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JOHN A. STEWART COKE S. DAVIS STEWART & DAVIS Life, Accident, Casualty and Surety Insurance 504-5 6 PRUDENTIAL BUILDING, .... ATLANTA, GEORGIA MANAGERS: THE MARYLAND LIFE INSURANCE CO., of Baltimore; THE GENERAL ACCIDENT, of Perth, Scotland; THE METROPOLITAN SURETY CO., of New York. Live Agents in Georgia cities and towns can increase their writing capacity and earnings by communicating with us. Special Inducements Offered First-Class Men ARE THE RAILROADS BEING PERSECUTED? The railroads are being persecuted, according to William H. Truesdale, president of the Delaware, Lackawan na & Western. Everybody’s hand is raised against them these days, it seems. “There exists,” he says, “a universal and pronounced feeling of hostility toward these corporations and their management which is find ing expression in many states in rad ical and severely restrictive legisla tion.” Most of this hostility is due to “unreasonable prejudice,” arising from “exaggerated and distorted” statements regarding such small faults as the corporations may possibly have been guilty of. Incidentally Mr. Truesdale remarks: “Railroads are the greatest factors in the upbuilding of the nation. They are an integral part of our daily life, the foundation of our commercial pros perity. They are held to be no longer private property, but a part of the pub lic service.” They never were private property. From the beginning they have been in the eye of the law “a part of the public service” —a function of govern ment delegated to the operating cor porations. In this fact Mr. Truesdale should find the cause of the hostility of which he complains. That hostility is not against railroads, but against their management as strictly private enter prises, run exclusively for profit and in entire indifference to the public wel fare. There Is hostility against discrim ination in freight charges, against systematic and persistent defiance of law, against the employment of rail roads to < build up the trusts and ex tinguish the small shipper. Take Mr. Truesdale’s own company. It suffered a very complete exposure in the procedings brought by William Randolph Hearst before the interstate commerce commission. The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western is one of the railroads composing the coal trust. These corporations forget altogether that they are common carriers. By withholding cars from mining compan ies outside the trust, and using the dis criminating rate, they have expelled real independent operators from the anthracite field. They engage in min ing in contempt of law. In contempt of law, also, they combine to fix the output and the price of coal. They monopolize a necessary of life, and periodically engage in private war with their miners for the purpose of rendering labor helpless by depriv ing it of the right to organize in self defense. Why should there not be hostility against the kind of railroad manage ment which Mr. Truesdale and his brethren of the coal trust represent? Had President Roosevelt compelled his attorney-general to act upon the evi dence supplied the department of jus tice by Mr. Hearst, the coal trust would have been broken up long ago and its members, including Mr. Trues dale, criminally prosecuted. The railroad managers may consider it politic to cry that they are greatly “disturbed” by recent legislation, but they, in common with the leaders in both houses, know that congress has seen to it that they will not be hurt. With some of the state legislation it is different. Quite likely local rates may actually be reduced here and there and discrimination lessened, but need be no apprehension in any quarter that the corporations will die of starvation. The railroads, in raising the plaint that they are inoffensive sufferers at the handK ff a ferocious people, re call the wolf whoo accounted for the mutton in his ’possession by explain ing that the sheep had tried to bite him. —N. Y. American. •t WANTS NATION TO OWN RAIL ROADS. Washington, Feb. 27. —Senator Pat terson, of Colorado, addressing the senate today, made a plea for govern ment ownership of railroads. He pre dicted that such a condition would be brought about within the lifetime of the present members of the senate, but did not anticipate any speedy ac tion in that direction. The railroads, he declared, are grow ing more arrogant each year and as he saw little or no relief in the new rate law, government control of the roads would supply the only remedy. To show the value of his idea. Mr. Pat terson presented figures from fifty nine countries showing the presence of government ownership in some form, and he saw a steadily increas ing sentiment in that direction so far as the United States is concerned. American roads are valued at be tween eleven and twelve billion dol lars. They could be obtained by con demnation proceedings, the financial end being covered by a mortgage back ed by the government’s guarantee. Mr. Patterson ridiculed the idea that a vast political machine would be built up through federal operation of roads. As a matter of fact, he declared, rail road politics would be abolished. Among the benefits to be gained through ownership Mr. Patterson men tioned extension of the postal system, a postal express and equitable rates. The people are surely getting rich loaning money to the national banks at one-half of one per cent and bor rowing it back at bank rates. —Missou- ri World. THE WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN. HERE’S TO TOM WATSON. Tom Watson, about a year ago, in conjunction with Col. Mann, the fam ous Town Topics publisher, launched a virile and vigorous magazine, known as Tom Watson’s Magazine. The union between Watson and Mann did not last long. Trouble soon began to brew, which terminated in an eruption and Tom Watson withdrew. Col. Mann and a subordinate associate make a vig orous effort to continue the publica tion of Tom Watson’s Magazine. The effort, however, seems to have failed, as Tom Watson’s Magazine is not mak ing its appearance, since Tom’s with drawal. This is a marked tribute to the vigor and intellectual vitality of Tom Watson. It is evidence that Tom Watson was the life and sooi and spirit of Tom Watson’s Magazine, for when he withdrew the Magazine died. This is the best proof that Watson was the life and soul of the New York publication. The friends of Tom Watson and of reform regretted the short and untimely career of Tom Watson’s Magazine. All earnest, sin sere men recognized Tom Wat son’s Magazine, as a publication of unusual vigor and ability, and a marked addition to the reform litera ture of the times. This regret, how ever, has turned into joy, by the an nouncement and the subsequent publi cation of a weekly paper and a month ly periodical. These publications, know as Watson’s Jeffersonian and Watson’s Jeffersonian Magazine, are up to the high standard for which Mr. Watson is noted. Both publications are a distinct contribution to the re form cause, and the sincere wish of The Commoner is that they may both live long and prosper.—The Beaver (Pa.) Commoner. •t THE ATLANTA SCHOOL OF TELEG RAPHY. Elsewhere will be found the adver tisement of the School of Telegra phy which Mr. F. P. Johnson has re cently opened in Atlanta. It is to be hoped that he will meet with success. I knew Mr. Johnson well when he was depot agent in Thomson many years ago, and formed the highest opinion of him. He is in every respect a most esti mable gentleman. The Japanese government has re cently cabled an order to the United States Steel Corporation for 50,000 tons of steel rails. Large contracts for locomotives, cars, bridges, etc., will be placed in the United States. The rails will be used for laying the first sections of a network of railways to be built in Manchuria. Our Price Retailer's s s ° »i I ilHi thmn i. YOUR D E Ji L E R CJiM BUY I T. WITH RESERVOIR $31.00 This handsome Steel Range is an absolutely perfect Combination of utility, durability and economy; and n< where can its value’ be duplicated for le-s than It ir easy to operate, and consumes less fuel than ordinary Ranges It is constructed on atrict’y scientific principles consistent with good cooking; and baking can be done on oven bottom and oven rack at the same time. We give a wriien guarantee with every Range; and if it is not perfectly satisfactory, return it at our expense, and we will refund your money. Our catalogue showt a full line of Stovet and Range* from $4.50 up. Sent free on application. JOHN FOSTER CO., 265-7 Decatur Street, Cor. Moor*, ATLANTA, GA. OLD VIRGINIA FARMS K !•<>« Prices, Mild Climate. Free Illustrated Catalog. Largest list Farms in State. This 'x * s the country for the Northern Farmer. We want to hear from every man who desires to better his condition. AWW/ Casselman Co., Richmond, Va. Lurence Casselmao, Former Auditor McLean County, Ji.D. IDLEWILD PROLIFIC COTTON ha* captured the south. Two bales per acre sure. Seed limited. Price cheap. Selling fast. Home grown, guaran teed garden and flower seeds, cheap. Sole owners of Siberian Lettuce, grows outdoors all winter. Planted now brings 10c per head. Pkg. seed 10c. Write us. IDLEWILD FLORAL GARDENS. College Park. G«l Light Draft Manure Spreaders FOR TWO HORSES Dunn Machinery Company 54 Marietta Street - ATLANTA. GA. -GOLD WATCH for Only 12 Subscribers to this Paper.” REAL ESTATE. Those desiring to move to South Georgia, the most prosperous section of the state, can secure bargains in city property, farm lands, saw mill or turpentine sites, by writing to C. C. TYLER, •ox 271, Moultrie, Ga. 11