Newspapers / Jackson County Journal (Sylva, … / Feb. 7, 1919, edition 1 / Page 2
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3; -" . : " . m f j . wwx W . . - - .Pi-' wM-'. m iVii:.j.;J ft" M to f T k i Y. .M 1 IB 1. 11 IS! if i M 1 1 'if! II fr. Kit I nil f ,.-3 : 5,. 111 RAILROAD PRO STU3B0RI jtfcArJoo Favors a Five-Year Test Period in Which to Prove Which I is Better, Government Ownership pr Private Ownership 1 Wisely Regulated Under Superior Authority I of Federal Government. I e u ft MAnro j while of great benefit to tie public, I By w. . mauuu. , nQt reIished by some railroad cor- ! The railroad problem Is today one porations for competitive and there of the most, if not the most, impor- f R .fl . rpnsnns Sll(.n imnrove. tant and vital domestic questions facing ' the American people.; Our welfare " and prosperity depend on its proper solution. Therefore it . is peculiarly necessary that the facts regarding It he understood clearly ; that it be set tled not along partisan political lines nor in deference to the prejudices of any class; that the American people face the issue boldly and dispose of it as courageously as they have always done with every basic problem they have had to meet. i Let me say Immediately that I have no pet theory to advance in discussing the settlement of the railroad ques tion. At the present time I am neither en advocate nor an opponent of gov ernment ownership. But while my tendency is against government own ership and in favor of a wisely regu lated private ownership under strong federal control, I am frank to say that I am not afraid of government owner ship should experience, gained by an adequate test, prove that it is the best solution of the problem. We are. liv ing in a new day in America; the world is throwing off old. shackles ; we inust do what seems best in view of ascertained facts regardless of pre conceptions. I favor. a five-year test period because I believe its results will tell us convincingly which is better government ownership or private own ership wisely and adequately regulated under the superior authority of the federal government. rj Calls Attention to Problem. 'jThe recent-suggestion I made to the congress for such a test under peace conditions has at least served to con centrate attention on the problem. Many of the attacks on the plan plain ly have been dictated by , selfish in terests; others just as plainly are due to misunderstanding,. jThe suggestion most generally' ad vanced by the opposition is that the roads7be continued under government operation for the twenty-one months' period after the war, as provided by the present federal control act, and that during that time remedial legis lation (there is an utter lack of agree ment on the details of such legisla tion) be enacted to return the roads to their private owners. biere are two reasons why such a course seems - to me impossible ; first, the, roads cannot be operated success fully under the present act for -twenty-one months with the prospect of their return to their owners at the end of that, time approaching nearer every day ; and second, na adequate and fair remedial legislation can be obtained within that time in view of the polit ical situation, and the lack of crystal lization of the thought of the nation as tO what is the best permanent so lution. In discussing these two points, I must be frank, for the American peo ple are entitled to frankness. This is their problem, and they are going to settle it sooner or later whether cer tain interests want them to or not. The most serious obstacle to going on wt the present system of federal J control onder existing limitations whilethe congress tries to work out remedial legislation is that of morale. Some purposely blind people appear to think this an idle argument, put for ward !to bolster up a plan. They do not know the situation. "No man can serve jtwo masters." L Face Stubborn Fact. The (railroad officials and employees I or tne United States are only human, i If they see thend of federal control rapidly approaching, with their posi tions and their future the constant subject Of partisan political contro versy, and with an entirely different systu of control, which will vitally ,affect each individual employee, about to go in effect they naturally cannot work with undivided thought and at the highest point of efficiency ; they will be thinking inevitably of the in terests of the private owners whose employees they will soon become, and they will pay less and less attention to the government officials operating .the roads. Where the interests of the private owners and of the government clash, as they unavoidably will in many cases, employees will hesitate which interest to serve. Confusion and lack of 'efficiency are bound to result. This is not theory; this is a stubborn fact that must be faced. Already signs of the difficulty are beginning to appear, j With other forms of industry this might not be so serious, but the prosperity and even the lives of mil lions of j Americans depend upon the discipline and efficiency of the Ameri can railroad machine. Then, too, were the effort made to continue I the present control under ex istinglegislation, the railroads, from a physical standpoint, might stand still or even deteriorate during the twenty one months period. Without the-cooperation of the railroad corporations. It is difficult under the present law to carry forward improvements or to ob tain needed equipment Already many of tRe railroads are resisting pur rhass of necessary equipment for their account Many of the necessary 4nmirments. such m Joint terminals r - - hmmmmmmmmmmmmmimmmmmmmmmmm . . . - V. . ; ; , , , . - . . .. ; '- V - ' I " - T- ' BLEP.1 OUESTIOiJ OF 1 FAOLKOT OF THEORY ments would result in great econo mies, without which it probably would he impossible to reduce passenger or freight rates during the twenty-one months period. It is impossible to carry forward an adequate program of Improvements and to demonstrate those operative economies which will cheapen transportation In a shorter pe riod than five years. Must Keep Out of, Politics. I would prefer not to mention poli tics in connection with this problem, because primarily it is an economic question. But we must not be blind. The American people have been dis cussing the railroads for generations; almost every man In public life has gone on record on some phase of the subject In 1520 there will be a presi dential election. It is idle to suppose that under such conditions ' it will be possible during this or the next con- gress to secure calm and deliberate consideration of the ultimate solution of the problem, much less a fair and adequate permanent settlement. This vital question must not be settled in the heat -or passion of partisan poli tics; it must be dealt with in the calm of an inter-presidential election period. Some of the opponents of the su eested five-year extension of federal i , , . i control appear to do so on the ground that; the operating revenues during the i yeait 1918 will be insufficient to pay j the rentals guaranteed to the owners. ; They", forget that most of the wage ; increhses granted to employees took , effect January I. 1918, whereas the ! increased passenger and freight rates did not go into effect until six months later. IfS increased freight and pas senger rats had gone into effect Jan nary 1, 1918, at the same time as the wage increases, there would ljiave been 1 no deficit. jThey also forget that the I government v.took over the roads when ' they were completely paralyzed and , when the greatest congestion of traffic In their history was upon them. It cost the government millions of dollars to clear up the congestion and get the railroads running again efficiently. They also forget that blizzard followed blizzard, and that it cost much money to overcome their effects. They for get, too, that the price of coal, of steel, and of other supplies was far above normal during the past year. These added expenses all would have had to be met had the roads continued under private control, and to pay for them, rates would have had to be, increased. Private operation the past year would have failed utterly and the deficit ! would have been greajter perhaps than under government management. Economies Can Be Effected. Under peace conditions, and with a period of five years of federal control assured, it should be possible to main tain existing wages and working condi tions and to effect such economies, that reductions in rates, both passen ger and freight, ought to follow with in a reasonable time. L'nquestionably economies can be effected under uni fied control that cannot be practiced under diversified control. Already the extra charge of one-half cent a mile for riding in sleeping cars, imposed as a war measure, has been removed, and other restrictions enforced by the war are rapidly disappearing. ' Unfortunately some of the opposi tion to the proposed five-year exten sion is based on dissatisfaction with service given the public during the war- " 1S argued that conditions have been bad, although this Is not true. It can be stated, as a fact, which can not be successfully contradicted, that service has been greatly improved un- RESCUE OF AIRMEN FROM THE SEA 1 ... aeetc?meIltiS!a?M taklng in ' surrender of the German aeet came to grief and fell into the sea. The aviators were rescued bv 1 destroyer, and the photograph show, the plane being hJleZrtZ I Salute Brother Officer : ' Even Though Bathing jjf '1 "Boston," Mass. "Salute yotir: brother ofiicers v, even though they, be in the bathtub," declared Maj. Gen. Clarence R. Edwards in commenting on the failure of officers in the Northeastern- de partment to sjalute. "The salute," General Ed wards said, "is a manifestation of a man's own self-respect. It is an evidence of discipline." . der federal control, in spite of the tremendous, ; demands that the war needs have" imposed. Here again It Is forgotten apparently that the railroads were placed under government control for the purpose of winriing the war against the German autocracy. The first duty was to move troops and war supplies. I have yet to hear a sound criticism of the manner in which that pressing war need was met. Millions of soldiers were moved safely and ex peditiously to the seaboard, and from Camp' to camp. Foodstuffs, munitions and other supplies were rushed to ships at express-train speed. The American railroads during the past year have functioned for the war pur pose. But even in the conduct of ordinary jusiness, the record made by the rail roads shines by comparison with the record of private control in .JU years wnen ,uwuiuUiu.c 1 point or imporiant rranic. uunug ie '' fall of 1918, there was practically no j congestion anywhere and we were still i at war. Remember the congestion' on the railroads inithe crop-moving sea ! sons of 1916 and 1917. Toward the end of 1916 conditions became so bad that the interstate commerce commls- i sion made an Investigation. As a re sult. Commissioner McChord filed a re- ! t n.KSstVk Kyi eniil Kot, Hm!llc hnvA UUil ill 1 1 i V 11 11C OtlHl 1 1 lil I initio "Ufu H . Mini uunu, Jiitw iiac uunun.ru, i - ishable articles of great value have been destroyed, and .hundreds of car loads of food products have been de- layed in reaching their natural mar kets."1 Also that "long delays in tran sit have been the rule rather than the exception, and the operations of established industrial activities have been uncertain and difficult." Became Simple Matter, The accommodation of passengers in peace times, and the proper at tention to the transportation of ordi nary freight, become a comparatively simple matter once the larger ques tions have been disposed of. No prac tical, just and experienced man can honestly argue that government op eration per se has caused bad service. Already needed trains are being re stored; crowded conditions, are being remedied; rules made necessary by the war are being done away with. I touch on such questions briefly In order that there may be no beclouding of the issue by the injection of false premises. No - disaecommodHtlon wfTt result to the traveling or shipping pub lic by the extension of the period of federal control. The question merely is whether wise and well considered remedial legislation for the return of the roads to private control can be obtained under existing conditions within twenty-one months, and wheth er, even if that were possible, the roads could be operated successfully, economically and satisfactorily pend ! ing the discussion by the congress ! and the country, and especially with i ihe 1920 presidential campaign ap I proaching. j Neither contingency being possible j in my judgment, I see no escape from i the conclusion that the period of fed J eral control must be extended for five jears, so that an adequate test of uni fied operation may be secured under peace, not war, conditions, and neces sary improvements to terminals and other facilities be made, free from partisan political influences, or the railroads must be restored to private control in the near future to take their chances under the old laws and conditions which governed them prior to the assumption of control by the fcovernment. VVHERt THE I i In this beautiful palace of Versailles, just outside of Paris, the treaty that is expected to bring peace to all the world will be signed. AMERICA'S j 1 jj I America's delegates to the peace congress, photographed in Paris.' Left State Lansing, President Wilson, Henry White and Gen. Tasker EL Bliss. HENRY WHITE Of the American delegation to the peace congress, Henry White is the cr.ost familiar with diplomacy, having been long connected with the Ameri can embassy in London and afterward ambassador to Italy and France. ARTHUR J. BALFOUR Arthur J. Balfour, British minister of foreign affairs, is one of the leading members of the peace delegation of his country. i. WORLD PEACE TREATY DELEGATES TO THE PEACE CONGRESS RECEPTION ROOM ! 1 ......finMi ill m mi 1lV fn,i,rnn,,TSMM mml " " m,,,.;,.. - This beautiful reception room of Louis Philippe is in the Grand Trianon, which is a part of the palace of Versailles. It is used as a reception room by the delegates to the peace conference. GEORGES CLEMENCEAU Georges Clemenceau, premier of the French republic, is .the president of the peace congress, having been cho sen for that place not only In compli ment to France but also In recognition of his great ability. Long known as the Tiger," Mr. Clemencean has al ways been a sturdy fighter for democracy. WILL BE SIGNED to right: Col. E. M. House, Secretary of OF LOUIS PHILIPPE JULES CAMBON Jules Cainbon is considered an espe cially valuable member of the French peace delegation, as. he has been French ambassador to both America and Germany. His appointment was especially pleasing to the Americaa delegation. J
Jackson County Journal (Sylva, N.C.)
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Feb. 7, 1919, edition 1
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