New-York tribune., 1918-03-05
From Golfers Weekly

Jo"i Iiine is occupied mere with the cOnlm!I-
tees You are an expert and practical rail
road man. I would advise your going home
and giving your best attention to your
system"
Mr.. Jones promptly resigned from his com
mlttees and is now giving his efforts to the
better direction Of his own road. There was
no mlncing Of words, no i'll feeling that
know of, but the utmost candor and direct
ness. No railway man knows when it will
be his turn to be sent for
The Old Railway Order Passes
Mr.. McAdoo makes it his business to be
deeply conversant with what is going on.
his practical experience peculiarly fits him
for the service" the President said when he
selected him, and Mr.. McAdoo is bent on
proving that statement every minute he is
in Office. He is born executive He leaves
detail to others until he has to take it up.
But once it is forced to his attention he
handles it with swiftness and energy and
watches until it is disposed Of
line other day, for instance a shipper in
New York called up railway official and
said to him: "Our car is there all right but
1t is on middle track, where we can't get
to it to unload it. If you will have it switched
tor us to platform any other spot where
we can back up trucks to it we will unload
it at once"
WED be glad to oblige YOU" answered the
official, but you know the road is now under
government control, and we can't do these
things as we used to-"
MY McAdoo knows about cases like that.
and railway officials who make it a practice
10 gum up the situation, as M W. G.. Lee
ih'lmates, may find their jobs assigned to
somebody else. Government Possession and
cohtrol' has come to clear up, not to en-
Vangle. And this brings us to the question:
what is to be the future of the RAILWAYS .
VIII they remain permanently under govern
ment direction or will they be returned to
their manasenents on the old pre-war basis ?Y
Ihe Senate, as this is being written. is
discussing the question as to whether the
government control should last for one vear
aIter tne war or eighteen months Mr.. Nc
Adoos interest in this discussion must he
largely academic. for hero is his answer to
my questions:
For Regulated Control
"lf during the period of governments con-
troll the railroads are at all we'll man,oad
and show a marked Improvement over tba o,d
system the American public would not want
'he ROADS to go back to private management
but IL, as some people have suggested TO
me- the roads are i'll managed-that is. if at
tempts are made by railway officials so TO
run The roads that government control is
SHOWN IN poor lghtdo they suppose 7
won't have sense enough to see it or sand
enoush TO chahge them, we'll as the con-
ditions: Wv wi"
"A regulated control is the futnra con
flr -
make them more efficient than ever haforo ;,
And if Ny McAdoo is right in assum;nr tbst
lhat is what the public will demand it mat
ters llttie whether Congress leaves the roads
IN the governments hands for one wear after
'"e war or restores them 10 their formcr
ownership after eighteen months. It ;s tbo
manner OF the governments-tha is Nv No
Adoo os-stewardship that will determine the
course and Mr.. McAdoo has imagination and
VISION enough to see that as we'll as 10 an.
pie"e"u 'he ne" era that is coming after
shlS war For all practical purposes, there
ioie' 1. IS more than probable that the Ameri
can railways have parted with the old nnda.
Oh ownership and management for GOOD
and all 'i sooo
NcAdoo's Future
1t amounts, then, to this: Mr. Ncaaoo
means to make first class job Of his man.
"semeht or the railways, and after that he
VIII leaVe 1t TO the public. The responsive
ness OIL the American public has been vorv
much qulckened since, our entry into tho
war; and-what with the government contro]
eAtehd'hg eighteen months after the war is
ended-l92O, with its new Presidential cow
palgh, might settle such question yoru
s"l1tiy and easily. So that whatever Con-.
siess may 40 about it now is largely irrele
Na"' ana lmmateral. 1t requires both cour-
answer that question as Mr.. McAdoo .n-
swered it. Certain members If Con1.a o."
when his appointment as Director CenaraI
was announced, declared that hc cou,d W.
40 justice TO both that Office and his original
one as secretary of the Treasury: that Tho
sum 81 the responsibilities was too yreat.
that to run the United States Trcasurr A..
Farm Loan Bank and to have seat ox-
orc'o among the directors of the rcder,,
reserve Bank they considered enough for
any man. Add to that the direction of the
-'''ooV miles, more or less, of American rail
ways and you give one man far too much
power and too many rcsponsilslit;os D..
NJ r. McAdoo has passion for Responsible
.'os. @ 10 his other cares add the direction of
Aiiieu loans, Liberty loans and soldiers nnd
S@''ors insurance, to say nothing of the
projected half-millon- dollar finance c,rno-
ration! -p'
1t was William G. McAdoo, You will re-
member who financed tho Hudson tubes when
everybody thought he was crazy 1t was win.
lam U. McAdoo who built the Hudson tubes
wnen some very powerful gentlemen endeay.
ored to prevent him.
Mr.. McAdoo was nobody in those dave ,o+
he did what he wished. Mr.. McAdoo is SOMA
nody IN these days; save for his fathcr.;n-
iaw' rather more of somebody than anv-
body else in the United States as surpestea
at the start. He has all the energy and nil
the courage of the young Tennessee |awvcr
VINO came down to Manhattan, saw what he
wanted and took t-smiling the while. Hc
mas IN addition, position so strategic that
:. 10 o''ncu't TO see how any other Democrat
hnmh him - wv