The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1918-12-26

need President Wilson's thoughtful
man" to see that these alternatives
do not by any means exhaust the
possibilities. The present system of
Government control, which Mr. Nc
Adoo admits is not working we'll,
may be improved Plans may be
made to return the roads to private
ownership under modified legislation.
The McAdoo five-year period is pure
ly arbitrary; it might be made three
years, or six, or ten, so far as the
force of his reasoning goes. He
presents very much the appearance
Of a man who had made up his mind
tnat a certain thing ought TO be done,
and then cast about for arguments
to justify it. This is commonly called
begging the question.
The more Mr.. McAdoo's presenta-
tion of his case is examined, the
more perpieXing and inconclusive it
appears. He describes the existing
legislation as inadequate. 1t admits
of unhappy conflicts between Federal
and State authorities. Moreover, the
fund-the so-called revolving fund"
provided by Congress is not large
enough. There should be minor
amendments to the law and more
money voted. But to do this Con-
gress will find it impossible" in its
crowded short session. Mr.. McAdoo
states, and then calmly suggests that
it do the vastly easier thing OF agree
ing offhand to five-year Federal
control and appropriating $4,000
100000 This jump from premises
to conclusions is tremendous.
1t is equally hard to understand
Mr.. McAdoo. and just as difficult to
follow him, when he passes to the
subject of the psychology of railway
employees, One aspect Of their state
of mind, under Government opera
ton he does not mention, though
thousands of shippers and other rail-
way patrons have remarked it. We
mean their general letting-down of
business morale, their Indifference,
their inattention to duty. 1t is, in a
word the "blight" of Government
control of which Mr.. Hughes has
been speaking. The Director-G General
does not appear to have observed
| this, but he comes out strong on the
restlessness and relaxing discipline
of the men employed on the rail-
roads, owing, Mr.. McAdoo alleges,
to their uncertainty how Along Gov
ernment operations will continue,
and what their future status may be.
| If this is true, and the railway men
have been neglecting their work in
order to organize debating societies,
an order from the Director-General
would seem to be called for. But
Mr.. McAdoo's proposed remedy is
quite other. Assure the employees
of five years more under the Govern
ment, and they will instantly stop
talking about wages and hours and
privileges and prospects, becoming
instanter highly efficient. Anybody
except a retiring Director-Generai
who will believe this will believe
anything And as for Mr.. McAdoo's
grave assertion that the course
recommended by him would take the
railroads "out of politics." it is hard
to imagine a plan which would keep
them longer and deeper in politics.
Many Of the considerations ad-
vanced by Mr.. McAdoo are Of un-
doubted force. There is a consensus
of intelligent opinion that the rail
roads ought not quickly to go back
to private control. Action by Con-
gress will undoubtedly be necessary
to prevent what the President called
the "disservice" of returning to the
old conditions unmOdiiied.' But all
this only heightens the unwisdom
of attempting such shortcuts as Mr..
McAdoo advises. To turn blind eye
upon complexity does not make 1t
simplicity. And hasty improvisa-
tions of policy, no matter from what
source, can never be satisfactory
substitute for patient study and
cautious experiment.--New York
Evening Post.