Omaha daily bee., 1918-12-03

of the policy to be adopted toward
the railroads. | frankly turn to you
for counsel upon it. / have no con-
fdent judgment of my own, l do
not see how any thoughtful man
can have who knows anything of
the complexity of the problem. 1t
is problem which must be studied,
studied Immediately and studied
without bias or prejudice. Nothing
can be gained by becoming parti-
sans of any particular plan of set
Element.
Was War Need.
1t was necessary that the admin
istration of the railways should be
taken over by the government so
long as the war lasted. 1t would
have been impossible otherwise to
establish and carry through under
single direction the necessary prior
tiles of shipments. 1t would have
been impossible otherwise to COM
bine maximum production at the
factories and mines and farms with
the maximum possible car supply
to take the products to the ports
and markets; impossible to route
troop shipments and freight ship
ments without regard to the advan-
tage or disadvantage of the roads
employed; impossible to subordi-
nate, when necessary, all questions
of convenience to the public neces-
sity; impossible to give the neces-
sary financial support to the roads
from the public treasury. But all
these necessities have now been
served, and the question is, what is
best for the railroads and for the
public in the future.
Cooperation Impossible.
Exceptional circumstances and
exceptional methods of administra-
ton were not needed to convince us
that the railroads were not equal to
the immense tasks of transportation
imposed upon them by the rapid
and continuous development of the
industries of the country. We knew
that already. And we knew that
they were unequal to it partly be-
cause their full cooperation was
rendered impossible by Flaw and
their competition made obligatory,
so that it has been impossible to as
sign to them severally the traffic
which best could be carried by their
respective lines in the interest of ex-
petition and national economy.
Wars End in Spring.
We may hope, | believe, for the
formal conclusion of the war by
treaty by the time spring has come
The q months to which the present
control of the railways is limited
after formal proclamation of peace
shall have been made with run at
the farthest, 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 sew
>eral roads for 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 suffi-
cient authority to undertake i'm
provements upon the scale upon
upon which it would be necessary
to undertake them. Every approach
to this difficult subject matter of
decision brings, us face to face.
therefore, with this unanswered
question: What is right that we
should do with the railroads, in the
interest of the public and in fair
ness to their owners?
Question Must Be Answered.
Let me say at once that | have
no answer ready. The only thing
that is perfectly clear to me is that
it is not fair either to the public or
to the owners of the railroads to
leave the queshtion unanswered and
that it will presently become my
duty to relinquish control of the
roads, even bofer the expiration of
the statutory period, unless there
should appear some clear prospect
in the meantime of legislative So
luton. Their release would at least
produce one element of solution,
namely, certainty and quick slim
ulation of private initiative.
Various Alternatives.
l believe that it will be service
able for me to SET forth az exnlicitlv