Evening journal., 1918-12-21
THIS OR CHAOS
From the New York Trlbune.)

First the President said as to the
railroads that there were three courses
among which to choose, namely. % a
return to former conditions, l2) gov
ernment ownership, o. (3) private
ownership and control under a new
theory Of government regulation. He
added:
'The one conclusion that am ready
TO state with confidence is that il would
be a dsseryice alike to the country
and TO the owners OF the railroads to
return TO the old conditions unmodl-
fled. Those are conditions Of restraint
without development"
That was in his message to Congress.
Ten days later Mr.. McAdoo, the re-
firing Director General of Railroads,
said:
eve are now confronted with the
necessity either Of leglslating intelli-
gently about the railroad problem at
this session Of Congress or of promptly
returning the railroads 10 their own
ers"
Mr.. McAdoo's necessity arose from
three assumptions, which We're: First,
that II would be impossible TO legis-
late intelligently about the railroads
in the short time remaining to the
Democratic Congress; second that i'll
would be a catastrophe to return the
railroads out Of hand, and, third, that
the government could not successfully
operate the roads with everybody on
notice that the experiment would end
two months after the declaration OF
peace Therefore, Mr.. McAdOO con-
cluded that the expiring Congress, in
the brief time yet available for the
exercise OF its Democratic wisdom,
should extend the time Of government
operation TO the symmetrical and con
yincing period Of five whole years. In
that time, according TO Mr.. McAdoo,
The railroad machine could be much
Improved and enlarged and partly re-
built, with government credit and at
the same time the merits of Federal
operation cou.d be adequately tested. |
Now comes the Assistant Director
General Of Railroads, MIR Hines, warm
ly supporting AiT. McAdoo's points and |
adding some OF his own. He asks US
to think Of the grave questions and
issues that have TO be answered and |
decided. Shall there continue TO be |
state control in conflict with Federal /
control2 Are the railroads overcapl- |
talizede II so, how shall the crime be |
exploited? Is competition too waste
ful2 How can the facilities OF the rail- |
roads be pooled for greater efficiency Il? |
What shall be done TO reconcile ra-
tional railroad operation with the anti
trust laws?
obviously, he argues, owing to con-
ditions unnamed, these things cannot be
settled now-at least, not right away
hence II is imperative that Congress |
shall decree five years OF government
operation.
But why?
Mr.. Hines has apparently mlsunder-
stood the Director General. According
to Mr.. McAdoo, Government control O.
the railroads for five years would prove
concluslveiy whether Federal ope-ation
would produce on the whole better re-
suits than private operation. II a FIVE
year demonstration should prove the
case for government ownership, such
questions as now are raised by Mr..
Hines would be immaterial If the dem
onst.ation should prove the case against
government ownership, then the con-
sideration Of Mr.. Illness questions
would merely have been postponed for
i've years because, Of course, nobody /
Is going to bother TO work out
scheme Of compromise between private
ownership and government regulation
while 1t has yet to be decided whether
the railroads are ever going TO be re-
stored TO their owners.
Mr.. McAdOo did not make good
dialectical case in favor OF continuing
government operations for five years
Mr. Hines does Mr.. McAdoo's case
more harm than good.
There IS no valid reason why Con
gress should not attack the ~ailroad
problem now-at once. What had no
been finished by March 4 could be re