The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-12-02

the products to the ports and mar
kets, to route troops and freight
shipments without regard to the adj
vantage or disadvantage of the
roads employed; impossible to subor-
dinate, 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
served and the question%is. what is
best for the railroads and for the
public in the future?
Roads Hampered BY Law.
Exceptional circumstances and
exceptional methods of admins
tration were not needed to con-
vince us that the railroads were
not equal to the immense tasks
of transportation imposed upon
them by the rapid and continued
development Of the industries of
the country. We know that al
ready, and we knew that they
were unequal to it partly be-
cause their full cooperation was
rendered impossible by law and
their competition made obliga-
tory so that it has been impos-
sible ito assign to them severally
the traffic which best could be
carried by their respective lines
in the interest Of expedition and
national economy.
a.. What Shell Be Done?
We may hope. I believe, for the
formal conclusion of the war by
treaty by the time spring has, come.
The twenty-one months to which the
present control of the railways is
limited after formal proclamation OF
peace shall have been made will run
at the farthest, I take it for grant
ed, only to 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 several roads for the execution
of such plans except by formal con-
tract with their directors, some of
whom will consent while some will
not, and therefore does not afford
sufficient authority to undertake i'm
provement upon the scale upon
which it would be necessary to I'M
dertake them. Every approach to
this difficult subject matter of de-
cision brings us face to face there
fore, with this unanswered question:
What is right that we should do with
the railroads, in the interest Of the
public and in fairness to their own
ers.
q May ReIinquisE1 Control Soon
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 question
unanswered, and that it will
linquish control of the roads,
even before the expiration of the
statutory period, unless there
should appear some clear pros
pect in the meantime Of a leg
islative solution, Their release
would at least produce one ele-
ment of a solution, namely, GER
tainty and quick stimulation
Of private initiative.
Suggestions of Way Out.
believe that it will be serviceabIe
for me to set forth as explicitly as
possible the alternative courses that
lie open to our choice. We can sim
ply ISICdSS lll6 IOct1S ShL1u SU DdCh
to the old conditions of private man
agement, unrestricted competition
and multiform regulation by both
state and federal authorities; or we
can go to the opposite extreme and
establish complete government con-
troll, accompanied, If necessary, by
actual government ownership; or we
can adopt an intermediate course Of
modified private control under a
more unified and affirmative public
regulation and under such altera.-
tons Of the law as will permit
Wasteful competition to be avoided
and a considerable degree Of unfit
cation of administration to be eff
fected, as for example, by regional
corporations under which the rail-
ways of a definable area would be
in effect combined in a single sys-
tenn. f., rN"@ E.
Cannot Return to Old Ways.
The one conclusion that am
ready to state with confidence is
that it would be iiisservice, alike D..
to the country as well as to the
owners of the railroads, to return
to the old conditions unmodified.
What the country chiefly needs is
that all it's means of Transports
ton should be developed, it's rail-
ways, it's waterways, it's highways
and it's countryside roads. Some
new element Of policy, therefore,
is absolutely ecessary-necessary
for the release of credit to those
who are administering the rail-
ways, necessary for the protection
of their security holders.
Willing to Help.
The old policy may be changed
much or little, but surely it cannot
wisely be left as it was. I hope that
the congress will have a complete
and impartial study of the whole
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.