLAWFULLY COL
LECTED IN 1862, 1864
AND 1866.
Washington, February 2.—'Repre
sentative Heflin, of Alabama, today
introduced a bill for the disposition
of the proceeds of the cotton taxes
of 1862, 1864 and 1866, collected, as
alleged, in violation of the constitu
tion of the United States from thirty
states, and amounting in round num
bers of $68,000,000.
The bill provides that for twelve
months next after the passage of the
act, any person or lawful heir of any
person who paid taxes on cotton un
der the acts referred to, shall have
the right to establish his claim, proof
of which is to be made in the court
of claims.
After the adjudication of claims,
the remaining money is to be paid
to the respective states, and by them
used for the building and improving
of public roads.
HMM
THE RAILROADS AND THE
NEWSPAPERS.
“Where is the president of this
railroad V' asked the anxious man
at headquarters office.
“Down in Washington ‘tendin’
some kinder investigation commit
tee.” answered the wise office-boy.
“Wh|er|e’s the gehetral ananageir,
then ?”
“Appearin’ before the Interstate
Commission.”
“Well, where’s the general super
intendent?”
“He’s at the legislator’ fightin’
some new law; say, them fellows is
hard to make come across.”
“Where’s the head of the legal de
partment?”
“He’s in court tryin’ a suit.”
“Then, where the devil’a the gen
eral passenger agent?”
“Explaining to drummers why wo
can’t reduce fares.”
“Well, now. my lad, tell mo where
the general freight agent can be
found? Here’s a quarter.”
“Now, honest Injun, Mister, he
ain’t nowhere ’round here. We
wouldn i/ .eceive a gent like you. The
gen’l freight atter Grange meetin’ >
tollin’ the farmers why we got
no freight cars.” | yr
“Well, who the h— .g
this shebang, anyway?' ?
“Don’t know, Misterivlkoh the
newspapers.”—Ex.
The statement that seventy-two
people were lynched in this country
in 1906 will not look quite so bad
when you stop to think of the large
number that got away.
Nessmith & Bonney
General Southern Agents for
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Correspondence Solicited.
70 S. Forsyth St., Atlanta, Ga.
Dr. Henry J. Godin
EYESIGHT SPECIALIST.
Spectacles and Eye Glasses fitted
to correct all correctable muscular
and refractive Errors of the Human
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ly when absolutely needed. Artificial
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Office and Optical Store, 948 Broad
Street. Opposite the Planters’ Ho
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Augusta, Ga.
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