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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 THE BROWN-COCHRAN CO. Gas 6 Gasoline Engine STATIONARY, PORTABLE, MAF and ELECTRIC LIGHT, ICE ANT FRIGERATING MACHINERY. WOOD AND STEEL TANKS ; STEEL TOWERS A high grade Engine. One of the greatest labor savers of the day. Especially adapted for threshing, saw ing wood, pumping water —in fact all kinds of farm work. 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 Eyesight. Eyes thoroughly examin ed and tested, Glasses prescribed on ly when absolutely needed. Artificial Human Eyes matched and inserted. Office and Optical Store, 948 Broad Street. Opposite the Planters’ Ho tel, Augusta, Ga. The Leader Injector B O ii er Feeder JET PRODUCER Gasoline Engines, Wood Saws, LATH and SHINGLE Machines. Light SAW Mills ENGINES, BOILERS AND SUPPLIES Try LOMBARD, Augusta, Ga. 11