Jan. 12, 1917.- 
THe Woman’s Municipat, L&racur of Boston, has 
under the efficient leadership of Mrs. Robert S. Bradley 
of Pride’s Crossing and Boston, been conducting a vigor- 
ous campaign against the “rat.” Two very interesting 
plans have been tried out with great success, the use or 
the moving picture andthe establishment of a lecture 
bureau. A thoroughly masterly film has been made show- 
‘» the menace of the rat and there is every reason to 
believe that the use of the moving picture will be a great 
educational aid in the work. Mrs. Albert T. Leatherbee 
is lecturing on the subject under the direction of the 
League and has been having a good hearing wherever the 
League has desired her to speak. When one considers 
that there are three-quarters of a million rats in Boston 
alone and that it costs one-half a cent per rat to feed them; 
that is, one dollar and eighty-two cents per year per rat, 
it is readily seen that the rats alone are costing the city 
of Boston nearly $1,355,000 a year. This enormous sum 
would support many a worthy charity, and yet when it 
comes to the discussion of the menace there are certain 
elements in our modern life that appear apathetic to its 
claims. The facts are before the public and cannot now 
be denied, and in prosecuting this efficient campaign the 
municipality of Boston and in fact all New England owes 
the Municipal League and its efficient chairman a debt 
of gratitude. All help to rout the rat! 
THE Owners oF NEw HAVEN Sock are not enjoy- 
ing the continuous decline in prices that have been pre- 
vailing recently. It is one of the most pathetic incidents 
in modern financing that such a great and useful corpora- 
tion should, fall into such disrepute, but there is a good 
day coming ‘and sometime, by and by, the persistent and 
patient owners who have held on will be rewarded. 
NORTH ‘SSHORE* BREEZE 
7 
THERE HAveE BEEN so many malevolent moves that 
have been a detriment to the railroads of the state it is - 
gratifying to note even the slightest change in sentiment 
toward the transportation corporations of the state. The 
state commission appointed to consider measures for the 
relief for the Boston Elevated railroad has reported 
three recommendations to the legislature which should be 
adopted,—the return of the five hundred thousand dollar 
guarantee fund, the sale of the Cambridge subway and 
the adoption. of a new. enclosed transfer point policy. 
The Elevated has been rendering to the City of Boston 
the best transportation service that is received by any city 
of its size in the world. It is but just that the state 
should afford them an honorable and reasonable oppor- 
tunity to prosecute their work without embarrassment. 
THE GOVERNOR Has MaApE an attack upon the abuse 
of the privileges of our country roads by advertising 
agents. Enormous and numerous signs have been erected 
in places where beautiful views have been injured. The 
courts have already rendered decisions against the gov- 
ernment in cases brought before them. Everyone agrees 
with the Governor, but how can the legislature pass laws 
that we already know are contrary to the constitution an 
have been so adjudged by the courts? 
WHEN ONE Consipers the fact that one person in, 257 
in Massachusetts is insane, there is some comfort. to be 
had, when the petty irritations of daily life arise. When 
an unreasonable, obnoxious and erratic human begins to 
rritate and malevolently harass one it will be well’ to re- 
flect that one is dealing not with a rational being, but 
with one of the two hundred and fifty-seven varieties. 
ANNUAL BANQUET 
Bustness Mrn’s Association HAVE 
Most SuccessFuL AFFAIR. 
The rith: annual banquet of the 
Susiness Men’s association, drew to- 
gether 250 business men of Beverly, 
Manchester and Wenham-Hamilton 
last Monday evening in Beverly City 
hall. The after-dinner speaking was 
unusually good. Hon. Geo. H. Car- 
ter of Chelsea amused with his story 
telling and was followed by Hor. 
Melvin M. Johnson of Cambridge, 
who declared that the tinkering 
with the constitution which might be 
done at the coming constitutional 
convention might result in the shat- 
tering of some of the fundamentals 
upon which our country is built. He 
said our fathers, in writing the con- 
stitution had drawn upon their in- 
most souls in preparing the document. 
He decried the present tendency 
along the line of individual liberty 
which might result in disaster. The 
French revolution, he declared, was 
the referendum run riot, a_ spirit 
which even sought to supplant: the 
courts in carrying out the law. He 
sictured the witchcraft juries as in- 
stances of the effect of the popular 
cry upon the judiciary. | 
“There should be a real attempt to 
get men qualified for the framing and 
the carrying out of the law,” he said. 
“There were thousands who did not 
vote on the question of a constitu- 
tional convention and a_ hundred 
thousand more people voted on the 
proposition to make New Year’s day 
a legal holiday than did vote on the 
question of a constitutional conven- 
tion. If you are ill you engage a doc- 
tor because he can do something for 
your ailments. You engage a lawyer 
te advise you on legal affairs, because 
you know he knows more about law 
than you do, and you ought to pick 
out legislators who know more about 
the questions that come up than you 
do, or who will give time to study 
them. If the popular cry is to be the 
standard of government, then the 
minority has no protection, justice 1s 
dead and mob rule is triumphant 
Tinkering with the constitution may 
result in getting laws that are bring- 
ing about conditions that we do not 
want. 
“We ought to cultivate just a little 
more of the spirit of dependence, the 
unity of principle, that we get to- 
gether with our neighbors, work for 
them, not against them and we.will 
get a get a civilization that is worth 
while. We cannot separate ourselves 
from the rest of the world and get 
anywhere. .We must work for one 
another; cities must work with their 
sister cities, countries with their 
neighboring countries. and in_ this 
unity of principle will result laws 
worthy of our consideration. There 
are some questions which we may 
well put to referendum, questions up- 
on which we are posted, know about, 
but there are too many questions of- 
ten put on the ballot and upon which 
we are asked to vote and of which 
we know nothing. We ought to 
sense our individual responsibilities 
—not to get away from the funda- 
mentals of government and we oughi 
to lend our influence to this end. The 
time to do this is today.” 
Among those present from Man- 
chester were: Edward S. Knight, 
Leonardo W. Carter, Chas. A. Fritz, 
Raymond C. Allen, Chester L. Stand- 
ley, Frank A. Morgan, C. Elmer 
Smith, H. W. Purington, Charles 
Hooper, Lewis S. Hooper, F. J. Mer- 
rill, J. A. Crocker, Hollis L. Roberts, 
Hugh J. Burke, .Wm.. W.. Hoare, 
Isaac M. -Marshall, Frank... and 
Lyman W,..Floyd,..J., Alex.. Lodge, 
Alfred C.. Hooper, Hollis A. Bell, 
Byron A. Bullock, Lewis W... Hutch - 
inson and Frank A. Foster. 
From Beverly Farms were: John 
M. and W. B. Publicover, Fred W. 
Varney, E. .F. Campbell,. Thos... D. 
Connolly, Harold Varney, W. P. 
Brewer, F. I. .Lomasney, H.. A. 
Doane. ) ) 
Taxi—Phone Manchester 290. adv. 
