North Carolina Newspapers

HAILHOAD PftOCLEP.T w. . -i . ; ' . -m v v ..... ) STUGBORtl FACT.tlOT OF THEORY ' 1 :McAdoo Favors a Five-Year Test Period in Which to Prove Which is Better Government Ownership or Private Ownership L .tilth i'i HVisely Regulated Under Superior Authority r ' of FederaJ( Government 1 ? ; By W. G.' M'ADbO. The railroad problem Is ' today one of the . nKjsti If not the most. Impor tant and vital domestic questions facing the American' people. Our welfare and prosperity depend on its proper solution. -Therefore it is J peculiarly . necessary that the facts regarding it De understood cieariy; uuu n uc tied 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 hay e always done with "every basic problem they have had to meet. - H Xet me say immediately that I have no pet theory to advance in discussing 4-Yi n. ontflAntanf .- nf -thn to 1 1 rvo rl : nil PC (tlon. "At the present time I am neither tm advocate nor an opponent of gov ernment ownership. But while my tendency Is' against government; own jership 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 fsolution of. the problem. We are liv ing in a ; new, day in ; America ; the ' fworld is. throwing, off. old shackles; we 'must do ; what seems - best . in view of; ascertained facts regardless of pre conceptions... I fttyor .a five-year test period becausffV, ove its results will tell us convinctiyl which Is better government ownership orj private own ership wisely and adequately regulated under the superior authority of the federal government, v v, , Call, Attention to Problem. t The 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-plaln- . 1 1 V. Jl.i.; 1 1 1V. U. '.V. A. il J- x ' 1 1 to misunderstanding. , The suggestion . most 1 generally ad '. vanced , by, the opposition is . that the roads be continued under government operation for the twenty-one months 'period after, the war; as " provided by vthe 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- tiori) be enacted to return the roads to their private owners. There 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 jday ; and second, ,no"adequa.te and fair ; remedial legislation can be obtained within that time in view of the political-situation, 'and the lack. of -crystal-- ilization of thej thought of the nation as. to what is the best permanent so ; lutlon. In 'discussing these two points, , I must be frank, for the American peo ' mi pie are "entitled to frankness. This is . thefr problem j . and .. they are goin to settle., it sooner or later whether cer tain' interests want them to or not. The most serious jobstacle to going On with the present system of federal control ' under' existing limitations While the ; congress .tries to work out ; -remedial legislation is? that of morale. Some purposely blind people appear x to think this ah idle argument, put for ward to bolster up a plan. They do - not know the situation. "No man can serve two masters." , -. - i " . Face Stuhha'fn Cat " ' - ' . fl, j . - www . w . M W W. , ' ' ' . . I - . . .. . The railroad officials and employees of the United States are only human. If they see. the end of federal control A- fnrlA1xr orrfranVtinrr ir5K 4-Vnt w."A.t iuiiiui; niijium.ujuj,i niui IUC11 pUOJi" - tlons and their future the constant' , .subject of fpartisan political contro versy, and v with an entirely different system 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 ; thCy s ' will be thinking inevitably of the in - terests "of the private owners whose ' . omnlnrpps thpv will snnn honrtmn nnrl wUA . . WX. , they will pay less and less attention to the government officials operating ' 'private owners and of the government clash; as they unavoidably will in 'many cases," employees will hesitate . which interest to serve. Confulion and - lack of. efficiency are bound to result! This is not theory; this is a stubborn ' , fact that must be' faced. - Already r signs ot the difficulty are beginning to . appear.; With other forms of Industry .this might not be . so serious, but the -prdsperity ; and even the lives of mil--'. lions -of Americans depend upon the : ' discipline; and . effi ciency of the Ameri--1 . can railroadmachine . ; v. . Then; tooiWere the effort made; to ' continue the present control under ex . , : V isting; -legislation, the railroads, from - -a physical .standpoint, might stand still or even deteriorate during the twenty ' ' one mpntljs period , Without -the cW opera ojk oi ruAirqaa, corporations, it is jdUffiqult i under, th$ present law to, T I carry, forward Improvements r, to ob- tain needed equipment. 'Already many of .the pur chases v.'of- necessary ; equipment : for thJ'ir account, Many of the necessary Isirrove-iwnts. ?uch as joint terminals. 1 mil . i ' ' : :. - , :-'.; t ' : " V. .- - . - " ' ' 4. f ' ! ' - QUESTION OF while of great benefit to the public, are not relished by some railroad cor porations for competitive and there fore selfish reasons. ' ? Such improve ments would result . in great econo mies, without which it probably would be impossible to reduce passenger 'or freight rates "during the twenty-one" mouths r period. It is impossible to carry forward an. adequate program of Improvements and to . demonstrate those ' operative economies which will cheapen transpbrtatiph in a shorter pe riod than five years. Must- Keep Out of Politics. I would prefer not to mention poll 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 cus'sing the railroads for generations; almost every man in public life has gone on record on some phase ofthe subject. - In 1920 there wiJl 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 sug gested five-year extension of federal control appear to do so on the ground that the operating revenues during the" year 1918 . will be insufficient to pay the rentals guaranteed to the owners. They forget that most of the wage increases granted to employees took effect January 1, 1918, whereas the Increased passenger and freight rates did not go Into effect until six months later. If increased freight and pas senger rates had gone into effect 'Jan uary 1, 1918, at the same time as the wage increases, there would have been no deficit They also forget that the government took over the roads when they were completely paralyzed and when the greatest congestion of traffic in their: history was- upon them. It cpst 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 p. .ce of coal, of steel, and of other Fiinplies was far above normal during Cr 1 past year. These added expenses S. would have had to be met had the rlpads 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 greater 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 tibfisf an(ff o effect such economies, that reductions' in rates, both passen- ger ana rreignt, ougnt to. rollow, with in a reasonable time. Unquestionably economies can be effected under uni fied control that cannot be practiced under diversified control, Already the extra charge of otve-half cent a mile jf tmm. t . 1 ur nuiug m seeping car.s, imposea as n mint iHMHbn.n vc Kon- w,y .w. wl a war measure, has been removed, and other restrictions enforced by the war are rapidly disappearing. Unfortunately some of the t opposi tion to , the proposed five-year- exten sion is based on -dissatisfaction with service given the, public during the war. It is argued that conditions have been . bad, althoagh this is not true. It can be stated as s fact, which can not be successfully contradicted, that service has been greatly , improved un-. RESCUE OF AIRMEN FROM THE SEA SiiiiSiliiiili wmmmmmmmmmmmmmm tk $ . ' fifWV-hf-tiir iKiL'ii!hjiii'01Ciui--ZT--r'- -'-"n'n n'lLt One of the British airplanes tawni Dart in the surrender of the GerniM fleet came to grief and fell Into the sea. The avlatora were resraedTr 2 destroyer.and the photosraph shows the plane being haaled aboa ttf reu Salute Brother Officer Even Thouah Bathina - W AVOLVU, UUl'Ui . ,( fM. ..w ... ' U, brother - officers ; even i though they be in the, batntuo," aeciarea . Maj., Gen. .Clarence R. Edwards, in. commenting on; the failure of , officers in the Nprtheastern ; de partment to salute. . ' " VThe ' salute," ' General Edwards- said, is a manifestation of a man's, own self-respect. It is an evidence of discipline ! der federal control, 4n spite of the. . tremendous c demands . that the -- war needs have Imposed. Here again it is forgotten apparently that the railroads MaxIma LllvWff. former Bolshevik were placed under. government control ..wnbaisador (jt London, has sent a note for the purpose of winning the war to tg that the against the German autocracy. . The J3olslievih. g9eWient of Russia is pre- nrst outy was to move iruupo P1! ilT!!! f cjmcism oi me pressing war need was met. Miiuon. of soldiers were moved safely and ex vl suiuxeia wCx , peditlously to e ooara, am otur 1Z Thl was shot bja, soldier. Fraulein Lux ships at express-train speed. The . ,ffM- rM thrown American railroads , during the, past tlZ - ; But even In the conduct of ordinary ; business, the record made by the rail- roads shines by comparison with the record of private control In previous years when considered from the stand- point of important traffic. During the lau ui.iaio, wa. congestion anywhere and we were still at war. Remember the congestion on the railroads in the crop-moving sea sons of 1916 and 1917. Toward the end of 1916 'conditions became so bad that the interstate commerce commis sion made an investigation. As a re sult. Commissioner McChord filed a re port in which he said that "mills have shut down, prices have advanced, per 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." 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 j5er 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. disaccommodation will resmt to tne traveling or snipping pun-, lie by the extension of the period of lUCiUI VVUlf VM w...v VU.UVUI UiVi ViJ t- I. n,A ,..11 IS v lie ijuci . rvioc uuu wcif wuuaiucicu 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- y fng the discussion by the congress and the .country, and especially with the 1920 presidential campaign ap- to escape 'burning oil and was drown nrniirhinir.'' i ed. Nine otiers" were taken to hospi- Neither contingency being possibl. in my judgment, I see no escape from the conclusion that the period of fed- T" tX Z'.Z L w 7 ; . wars sn tnnr nn nrlptiilnto toct nf nnl. fivol pirnt,lr-l miter ho Jrl- Trx. e.Zi 7.n f " fied , operation may be secured under peace, not war, conditions, and neces sary improvements to , terminals and other facilities b3 made, free from partisan political influences, or the railroads must be restored to private Z Z no T; wr'7 chase of Loer California, the Coro control in the near future to take -vL, nn-tr,. et,t0 their chances under the old laws and 4. - i- . to the assumption of control by the government. - JJI IMPORTANT NEWS THE aVORLD OVER IMPORTANT HAPPENINGS OF THI3 AND OirJlER. NATIONS FOR 8EVitN DAYtl GIVEN I THE NEWS OF THE1 SOUTH What It Tailing Piae In The CoutV land jill ; Bt 'Found In u CHef Paragraphs EurODean fi pared to cese its world propaganda if the 'allieslwill agree to enter into Deace neeotlitions with it - i iit--j Dr. Karl iHebknecht and Rosa Lux- embuTK hav been killed. Both were in a lierlin idtel. Doctor Liebknecht - 1557 maS dumped on the runng board and shot her hfr hodv wVk! thrown into the canal. bu it has r;otl been found. London ailvlces are that there are h lJiW a zeneral strike in Qejtmy tOjavenge the death of Karl Liebknecht ittttd Rosa Luxemburg, the Spartacan mgwiers. The Gerniii; Spartacan bunch is ap parently losing its grip. The Independ ent Socialisti,lwho charge the Sparta- cans with being traitors, to the. middle classes and borers, .have determined to get rid 5fif them one way j or an other, typicaluof the German way of settline: thinffe. The Liondoti Central News declares that as a result of the allied ; discus sions in Par&'jthe whole aspect of de mobilization .has undergone a sudden and vital change, this, being shown in the drastic 1 1 conditions demanded of Germany for;; a renewal of the armis tice. The decision is that Great -Britain, in proportion to Its military strength, mi maintain an army of occupation qu i the Rhine forj many months. . - . - .)-. .v , , j. . Marshal Fch has presented the fol lowing new aruiistlce terms: Retribu tion upon all Germans for murder and ill-treatment f&f " prisoners : stolen ma chinery and 6ods to be given up. Ger man gold amounting to more than one hundred million pounds sterling to be moved frons Berlin to a safei place; Germany's ODO.OOO tons of . shiDDins to be hande 'over to the allies ; any U-boat on tbMstocks to be handed to the allies fo disposal; no more sub marines to b!)fbuilt The London j Daily Mail says that the British navyDhas provided appliances to rob the sUbmarlnA of Ms stinehut says that these of submarines in war ia criminal ilnd should not be toler- ated. -$. . - tfij TA J f i" JLOlTlCSllC : i All American .. ships which I were requisitioney the United States snipping ine -waif been release to their owners witiv the exception of fhose actually engaged in army service. , A million .dollar oil fire broke out Philadelphia January 16. One work- man jumpedSinto the Delaware river ta)2 ife! Twenty-on,H individuals and seven teen corporations, composing the Jr tion of Autdobile' Accessory. Jobbers , yn. - were placed bn trial in the federal r, jL , , court at Nejr York on an indictment returned nearly a year ago, charging violation of; the Sherman anti-trust law. A joint r solution urging the pur- nado Islands! and portions of the state of Sonora, Mexico, contiguous to the Colorado rivir:' has been introduced in the California t legislature. The reso lution requMts congress to urge the president td initiate negotiations with Mexico. i l , Statutes i "dry" states permittin; persons to fmport or personally bring in limited mounts of intoxicants for tueir owu usye were in enect nuiunea by the so-called "bone dry" amend ment ' enacted; by congress, the Su preme court a eld; in an opinion revers ing the federal court for the southern district of W&st Virginia. r f . , Nine persons were killed and more than a score;, injured when the Scran ton nyer on?? j tne I'miadeipnia and Reading railway crashed into the rear of a DoylestfWn local train while the latter was f fjrtlanding a quarter of a ; mile below iiort "Washington station, fifteen milesinorth of Philadephia; The director of the federal employ ment servic 1 says that thousand of Italian and Austrian war prisoners are planning tojjfome to the United States as : soon- as possible.- - : - J : The distlersV committee ; recently named j to fight national prohibition l elected a permanent organization at Chicago, and. ! announced the line on which an attack through the courts will be made: - - , It is reported through Red Cross cir cles that seventy-five thousand Austri ans' are in taly waiting the 'first-op portunity no ; come' to the - United States.' .:Ow. v t i ,! Two aviators of . -Carruthers Field were killed it fort WorthTexas'when their plane dropped Into a tail-spin and fell five thousand feet, Two others Were seriously injured within a few Ratification of the federal constltu tional prohibition amendment made the United States ot, America the , first great Ration, to take legislative action ' I ' " !'.- . x M o permanently stop me uquor, ira- flC. ' 'f -' rfX :- ' -ir f:;V O Pour, babies were born January 9 to Mrs. Mark Dukes, wire or a iarmer living! near Sycamore, Ga; Mrs Dukes, gave birth lo triplets in 1915 and-twins ri 1917.- This is nine children, all liT ng, : born to Mr. and Mrs. Dukes In Ouryears..!- u n 11 i It is announced that the distillers will use rone billion dollars to sate . the liquor' business" in ;'the United States. r: -?P:Mir The liquor interests say that in 12: states, which have ratified the prohi bition amendment there is a state .con stitutional clause 'requiring ratification by the people, which has not been done, and that this will be one of the counts on which they will try to save the liquor business.'" " , Nebraska's vote gave the necessary affirmative three-fourth majority of he states to make effective, January 16, 1920, the prohibition amendment to the United States constitution, sub mitted by congress in December, 1917. Under the terms of the amendment the manufacture, sale and importation or intoxicating liquors must cease one year af terL ratification, hut prohibition will be a fact in every state much earlier because of the war measure forbidding the manufacture and. sale of alcoholic beverages after June 30, until the demobilization ' of the mili tary forces is completed. T ' A general strike of organized labor, designed to paralyze every industry In the country,! beginning the 4th of next July, was decided upon by the National Labor Congress as a means of obtain ing a new trial for. Thomas J. Mooney and . Warren Billings' if f ederal inter vention and every other means adopt ed to procure the desired relief fail. The raising of one million dollars .was authorized to carry, on a campaign of education to' liberate labor leaders and to promote the- proposed strike. C: Switchmen and other employees of railroads not members of one of the Big Four" brotherhoods are not enti tled- to pay on a basis ot eight hours a day under amson act. the provisions of the Ad according to a decision handed down at Memphis, Tenn., by Judge; John i E. McCall ,in the United States district court for the western district of Tennessee. Washington In taking !up Henry Ford's petition contesting-the election of Truman H. Newberry to the senate from Michigan the senate election committee decided to hear all evidence in open session. This means jthat the sessions wni be open to the public, and it is hinted- that much political history will come to light. j Senator Smith of South Carolina is urging President Wilson to lift .the embargo on cotton. He says he 'has taken this action because he f pars the present j session of congress will be unable to1 amend the futures act. Another appropriation : of five hun- dred million or more will be asked of congress soon by Director General Hines for the railroad administration's ; revolving fund to be used mainly, in extending loans to railroads tot cover the extensive program of improve-' ments and extensions for which more than a billion dollars probably will be spent this year, Federal ownership, operation or reg ulation of public and semi-public utili ties is recommended in the report of the committee on reconstruction of the American Federation of Labor made public-In "Washington after its approv al by the federation's executive coun cil.' - :'-k:: The American Federation of Labor is out in a statement favoring govern ment ownership of wharves and. docks, federal legislation to prevent child la bor and equality in pay for men and women workers. There are rumors of an Impending itbreak of f a revolution' in Holland. Nine persons are known' to have been killfed and about fifty injured by the explosion of a huge tank of mo lasses on the water front off Commer cial street, in Boston A trolley freight car on the streets was blown from the tracks. Wagons, carts ; and motor trucks were j overturned. A number, of horses were killed. The street was strewn with debris, intermixed with molasses, and all traffic was stopped. Scores of ambulances army, navy, police, hospital and Red Cross were kept busy for a long while. Dr. Itodriquez Alves, president-elect of Brazil, died ; January 16. He had been critically ill for some' time. , Ah election will be held at once to deter mine his successor. Appropriation - of one hundred mil Hon dollars for' famine relief In Eu of Germany 'has been ap rope outside proved by the houser which passed the administration measure after its en actment had been urged . anew, by President Wilson, as the only effect ive means, of combating the westward spread . of Bolshevism, x The bill now goes to the senate, where its early passage is planned. Party Unes - were effaced in the house debate and vote. T3y a .vote of 50 to 21 the senate adopted a resolution recommended by a majority of the privileges and elec tions committee, dismissing disloyal charges against Senator La Follette of Wisconsin: iThe,resolution said the speech; upon which the charges were based did not justify lany action by the senate,.. . ...k", v .-:-:-:4 Demobilization ; ot all; combat nnltn in.the United' States has been ordered. This means that every .unit .In , the army in .tne ? United StateswiththflL exception of two regular regiments held for police duty at each camp, ht been ordered demobilized. DELICATE PROBLEM STATESMEN) DRAWING TOGETH. ! ER ON 8TRUCTURE TO HAVE SUPPORT OF ALL. BRITISH LARGELY AFFECTED Rejects Theory of Super-Sovereignty of an International Police) Force; Early Return to Normal (state. ; Paris. The plans for a league of na tions have been reduced to j very defi nite formi The general indications are that the statesmen of the principal nations are steadily drawing together on a structure which: will have the eoipport of all. ;J It is understood that the general plan which is now most approved in substance by all the parties concerned" rejects- the theory of the 'super-sovereignty of an', international police force. It also contemplates the wok ing out, as the development of the league progresses, of the most delcate queistion of all disarmament which particularly affects the British navy. The , same principle, it is proposed shall apply to the othei nations asso ciated in the war against Germany. -I Such a plan will delegate to various cimimissions and committees detailed problems which shall be reported with; recommendations to the league itself . The probability of such a plan being '.adopted justifies previous fore easts that the principal aocoonplish ments of the peace conference as it now sits in Paris will be agreement, on broad general principles, leaving the details to be applied in accord, therewith and the making of a pre liminary peace which will return the world at the earliest moment possible to 'its normal status. KAISER LEGALLY 'RESPONSIBLE FOR CRIMES OF WORLD WAR. Paris. Some points in the reports ' to .which Mr Clemenceau referred, u?u uti uv uau wusultw lw" ein1 iists 011 the penal respon-. .of the former German em- Peror. were made public, . The report was drawn up by Ferdinand Larnaude, lean 01 m ans law Jew. ano vr. A: ae L,apraaeue' Proie&sor ot 1 nfcaxs 01 nations in me same iacuny. lll& object of tne. inquiry was to vestigate from a purely judicial if .the crimes committed by the- merman government ana army in- volved the Penal responsbility of the former German emtperdr, what tri- 'ounal ' snould judge him and whether nls extradition could be demanded, Tne two French jurists prove that extradition of the former German nuleir cannot be refused, as he is . not a Poetical refugee. The report says : - lt anti-judicial ? to assimilate 'ViPar wlta: conspiracy. ,: crimes of war crimes , of pu-blic law and interna- KING GEORGE BEREAVED BY DEATH OF HIS SON- London. Prince John, the young est son of King George, died at Sand ringham." , He had been ill for some time. - , 1'-- ,. ' ; ; - . " -" The prince was possessed of ex uberant spirits. He was the prime favorite of all classes and the 'idol of the servants 'and tenants at Windsor. It j Is said that ho was the favorite brother of Princess Mary who loved to romp with him. The prince was born at Sandrigham July 12, 1905. TURKISH LIBERALS SEND . DELEGATES TO PARIS. Geneva, The congress of Turkish ibeirals assembled in this city dele gated Chiefic Pasha to attend the Paris peace conference and given him full power to act. He has been. Instructed to present the - rights and claims of the Turkish people and also tot take up the question of food for Turkey. At the opening of the. Turk ish congress telegrams were dispatch ed to President Wilson and Premiers Clemenceau, Lloyd . George and Or- C2ECH0-SL0VAK TROOPS ' ! WANTED BY RUSSIANS. Seattle, Wash. If help is not forth coming at 1 once any government set up, in Russia wlil fail, declared Madame Catherine".. Breshkvskoysky, known" as the "Grandmother of the Russian revolution," who arrived here. Czech 0-S16vak, - rather than .', allied troops, are wanted In;Russia, she de clared. ',; "The coming : of Cxechp Slovak soldiers would be welcomed, by the ", people ' as they would wel come the coming of Christ,"' she said. ORGANIZATION OF 75,000 EXPRESSMEN IS LAUNCHED ' Ilkhmond, " Va! Amalgamation ot expressment and .the express division ,of the Brotherhood . ot . Railway Clerks;" the ' two organizations having ar combined membership v.. of more than1 75,000,-was announced here . flo iowing a " five-day v executive session ot : dflegates representing the two or ganizations. ' " ' Richmond will be executive head Coarten for the nerr orgahizatoni.