The Washington times., 1917-04-16
President Places Industries
OF the Nation on Probation
In Address to Country, Declares That There Can
Be No Slackening of Production, and
No Excessive Profits.

President WILSON has placed the
great industries OF the nation on pro-
baton.
Although Congress Is considering
legislation which will empower the
President to take over the railroad
systems OF the country and ''estab-
lish a center OF control to direct the
distribution of commercial commodi-
ties, there is no intention on the part
of the Government Immediately to
take over this work-unless 1t proves
necessary.
] President Wilson has served notice
on the railroads and their employees
! to see that there is no obstruction, no
inefficiency or slackened power in
the work. of serving the nation dur
ing the crisis. ..f
II delay or obstruction appears, or
a tendency not to serve the demand
of the Government to the fullest, the
President win utilize the power he
expects Congress to give him to take
over all railroads for military pur-
poses. a.
At the present time, however, &C
cording to Administration officials,
no need for such action Is seen
The railroads have appointed. an
executive committee 'of officials to
direct the work OF cooperation with
| the Government. on a gigantic scale,
and complete assurances have been
given that the roads belong first to
the service of the nation and will be
so utilized.
To the merchant and the middle
man. the President has given warning
that the country. will expect small
/ profits and quick service" ~
Should there be any attempt to
take advantage OF the war by raising
prices and holding up immediate
deliveries of necessities Of life. the
Government will Immediately take q
hand.
Whether or not there will be con-
scription of young men to work on
the farms depends largely upon the
results OF President Wilson's call for
volunteers for farm service, issued in
his appeal to the nation last night
II call upon young men and old
alike" he said, "and upon the able
bodied boys of the land to accept and
act upon this duty-to turn in hosts
to the farms and make certain that
no pains and no labor is lacking in
this great matter" .-.
The Appeal. ~-
The text of the Presidents address
TO the nation follows:
Ny Fellow-Countrymen:
The entrance of our own beloved
country into the grim and terrible
war for democracy and human rights
which has shaken the world creates
so many problems OF national life
and action which call for Immediate
| consideration and settlement that I
hope you will permit me to address to
you a few words of earnest counsel
and appeal with regard to them
We are rapidly putting our navy
upon an effective war footing and are
about to create and equip great
army but these are the simplest
parts OF the great task to which we
have addressed ourselves. There Is
not a single selfish element, so far
as can see, in the cause We are
| fighting for We are fighting for
what we believe and wish to be the
rights of mankind and for the future
peace and security Of the world. To
do this great thing worthily and sue
| cessfully we must devote ourselves to
| the service without regard to profit
or material advantage and with an
energy and intelligence that will rise
| to the level OF the enterprise itself.
We must realize to the fun how great
the task Is and he ? many things,
how many kinds and elements Of ca
pacity and self sacrifice IL involves
These, then, are>the things we must
do, and do well, besides fighting
the things without which mere fight
ing would be fruitless.
We must supply abundant food for
ourselves and for our armies and our
seamen not only, but also for q large
part OF the nations with whom we
have now. made common cause, in
whose support and by whose sides we
shall be fighting.
Must Build Ships.
We must supply ships by the hun
dreds out OF our shipyards to carry
to the other side Of. the sea, subma-
fines or no submarines, what will
every day be needed there, and
abundant materials out OF our fields
and our mines and our factories with
which not only to clothe and equip
our own forces on land and sea. but
also to clothe and support our people
for whom the gallent fellows under
arms can no longer work, to help
clothe. and equip she armies with
which we are cooperating in Eu-
rope, and to keep the looms and man.
ufactories there In raw material:
coal to keep the fires going in ships
at sea and in the furnaces OF hun
dreds OF factories across the sea; steel
out of which to make arms and am
munition both here and there; rails
for worn-out railways back of the
fighting fronts; locomotives and roll
ing stock to take the place OF those
every day going to pieces; mules.
horses, cattle for labor and for mill
tary service; everything with which
the peoples OF England and France
and Italy and Russia have usually
supplied themselves but can not now
AFFORD the men, the materials, or the
machinery to make.
1t is evident to every thinking
man that our industries, on the
farms, In the shipyards, in the mines,
In the factories, must be made more
prolific and more efficient than ever
and that they must be more econom-
icalIy managed and better adapted to
the particular requirements of our
task than they have been; and what
I want to say IL that the men and
the women who devote their thought
and their energy to these things will
be serving the country and conduct