The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-08-30
UNTERMYER HAS FAITH IN PLAN
 OF PRESIDENT

New York, Aug 30.-Samuel Unter- myer said last night that he consider ed the manner in which the President and statesmanlike, and added that he believed that the eight hour law could be enacted into a law that would stand the Constitutional test in the courts. MT. Untermyer characterized the attitude of those who control the railroads as shortsighted and said that these heads of the great railway sys- tems of the country were furnishing the strongest possible evidence in fla vor of the Government ownership of railroads.
 MT. Untermyer at his home at Grey stone, near Yonkers, gave his views yesterday of the legal and economical aspects of the situation as outlined before Congress by President Wilson. Tt is impossible" said MT. Unter- myer, adequately to cover so vast a subject in a newspaper interview. It embraces economic problems of far reaching properties, the solution of which is beset' with endless complica- tions. Sooner or later they had to be met, and the President has shown his usual courage in meeting them at this particular time.
 After carefully reading the Presi- dents message I feel that he has dealt with the perplexing subject from a just, broad, fearless, comprehensive, and statesmanlike viewpoint that gives hope of a speedy solution. ''The one outstanding assertion of the President that the eight-hour day has the sanction of the judgment of society and that the roads will eventu- ally be obliged to accept it I believe to be absolutely sound. I can find no constitutional objection to it's being embodied in legislation, if Congress sees fit to do so, in the exercise. of it's power to conserve the health and safa- guard the efficiency of teh agencies employed in the conduct of interstate commerce.
 Congress cannot, however, in my judgment. either itself or by any dele- gation of power of the Interstate Cv1n- merce Commission or otherwise direct ly or indirectly regulate the wages that shall be paid except to the extent to
 W dependent on operating expenses sub- ject to the limitation that it may not fix rates that do no permit of a fair profit.
 "The carrying out of most of the program embodied in the fifth and sixth recommendations is entirely feasible so far as 1t concerns their le- gality and the power of Congress to deal with these subjects. Since we are not in state of war I take it that any action by Congress involving gov- ernmental operation for military pur- poses would have to be in the nature of condemnation, and must be accom- panied by definite provisions for com pensation and provide legal machinery for that purpose.
 "The framing of such a measure as will stand the constitutional tesl ,s feasible, but it Is no mean accomplish ment. I am not prepared at the mo- ment to say how far the 1awmaking power may go to compel men to work or prevent them from striking When- ever they chose.
 "The recommendation for the en- largement of the membership and
 
 Commission should be hailed with sat- isfaction and relief on all sides. If that long sought and much needed re- suit can be brought about under the stress of this crisis it will not have been in vain.
 "The commission has not for 10 years or more been able to cope with the gigantic tasks that have devolved upon it. While it's powers and sphere of usefulness have been constantly enlarged the same number of men have had these new and ever increas- ing duties thrust upon them, until the, task has long since become inn possible of prompt or proper per- formance notwithstanding the ability and industry of the commission.
 ''It has also long been evident, and I have for at least five years been ad- vocating giving the commission con- trol, over security issues and particu- larly over receiverships and reorgani- zation of insolvent railroad corpora tions The commission should have the same power to administer insolvent railroads as the controller now has with respect to insolvent banks. If the commission had a voice in reor ganizations such as Is possessed in every civilized country, save ours, we should have been spared the scan dals and oppression that are now the almost invariable incidents of the present antiquated and inadequate procedure We would also avoid the ever-increasing and now imminent peril of having almost our entire rail- way system in the grip of a handful of bankers in Wall Street, which is the direct result of our defective laws. This entire subject was exhaustively investigated by the Pujo Committee in 1913
 "The commission should be enlarg- ed to 15 members and the work ldi- vided with rates and labor and kin dred subjects, another to deal with security issues and conduct investiga- tions, and the third to supervise re- ceiverships and rganiZations and to protect minority stockholders. "A court is not a proper agency to operate a railroad. That should be the province of an administrative body. Under this plan we will re- ceive an orderly effective control over these public agencies. The railroads have shortsightedly resisted. step by step. every effort at rational control as they are now resisting the princi- pie of the eight-hour day. They are furnishing the strongest arguments for government ownership"
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