The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-02-15

sary clerks and employees scattered all
| over the country were furnished with
oiue cards 10 place upon ears to denote
a priority or preference shipment. But,
| beyond this, these employees gave the
| cards TO manufacturers, and manufac-
turefs making government preference
| OF Shipment not only used the cards for
the government, but for themselves. y
AS amended by the senate committee,
senator Kellogg maintained, the Me
Adoo bill appeared to meet the require
| ment2.
: 1t is not perfect, but under the cir
cumstances it reflects the best iudg-
ment Of the administration and the
committee, he said 'tItS three con
trolling propositions are the compensa
ton to be paid the railroads, the man
| ner of fixing and regulating rates and
the duration of government operation y
Taking up the matter of compensa-
ton, Senator Kellogg said that the ne
cessity for providing for it when the
government took any property was
clearly defined by the constitution.
The property taken over represents
a value somewhere between Is and
seventeen billions of dollars he went
on. st represents securities, stocks
and bonds in the hands of the public
of substantially $4,000, 900 900. The ex-
act amount is difficult to determine bv
reason of what is known as INTERIOR
porate holdings. In making these fig
ures the interstate commerce commits
sion has eliminated stock of one road
held by another, and has only given the
amount of securities in the hands of the
A. h.
roads represent stock and bond Issue
OF $4,000, as of June 80, 1916, and
book investment of 81 $3.50, 000, 900 as
of December 81, 1917 The interest and
dividends upon these securities come
due at various periods during each year
and must be paid in order to maintain
the stability of this vast investment. .
Discussing the proposal of the bill
70 allow the net average operating in
come for the years 1915 to 1917. in
elusive, as basis for compensation. Sen
ator Kellogg referred to 1915 as a wear
OF depression for the roads, while 1916
and 1917 had been prosperous ones. He
believed the three years would form a
fair average upon which to work. The
aggregate to be paid the railroads wear
ly, upon that basis, he said. would be
approximately $94l 100000
Senator Kellogg urged the logic of
having the power of rate-f fixing, which
Is delegated to the president under the
bill, made subject to review bv the
interstate commerce commission, as the
committee S amendment provides. The
matter of rates, he said. was one of
the most vital to the railroads and
power to tix it ought not to be put en-
tlrely in the hands of the executive
Arguing for the amendment TO end
government control IS months after
the war ls over, Senator Kellogg said:
am very strongly of the opinion
that this bill should provide definite
time after the termination of the war
when government operation shall cease
and that 1t should not be left to the
uncertain result of future congressional
action.
must admit that | have had to
revise my ideas a good many times
SINCE the beginning of this war, and it
1t IS our duty az senators to meet these
startling changes with the most liberal
SPIRIT. Though | did not believe it was
WISE or necessary to take over the rail
roads, am prepared to go to the full
lllhlt to make government operation as
successful as possible, and to grant all
the powers necessary TO that end. But
l am not yet prepared to take a step
that will vest such powers in govern
advocates and force
government operation of railroads upon
the people of this country. That ones
ton should be met By the American
people squarely and fairly, unhampered
by any other issue and should the time
come when the people of this country
deem it wise to take over the railroads
their mandate is final. | NAV support
it myself, but l am not yet ready to
do 80.
Senator Mclean characterized the
scheme of government control under
private management as 'half-slave,
half-free policy
Such a policy can only be justified
at time when the life of the nation
itself Is at stake, he said. 'It has AL
the defects of government ownership |
under private management and none of |
the benefits of private management I'M
der private ownership.
II may be necessary to submit To
TINS IN order to win the war, and | shall |
vote for the bin as reported out bv the
committee, but beliere it win be shown |
at the close of the war to have been
neither necessary nor Unsuitable.
we are already experiencing some
OF the blessings of government manage |
meht or the means OF transportation and
production. As time goes on other de-
nights will probably follow. If the sam. |
pies which have been supplied by the |
heads of the executive departments are
1airiy representative of the remaining
stock IN trade, those of us who need |
fuel and food TO sustain life would best
a'art for the banana belt early next
fall
hope the senate will insist on fix
ing the time limit of Is months | hope. !
TOO, that the American people will give |
TINS whole subject the attention it de |
serves netore 1t becomes a vital issue
at the polls