The Washington herald., 1918-10-04

Two stories appearing in America
today-one the contradiction o: the
othcr-are of interest to The world.
In Mr. McLean's Post OF thus city
the very firm assertion is made that
the long planned centralized con-
troll OF all the economic forces
OF the nations fighting Germany is
at last a fact"
While Mr.. Curtis Public Ledger
OF Philadelphia, in an article by
its always reliable Clinton Gilbert,
states with the utmost decisivrness 8
that no such a control has been
agreed to. and that. in fact, an
agreement to it is obviously one of
the steps this country will not take.
OF the two stories We prefer the
latter-nOt alone hecouse Of it's
truthfuIness. but also because it
shows that the President is net GO
ing to allow his trump cards TO be
taken from him.
The President has in his posses
sion the cards which will always ho
trump" at the peace tabla-the
control OF raw materials and the
fact that he has never compromised
ililIStll al any Time bN tnl'f ing lIlNO
any dana ginE'-to his peace pro-
Eram-ag agroements which might in
terfere with that program.
Had he listened and agreed to the
program which Mr.. MCLean's paper
said he did the following important
part of his New York speech could
not have been uttered-Or II uttered
could not have been adhered to
when peace comes.
Listen to this part,
'Sccond-No special or separate
interest of any single nation or any
group of nations can be made the
basis of any part of the settlement
which Is not consistent with the
common interest of all"
Were IL necessary. of course. to
win the war the President would
readily acquiesce in such an ar
rangement as Mr.. NcLeans news
paper says has been consummated.
But it would be quite as difficult
to my He the President believe such
thing is necessary as it Is to per-
$50 io the required number Of Sem
" ~'r that equal suffrage, rushed to
- 'te but not provided for is nee
{. 1Ty to the winning of the war.
L
lieves the common economic pro-
gram Is a weapon OF peace or a de-
vice of peace, rather than of war.
He prefers. because his program
obviously demands 1t, to defer
swinging Americas influence and
power to it until such time as peace
comes and the negotiations are un-
der way.
MIR. Gilbert then was right when
he first wrote about this. and is still
right. And Mr.. Mel MS paper is
not correct because such an agree
ment as 1t says has been accom-
plished would nuliify and make i'm
possible one and perhaps more of the
hve conditions the President laid
down in his New York speech.
The New York World finds incon-
sistency in the Senate's action in
approving the national prohibition
amendment and in rejecting the
equal suffrage amendment.
Not at all, Mr.. Cobb.
The prohibition amendment was re-
garded as war legislation, as war
necessity. The same Senate did not
attach the same significance to the
suffrage amendment-largely be-
cause it merely made possible the vot-
ing of legislatures on the suffrage
question and did not and probably
could not actually bring suffrage to
this nation before the end of the
war.
In this respect. Of course, this
amendment had no advantage over
the prohibition amendment. But in
other ways prohibition was being
achieved because of war necessity
and the expression of both Houses of
Congress was desirable because it
gave the President a clear index of
public feeling in the liquor matter and
served as a guide to the President
IN applying power given to him in
the Food Administration and agri-
cultural production legislation.
rather ideal condition Is found
In Kansas City from which place a
street railway rate case was brought
to the Taft-WaIsh War Labor Board
this week for argument.
1t was found by the more or less
surprised war board officials that
street car lines in Kansas City have
a. 'half-and-half' plan of bookkeep-
! ing which guarantees that all final
/ hgures are reliable when they reach
public utility regulators for dissec-
ton or action. Bookkeepers and
auditors on the part of the city aid
the street car company bookkeepers
and auditors in keeping the COM
pany's records of income and ex-
pense. Thus, when cases get to the
public utility commission or the