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Show the; citizen gether, but they wear white collars and deserve any treatment which can be handed them. They may not have any money left with which to buy our wheat and hogs and butter after they pay their taxes, but some of our farm leaders have promised a guarantee and these d birds are about all who are left, with the exception of -- Wiite-collare- that good old political football, the railroads. Establishing a minimum price on wheat alone would probably stimulate the production of that commodity greatly But it has been whispered that there are already several bushels more wheat in sight than the country needs. So our plan of fixing a minimum price on everything is absolutely necessary to keep the farmers of Minnesota and Iowa and Wisconsin and New York from choking the old cow and turning that pasture land into wheat. We think its a great idea. The only drawback to it is that it probably wont work. But we may want to run for office some of these days and we might just as well begin now to learn how to ignore such trifles. S If one of our Minnesota senators and one of our Iowa senators can only bring one of the Wsiconsin senators to see things as they do, the three greatest butter producing states in the Union will truly stand on the pinnacle as the champions of the wheat farmer. That ought to be a big victory for the dairy farmer, somehow." Manufacturers Record. 5 to technicalities that it takes a long time in our courts to secure convictions, even in cases where the proof is absolute and beyond denial. This leniency is an incentive to those criminally inclined to commit crimes which otherwise would not be committed. There is always a chance of not being caught and, if caught, the penalty is looked upon as easy. And then again our present penitentiaries are a place for pleasure instead of hard work and repentence. Then again we have those kind hearted people who would reform the criminal, but they never dream of righting the wrong committed by the criminal. The head of a family may be killed murdered and his wife and children turned out into a cold world to shift for themselves. We find some who carry flowers to the murderer and others who pray that his life be spared. The suffering the criminal has left behind appears to count for very little. The law has the power to stop most of this crime if it will, but today many of our thugs are about as well organized as some of our Dig corporations. It has become a business and that is why crime is on the increase. BORAH AFTER FRANCE. Senator Borah, Republican of Idaho, has requested Secretary Mellon to secure all the information possible regarding the $4,000,-000,0due the United States from France. So far the French have worried little or not at all regarding this stupendous amount due us, while the people of this nation are being heavily taxed in order that France can keep nearly a million armed men in the field. Of course France or any of the other nations indebted to us cannot pay as long as they prepare more and more for future wars every day. France is a country much smaller than the state of Texas, yet she spends much more for her military forces than does the United States. She may figure that it is' cheaper to feed an army and be prepard than to supporte a big part of her population by dealing out doles as is being 00 AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS. A visitor would hardly pick this city as one among the foremost of the country in automobile accidents. If the drivers have not sufficient room on our broad streets what would become of them in the narrow streets of other cities ? In fact, we have so much room here that people become, careless and judging from some of the accident accounts, some of them feel so safe that they take a little nap on the road. Life is a mighty precious thing. Once taken, it can never be returned, and where life is taken carelessly, there should be a like penalty, especially for the driver who kills his unfortunate victim and runs away. A great many people cannot understand the leniency shown careless drivers in this city. In a great many cities reckless drivers are barred from running automobiles and that is quite proper A man who drinks should never be allowed at the wheel for there is generally a smashup before such person drives many months. The speed maniac is another that should be barred from our streets. It can safely be said that all of 75 per cent of the accidents are due to carelessness. It takes a very cool person to stand on the corner of a busy thoroughfare outside of the business district where the police are scarce and watch some of our maniacs trying to kill somebody or scrap their own machine. Our judges could easily correct this trouble in one month, and if the traffic laws are such as to make the judges helpless in rendering punishment, it is about time that laws are enacted which will reach those who have no respect for anothers life or property. . . CRIME INCREASES. 5 United States Attorney General Daugherty says the federal law violations are on the increase and, while much is attributed to violation of prohibition, there is also a substantial increase in tax, public land, banking, postal and white slavery frauds. Think of it, 42,370 criminal and 4,109 civil cases were disposed of during the year, leaving 23,052 criminal and 4,064 civil cases pending. Various reasons have been given for this saturnalia of crime, but the principal reason is the passing of too many laws regulating the daily life of the people. As a rule, contempt for one law creates c contempt for all laws, and it does not take a generation long to unruly and for the people to imagine that they are above the law. A law contrary to public opinion cannot be enforced. Everybody should respect the law, but where laws interfere with the personal rights of the people we generally find crime on the increase. When we read the treatment accorded criminals of other countries, we really wonder what is the matter here. We pay so much attention done in England. PROTECTION It is rumored that Mr. Lloyd George may become the leader of a British free trade party and make another bid for the premiership. The distinguished gentleman has adopted an unfortunate platform. The recent imperial council demonstrated more than ever the trend of British thought away from free trade and toward protection. The dominating thought of that conference was to adopt measures that free trade among the domwould make the empire inions but a high tariff against importations from other countries. Of course that is the sound policy for Great Britain, the United States, or any other nation. From the standpoint both of national defense and better working conditions at home, it is essential that every country shall encourage production over the widest possible self-supporti- ng field. In denouncing what he is pleased to term the sullen isolation of the United States, Mr. Wilson forgets that this country is now out of the league of nations solely because of his own influence. When the league covenant was under discussion in the senate certain reservations were proposed which merely reduced to writing of the interpretations orally put upon the covenant by Mr. Wilson himself. But he insisted that the treaty must be ratified without the dotting of an i of the crossing of a t, and his control over the Democrats in the senate was so complete that they voted to reject the document with the reservations attached. be-m- The Third Ward Civic association is proposing a plan to make a playground out of the state fair grounds and the idea is a good one. There is a large tract of land there which is used one week ever 51 weeks. A playyear for the fair, and then lies idle the remainding be inground for the children of that section of the city could easily stalled without interfering with the fair buildings. |