Bisbee daily review., 1917-12-27


 cOnmIItee OI IaA~ay executives WnO nave been cooperating wIta tue sOs eminent In tnIs aIi-lIn l1rJant mac ger nave 0One the utmost InaI II was pOsslDle Tor them 10 G0; nave dOne lI WlLn pazTIOuc zeal ana w1In sreal aOIIIIy; OuJ there were dIIIIcuIIles IaaI Iney cOUId neither escape nor AeutraIlZ-e Complete unIIy of a0- inlnIsITaaon in Ine present circum- stances involves al many points a SC rlOus GlsiocauOn or earnings, and the tJmmIiIee, Eas. or course, without power or authority to Te-arrange eha-ges or euect proper eOmpensa- tons and aaJ1sImenJs or earning Sey- eIal roads wnieh were willingly and with admirable public spirit accepting the orders of the committee have al ready suffered from these circum- stances. and should ont be required to suffer farther. In mere fairness to them, the full authority Of the govern ment must be substituted The gov ernment itself will thereby gain an i'm mense increase of efficiency in the conduct of the war and of the innum erable activities upon which its sue cessful conduct depends
 Public interest fIrsI
 The pubhc interest must be first served, anu. in additOn. the financial interests Of the government and the financial interests of the railroads must be brought under a common d. rectiOn- The financial operations 1f the railways need not then interfere with the borrowings of the govern ment, and they themselves can be conducted at greater advantage h. sestors in railway securities may rest assured that their rights and interests will be as scrupulOusly looked after by the government as they could be by the directors of the several railway systems. Immediately upon the re-ss- semblying of congress I shall reeom- mend that these definite guarantees be given:
 Guarantees Assured
 First, of course. that the railway properties VII be maintained during the period of federal control in as good repair and as complete equip ment as when taken over by the gov ernment, and second that the roads shall receive a net operating income equal in each case to the average net income of the three years preceding Jun 30. 1917, and I am entirely con fident that the congress will be dis posed in this case as in others. to see that justice is done and full se- curity assured to the owners and creditors of the great systems which the government must now use under its own direction or else suffer serious embarrassment
 The secertary Of war and I are agreed that all the circumstances be- ing taken into consideration the best results can be obtained under the inn mediate direction of the Hon William G. McAdoo. whose practical expert ence peculiarly fits him for the serv- ice. and whose authority as secretary of the treasury will enable him to CO., ordinate as no other man could the many financial interests which will be involved and which might, unless sys- tematically directed. suffer very en- barrassing entaglements-
 Following Europe's Lead
 The government of the United States is the only great Government now engaged in the war which has not already assumed control of this sort. It was thought to be in the spirit of American institutions to a, tempt to do everything that was nee essary through private management. and if zeal and ability and patriotic motive could have accomplished the necessary unificstion of administra- tfon, it would certainly have been ac-