The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-09-14
Does Not Believe, However, That This Will Precipi- tate General Revision of the Tariff
RAILROAD PROBLEM IS GREATEST SINGLE
 ISSUE IN AMERICA
Senator Back from Vacation Predicts Flush Times" Next Year Such as None of Us Have Ever Known
ny HUGH W. ROBERTS

 The fact that by next May receipts of the government will he xIOO.0O0. .0Oo less than nt the present time, will. In the opinion of senator underw ood, 1 necessitntc, in the ensuing session of Congress. further fiscal iegislation. He , does not believe, however, that such necessity will prccIpitate anything In the nature of general revision of the tariff law.
 Senator Underwood returned to Bir- mingham Sunday night from a sum mer vacation spent in North Carolina. He admitted-and he was apparently glad to make the mssion-that he hadn't kept in touch' with the sit uation, and that as a result he did not know what recommendations the Pres ident would have to make
 Ut Is certain, however" he said that the war tax bill, which has
 raised $70,D00,O0O, will expire
 through its limitation January l,
 and that May l the tariff on sugar
 amounting to $3o.oo0. 900, will be
 removed. Inasmuch as our import
 trade, on account of the European
 war. will not for sometime yet
 reach its former level it will be
 necessary for Congress to enact
 legislation to raise q sum equiv
 alent to that which will be lost
 through the expiration of time linn
 it's
 ,alal Great American Problem
 T do not anticipate controversial This is due to the fact that we are about to enter another presidential year. A great many bills will be introduced and passed. but none of them will be of such import ance and such momentous effect that there will be inducement to members to indulge in partisan politics
 For the above reason, l fear that we will not get into the vitals of the greatest problem, the greatest oppor- tunity for real statesmanship--that Is, general reformation on big scale of the system of railroad regulation l hope. however. that Congress will at least appoint a commission to make a years study of this subject in order that on its report we will be in posi- tion to act next year.
 Tn effect we have no railroad reg ulation. We have been patch work ing,' indulging in a practice which can have no good effect, and must of a certainty have a bad effect We must either establish fixed freight rate applicable to all states and sections, Guaranteeing protection to the people, and enabling the railroads at the same time to make satisfactory return on their investment, or we must resort to governmental control, and the latter, in my opinion, would be most unfor- tunate.
 "Flush Times" Coming
 Before the conclusion of another year we are destined to find that on account of inadequate railroad facil- ities we will be unable to take com plete advantage of the flush times with which We will be blessed.
 If we remain free of international complications-and that we will now seems certain--the trade balance in our favor by the conclusion of next year will be $2,000, ,000000 We will have a greater sum of gold in reserve than ever before in our history. For every thing that we grow or manufacture there will be an insistent cry from across the seas. do not predict an era of prosperity; l predict flush times the like of which none of us have ever seen.
 And then 1t will be found that our railroad facilities are inadequate to move our production. Up to the pres ent time We have done nothing toward the sane solution of the greatest American problem. We have scarcely scratched the surface,' We should be- gin at the earliest possible moment to fix standard rate which will guar antee protection and fair play to the people, and we must see to it that an opportunity Is extended to the rail-
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