Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-04-09

AdOo's letter are possible. 1t may be
that he intended to hint to the COVER.
nors that their state budgets should
be held down to minimum, so no tax
payer would be burdened unfairly.
However, he referred only to the rail-
roads taxes. 1t may be, too, that he
desired to serve notice on politicians
and officials of the La Toilette stripe
that government control Of the rail-
roads puts period to the open season
which many so-called reformers have
celebrated by imposing on railroads
every restriction and hardship they
could invent. 1t Is this practice which
drove the market value Of railroad Sc
curities downward and made it impos.
sible for companies to increase their
facilities to keep pace with the increas-
ing demand. The result was that the
wartime emergency found the rail.
roads unable to cope with the sudden
and unprecedented demand for ship
ping and government control was the
result
There are many, however, who will
regard Mr.. McAdoo's letter merely as
a plea for special consideration for the
railroads which would give them
standing as preferred and privileged
tax payers.
The need for money to conduct state
governmental affairs continues, regard
less of who may be running the rail-
roads. II these should be made pre-.
ferred tax payers and the amount of
their assessments reduced arbitrarily
as result OF Mr. McAdoo's appeal,
more money would have to be paid In
to the treasury by the people Of the
state in general. In other words, any
favoritism shown the railroads would
amount to determinations against
every other tax payer.
Parenthetically, 1t Is worth remem-
bering that, in theory, the railroads
are to pay their own way under gov
eminent control. It is to make this
possible, we are told, that freight
rates are being increased. service is
being diminished and employees are be-
ing dismissed Somehow, under pri-
vate ownership. railroads have paid
taxes and dividends out OF their in
comes. Now, Mr.. McAdoo says, the
government must pay the expenses.
or at least, the taxes. Where, the
curious may ask. is the revenue to go?
1t would be difficult to believe that
such suggestion would emana.e
from such source, but it is less DIM
cult, perhaps, in the light of the fact
that Mr.. McAdoo has suggested to the
railroads that they demand continue
tion OF the vicious system Of other
years under which they have bought
coal on contract at prices which al
lowed the producers little or no
profit, while the small consumer Of
coal was mulcted for price great
enough to yield the operators a profit
on their entire output.
1T was with view to eliminating
that factor from the coal trade that
Fuel Administrator Garfield directed
that there should be no deviation from
the schedules of prices he has fixed.
Mines in Iowa and in other coal fields
are idle today because the fuel ad-
ministrator and the railroad director
have ISSUED edlEts which are dlamet.
really opposed.
It Is quite natural that Mr. McAdoo,
having taken entire charge of all the
railroads in the country, should desire
to make q creditable showing for gov
eminent control. It would add mater.
tally to his fame, no doubt, and would
serve as q good argument for govern
ment ownership Of the railways.
But we find him increasing freight
rates and cutting on high-salaried EN-.
ployes with one hand, to reduce oper-
ating expenses, and with the other
signing letters which ask special
consideration for the government-con-
tr0lled railroads In their relation to
privately owned industries.
II he is successful in all his efforts.
he may be able to show a balance
sheet which will be heralded as proof
that government ownership Of rail
roads is the solution for many sorts Of
ills. But II the figures are to be OBJ
tanned at the direct expense Of private
citizens and shippers, 1t will be din.
cult, on Analysing them. to find q ben
eht aceruing to the individual
Meanwhile. II the record made thus
far under government control II an in
dication Of what might be expected un.
der government ownership, the SER
vice could not compare with that Of
the separate and competing lines.
Train schedules have been cut and
slashed; trains have been put out of
b0TVlC0 " the OOzens many OF tho
comforts Of travel have been denied
the public, and trains which were uni
formly on time year ago are almost
uniformly behind time now.
Almost any business could be made
to show paper profit II It could, at
will. increase its revenues and de-
crease it's expenses and the service It
rendered. But such . method would
not benefit the general public. even II
the public owned the business.
Mr.. McAdoo's efforts to expedite the
movement Of war supplies and other
necessities are laudablo and the pub
lie is glad to undergo any hardships
that may be necessary to help those
efforts to success. But the public will
have some pointed questions 20 ask
about the financial side Of the opera.
ton.
A SONG OF HATE
sycophantic Germans have indited
Songs Of Hate" hoping no doubt, to
win the iron cross or crumb OF ap-