Evening star., 1918-12-02

were not needed to convince m tat
imanas the aa,.Tosa; sss e .eafstion aea ss ime
posed upon them by the rapid ana
continuous dsSelopment. OF thu M
dustries OF the country. We knew
that already. And +We know. that may
their fns snsag e = WY
impossible by 6w and tl1slr 1compen-
tfon made obligatory. 20 that Il has
been impossible to a4Sign to them
eeveraiay tho trAhac which could best
be carried. by their respective lines
in the interest 81 expsdition and ma
ttonal economy.
Hopeful Of Treaty by Spring.
We may hope. believe. for the
formal conclusion Of the war by
treaty by the time spring has come.
The twenty-one months to which the
present control OF the railways is
limited after formal proclamation of
PEACE shall have been made win run
az the iarthest. take It for granted.
only to the January of 1921, The full
equipment of the railways which. the
federal administration had planned
could not be completed within any
such period.
The present law does not permit the
use OF the revenues Of the several
roads Tor the execution OF such plans
except by formal contract with their
directors. some OF whom will consent
while some will not, and therefore
does not AFFORD sufficient authority to
scale upon which Il would be neces-
sary to undertake them. Evet.v ap-
proach to this dimeult subject matter
OF decision brings us face to face,
+theretoEf, with this unanswsred Ques-
ton: What is 1t right that we should
do with the, railroads.: in the interest
OF the public and in fairness to their
owners? 40
Let me say at once that I have no
answer ready. The only thing that is
fair either. to the public or to the
owners of the. railroads to leave the
question unanswered, and that 1t will
presently become my duty to relin-
quish control OF the roads. even be-
period, unless there should appear
some clear prospect in the meantime
of Legislative solution. Their re-
lease would at least produce one ele-
ment OF q solution. namely. certainty
and quick stimulation Of private
initiative.
I believe that 1t Will be serviceable
for me to Set forth as explicitly as pos
Stble the alternative courses that lie
open to our choice. We can simply re-
lease the roads and go back to the old
~SnAAsASAA0 "a kultAv0 1k1641AX8luSuIs UHs
restricted competition and multiform
regulation by both state and federal
authorities, or we can 20 to the opposite
extreme and establish complete govern
mont control, accompanied, II neces-
sary. by actual government ownership;
or we can adopt an intermediate course
OF modified private control, under a
more unified and affirmative public reg
ulation and under such alterations Of
the law as will permit wasteful COM
HA0fIf10n A q 3nH' go y ~
degree Of uniacation of administration
to be enected, az, for example, by region
al corporations uader which the rail-
ways OF definable areas would be- in
erect combined IN single systems.
The one conclusion that / am ready
to state with confidence il that it would
be q disservfce alike to the country and
to the owners Of the railroads to re-
turn to the old conditions unmodified,
Those are conditions Of restraint with
out DEVELOPMENT. There is nothing af-
nrmative or helpful about them. What
the country chiefly needs is that all its
means Of transportation should be de-
veioped, its railways, its waterways, its
highways and it's countryside roads.
some new element of policy. therefore.
the service OF the public. necessary for
the release Of credit to those who are
administering the railways, necessary
for the protection Of their security
HoiueFS. Inc OLD pol1cy may be changed
much or little, but surely It cannot
wisely he left as 1t was. + hope thar
the Congress will have a complete and
impartial study Of the whole problem
instituted at once and prosecuted as
rapidly as possible.
!, stand ready and anxious to release
the roads from the present control
and I must do SO at q very carly date
II by waiting until the statutory limit
OF time. is reached shall be merely
prolonging .the period Of doubt and
uncertainty which Is huFtful to every
interest cQncerned. y
welcome this occasion to announce
to the ConEEeas my purpose to join in
Paris the Representatives OF the gov
ernments with which we have been
associated IN the war against, the cen.
tral empires for the purpose OF dis
cussing with them the main features
OF the treaty OF peace. I realize the
great tnconveutences that will attend
my leaving the country. particularly
at this time, but the conclusion that It
was my paramount duty to 20 has
been forced upon me by considerations
which I hope will seem as conclusiye.
to you as they have seemed to me,
The allied governments have ac-
cepted the bases OF peace which I
outlined to the Congress on the 18th
Of January last, as the central ern-
pires also have. and very reasonably
Interpretation and application, and it
is highly desirable that should give
1t In order that the sincere desire Of