Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1918-12-11

interest of the public and in fairness
to their owners?
Several Plans Possible.
| believe that it wiz be seryiceable
for me to set forth as explicitly as pos
/ sibie the alternative courses that lie
open to our choice. We can simply re-
lease the roads and go back to the old
conditions of private management, UNI
restricted competition and multiform
regulation by both state and federal
authorities; or we can go TO the oppo-
site extreme and establish complete
| government control, accompanied, If
necessary, by actual government own
ership; or we can adopt an interme-
/ date course of modified private con-
troll, under more unified and affirma-
! tive public regulation and under such
alterations of the law as will permit
| wasteful competition TO be avoided
and considerable degree of unifica-
! ton of administration TO be effected,
as, for example, by regional corpora
| lions under which the railways of de-
Unable area would be in effect com
! bined in single systems
The one conclusion that / am ready
| to state with confidence is that it
would be a disservice alike TO the coun-
try and TO the owners of the railroads
| to return to the old conditions unmod-
| flied. Those are conditions of res
traint without development. There Is
nothing affirmative or helpful about
them. What the country chiefly needs
is that all it's means of transportation
should be developed, it's railways, it's
waterways, its highways and its coun-
tryside roads.
New Policy Necessary.
Some new element of policy. there
| fore, is absolutely necessary--neces-
/ sary for the service of the public, nee
| essary for the release of credit to
those who are administering the rail-
ways. necessary for the protection of
/ their security holders The old policy
may be changed much or little, but
1 surely it cannot wisely be left as it
| was
| ! welcome this occasion TO announce
| to the congress my purpose to join in
! Paris the representatives of the gov
| ernments with which we have been
associated in the war against the cen
/ trail empires for the purpose of dis
| cussing with them the main features
| of the treaty of peace. | realize the
| great Inconvenience that will attend
/ my leaving the country, particularly
! at this time, but the conclusion that
| it was my paramount duty to 90 has
| been forced upon me by considera-
lions which l hope will seem as CON
elusive to you as they have seemed to
| me-
Accept U. S. Bases of Peace.
The allied governments have ac-
| cepted the bases of peace which out
! lined to the congress on the Sth of
| January last, as the central empires
| also have, and very reasonably desire
my personal counsel in their interpre-
| tation and application, and it is highly
| desirable that / should give it in order
| that the sincere desire of our govern
ment to contribute without selfish pur-
pose of any kind to settlements that
will be of common benefit to all the
| nations concerned may be made fully
! manifest.
The peace settlements which are
now to be agreed upon are of tran
scendent Importance both to us and
| to the rest of the world, and | know
of no business or interest which should
| take precedence of them. The gallant
men of our armed forces on land and
sen have consciously fought for the
ideals which they knew to be the
ideals of their country; | have sought
| to express those ideals; they have ac-
cepted my statements of them rs the
| substance of their own thought and
| purpose, as the associated govern
ments have accepted them owe Il to
| them to see it, so far as in me lies,
that no false or mistaken interpreta-
ton is put upon them and no possible
effort omitted TO realize them.
II is now my duty TO play my full
| part in making good what they offered
! in their lifes blood to obtain. | can
| think of no call 10 service which could
transcend this
Praises War Agencies.
cies in existence in this country which
I knew so much of the field of supply.
of labor and of industry as the war
industries board, the war trade board.
| the labor department, the food admin
istratlon and the fuel administration
have known since their labors became
| thoroughly systematized; and they
have not been isolated agencies; they
| have been directed by men who rep
| resented the permanent departments
of the government and SO have been
| the centers of unified and cooperative
ectiOn 1t has been the policy of the
| executive. therefore. since the armis-
| tiCe was assured (Which is in effect
| complete submission of the enemy to
| put the knowledge of these bodies at
| the disposal of the business men of
the country and to offer their intelli-
/ gent mediation at every point and in
/ every matter where it was desired. II
/ is surprising how fast the process of
/ return To a peace footing has moved
/ in the three weeks since the fighting
! stopped. 1t promises to outrun any in
/ quiry that may be instituted and any
aid that may be offered. 1t viii not be
| easy to direct IL any better than II
will direct itself. The American bust
/ ness man is of quick initiative.
/ The ordinary and normal processes
] of priVHtp Initiative will NOT however