The Washington herald., 1918-02-20


Flays wreekers.
Representative Stephens, of Ne
braska, fiaying Wall Street wreck
ers" for what he called the fall
down Of the railroads in the nations
crisis. demanded the roads be held
under Federal control for five or ten
years after the wars end to give "a
fair test of what public operation can
do"
A record vote in the House on the
date Of returning the roads is as
sured by an amendment on which
stephens announced he would make a
seperate fight. 1t seeks to repeal the
provision of the House bill for the
return Of the roads at the end of two
years after the war
General debate opened in the House
with Chairman Sims, of the Interstate
Commerce Committee. defending the
btlfs terms as practical"
Draws Parallel.
Senator Johnson drew a parallel
between the terms offered men
drafted into the national army. and
the railroads. drafted es part of
the nations fighting necessities.
Where is the MAJ" he demand
. ed, who would have suggested that
we pay the men we are to send to
the trenches a sum equal to the
average of their last three years
earnings? He would have been
Ia ~haaA to
johnson declared that per cent
would be guaranteed on stocks and
bonds, 50 per cent OF which repfe-
sented nothing but water.
Senator Norris. of Nebraska. took
the position that the railroad bill
Srunted far too much compensation
TO the system. Senator Townsend.
OF Michigan, was opposed to che
compensation system. He said that
GeoT-e W. Anderson the new mem
Der of the Interstate Commerce
Commission had more to do with
framing the bill than anyone else
and when the committee ordered
BIN to take back the bill and re-
wise 1t he brought il back more
difiicult to understand than ever
Representative Stephens. of Ne
braska, Democrat. stirred the
House with a vigorous speech in de-
nuaciation Of Wall Street wreck
crs Of railroads." He demanded
that the carriers be kept under
Federal control five or ten years
after the war to test out public
operation thoroughly.
Stephens asserted the roads were
stIy overpaid.
In the course OF his denunciation.
he mentioned the names of two men
now in responsible government posi-
tions. One is President Lores, of the
Delaware and Hudson Railroad, who
has been named as a member of
a mediation board to map out a
pc lnc1t method of harmonizing
capital and labor. The other is s.
NJ. FELTON,, of the Chicago Great
Western Railroad. now assisting
chairman Hurley as engineering ex-
pert of the Shipping Board
Both these men, said Stephens,
had been involved in the wrecking
or the Chicago. Rock Island and
Pacific Railroad. which he described
as "a horrible" example of private
control
Fear Is BugabOo.
The fear of government owner
ship talked the shipping bill to
death in March, 1915. and our build
ing was set back two whole
years he declared. "The eminent
legislators who permitted them
selves to be frightened by the ghost
Of government ownership. 1 charge
with the responsibility of having
failed to provide the country with
ships.
The hacker of the ghost was the
shipping trust, charging at that time
1000 per cent of normal rates.
The Insurance interests tied us
up on our war risk insurance bill
To protect our sailors by the gov
ernment-ownership cry.
This whole lot of magnates can
not conceive OF the people having
sense enough even after they have
tried thing to know whether they
want II or not.
The truth is, Federal control should
be continued i've or ten years after
the war for the purpose OF satisfying
the country beyond a question of
doubt that Federal control is or Is
not practicable.
The country Is certain that the
management OF railroads under pri-
vate control has been a failure and
they are seeking and demanding some
satisfactory solution Of this difficulty.
Private control and ownership has
already proved q failure. Some way
must be found to cure the defects
Of the system or government owner
ship Inevitably follows. II after a
period OF Federal control the roads
break down utterly under existing
conditions, then the government. to
save its own life, must own its own
means Of life as well as control them
Now the government as a war me-
cessity has taken control and has CO.
ordinated all the roads under one
head. and for one purpose, namely,
service.
Against Msxnates-
1T Is a concentration of control
so dearly sought by the railroad mag
mates. But the people would not trust
such power IN private hands. The
thing sought by these magnates for
fifty years was gained by a stroke Of
the pen by the President. for the
people.
''If the gentlemen who are haunted
by the ghost Of government ownership
prevent an honest demonstration Of
Federal control. then they will have
to face a countrywide demand for
not only Federal control. but owner
ship as well.
Some Of these roads We know