i89o 
693 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
would not be infested with vermin. My ex¬ 
terminator is a box with feed in it so ar¬ 
ranged that a fowl in trying to get at the 
feed greases its head and neck, and from 
these the odor is conveyed to all parts of the 
body of the fowl in dressing its feathers. 
It is a box 18 inches long and six square, 
with a sloping bottom and a movable lid. 
The only opening is in the front where the 
fowls put in their heads in attempting to 
reach the feed. Directly over this opening is 
a cloth or sponge saturated with kerosene or 
other compound, kept saturated by a wick 
leading from a small can in the lid. The 
bottom of the box slopes from this hole and 
the feed is always at the back part of the 
box, so that the fowls are compelled to 
reach in a considerable distance in order to 
get it. In doing so their heads and necks 
come in contact with the cloth or sponge 
and become scented with the oil. As they 
darken the box by putting in their heads 
and necks they are unable to get much of 
the feed. It is not intended as a feeder but 
simply to attract the fowls and get them to 
grease themselves. For small chickens it 
can be used as a feeder and a flat bottom is 
put in, and the chicks in going in and out 
will grease their backs by rubbing against 
the cloth.” 
SHOULD THE GOVERN ME N'T OWN 
THE TELEGRAPHS AND RAIL¬ 
ROADS ? 
Nationalism is a phase of socialism,which 
advocates national industrial co-operation 
on the basis of a “ general business part¬ 
nership of all the people for their equal 
benefit.” In the words of Bellamy, its 
foremost representative,it proposes the suc¬ 
cessive nationalizing or municipalizing of 
public services and branches of industry, 
and the simultaneous organization of the 
employ6es on the basis of guaranteed 
rights as branches of the civil service of the 
country; the process being continued until 
the entire transformation shall have been 
effected. Nationalists all agree on the 
desirability of the immediate assumption 
by the government of the ownership of the 
telegraph and telephone services, the es¬ 
tablishment of governmental parcel express 
service, and the governmental control of 
the railroads. Multitudes who are opposed 
to all forms of socialism, favor these 
measure?. The organized farmers through¬ 
out the country as well as all labor associ¬ 
ations are strong advocates of them. In¬ 
deed, thousands in all classes, ranks, in¬ 
dustries and professions believe that 
federal ownership of electric communica¬ 
tion and railroad transportation is the only 
solution of the most perplexing economic 
problems of the times. In France, Ger¬ 
many, Russia, Austria - Hungary, Bel¬ 
gium and most other European coun¬ 
tries, partial or entire control of the 
telegraph and railroad services is al¬ 
ready exercised by all the governments, 
and the movement is steadily advanc¬ 
ing. In Germany in 1870 there were 3,201 
miles of railroad belonging to the govern¬ 
ment and 3,595 belonging to private cor¬ 
porations. In 1882 there were 10,820 miles 
belonging to the former and only 2,400 be 
longing to the latter. In France nearly all 
the railroads belong to the government or 
are mortgaged to it, and it is only a ques¬ 
tion of a few years when the government 
will own them all. 
The government control of telegraphic 
and telephonic services outside of the 
United States is still more complete. 
Throughout the world there are 2,500,000 
miles of telegraph wire. Of the total num¬ 
ber of lines, those of the United States con¬ 
stitute a little more than 30 per cent., and 
our mileage is increasing more rapidly than 
that of any other country on the globe. In 
all. 62 per cent, of the telegraph lines of the 
world are owned and operated by govern¬ 
ments. Leaviug this country out of con¬ 
sideration, 88 per cent, of the remainder is 
under governmental control, or leaving the 
United States and Canada out, 95 per cent, 
is owned by the governments. It might be 
supposed that in the United States, the 
birthplace of the electric telegraph, the 
tariff would be lower than elsewhere; but 
it averages nearly the highest of all. 
That the government of the United 
States has a right to assume the owner¬ 
ship of the telegraphic service of the coun¬ 
try there is no question. The Consti¬ 
tution makes it the duty of Congress 
to establish and carry on a post-office—that 
is, to furnish facilities for the transmission 
of intelligence. When the Constitution 
was adopted this was done exclusively by 
the transportation of letters. Since then 
the telegraph and telephone have become 
essential factors in the work. Had these 
leen known in the days of the Fathers, 
who can doubt that they would have been 
made adjuncts to the new Department ? 
At present it provides only partial facilities 
for the transmission of intelligence, so that 
the public have to make good its deficien¬ 
cies through the intervention of private 
parties, who charge much more than any 
national toll need be. Indeed, it is the 
opinion of good authorities that it is 
not only constitutional to establish a gov¬ 
ernment telegraph, but unconstitutional 
not to do so. Of course, a fair price should 
be paid by the government for the tele¬ 
graph lines in good condition ; but there is 
not a little difference of opinion with refer¬ 
ence to the basis of valuation. Should it 
be a capitalization of the dividends paid on 
the stocks and bonds for a number of years; 
and if so, for how many ? Or should it be 
the current valuation of the plant in the 
money markets as indicated by the fluc¬ 
tuating prices of the shares ? There ap¬ 
pears to be a strong opposition to such a 
basis of settlement. Owing to the exorbi¬ 
tant nature of the charges, interest is now 
wrung from the public on a capitalization 
about two-thirds of which is “ water.” In¬ 
deed, it is charged that the entire plant of 
the Western Union Company, which has 
now a virtual monopoly of the telegraphic 
business of the entire country, and which 
pays dividends on a capitalization of $80,- 
000,000, could be duplicated to day for $20,- 
000,000, and it is hardly likely that the coun¬ 
try would consent to an appraisal that 
would greatly exceed thecost of duplication. 
That the government has a constitutional 
right to assume control or possession of the 
railroads few will deny. The Constitution 
gives Congress the power “to regulate 
commerce with foreign nations and be¬ 
tween the States.” By the Inter State 
Commerce Law, Congress has recently, for 
the first time, undertaken to perform this 
constitutional duty. Moreover, the Con¬ 
stitution confers on the same body, author¬ 
ity to “establish post-roads.” In these 
days when ninety-nine hundredths of the 
mall matter is carried by rail-roads, 
surely a wagon road will not adequately 
answer the definition of a “post-road.” 
Then, again, in return for the privileges 
granted to corporations, the people demand 
certain rights, among which is an equal en¬ 
joyment of all the privileges the corpora¬ 
tion has created, and that all patrons 
should be treated with equal fairness and 
at the same rates, and that these shall be 
proportionate to the services rendered. If 
these rights are impaired or ignored, then 
the railroad ceases to perform its legitimate 
duty and has justly forfeited its charter. 
Judged by this standard, the railroads of 
the United States, with hardly an excep¬ 
tion, have forfeited their franchises and 
charters. If a railroad corporation accepts 
the privileges granted, it must also per¬ 
form the duties imposed on all common 
carriers, unless these are exempted in its 
charter. The railroads derive their life, 
privileges and power from the government, 
which is always invoked to exercise the 
right of eminent domain to enable them to 
take their rights-of-way from unwilling 
land-owners, and it is only just that it 
should continue to exercise control over its 
own creations and demand that they shall 
either exercise their powers in a legitimate 
manner or surrender their franchises. 
When the highways were the only means 
of commerce, a considerable part of them 
were owned by private parties who made a 
profit by tolls on travel and traffic. A 
more liberal and intelligent public policy 
has since recognized that such ownership 
is inconsistent with the best interests of 
the community, and nearly all privately 
owned roads and bridges have been made 
public property. But while the people have 
been making the wagon roads public prop¬ 
erty, commerce has been steadily abandon¬ 
ing them for the railroads. Either the 
people have blundered, therefore, in free¬ 
ing the highways and bridges from private 
taxation or they should insist on the public 
control of the railroads. Such a policy is 
only the application to iron roads of the 
principle long widely applied to dirt-roads. 
(To be continued.) 
rate | 
Anniversaries! 
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Wedding 
By Florence Howe Hall, o-ivinu hints to thousands as to 
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celebration of wooden, crystal, silver and golden weddings. 
j Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant 
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Through the hand of Mr. Foster Coates, tells 
of her first meeting with U. S. Grant, their court¬ 
ship, proposal and marriage, in an article entitled, 
“The Courtship of General Grant.” 
A New Wedding Bell 
Contains a hint to intending brides for a 
home-wedding or reception. 
Jewel Caskets of 
I Fashionable Women 
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a 
Describes the great collections of 
diamonds and valuable gems owned 
by Mrs. Vanderbilt, Mrs. Astor,’ 
Mrs. Hicks-Lord, Mrs. Bradley 
Martin, and others of New 
York’s most famous 
social leaders. 
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The above are some of the 
Special Features in the 
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