Evening star., 1918-11-17
UNSCRAMBLING TASK
WILL REQUIRE SKILL
President and Legislators Are Giving Earnest
Attention to Problem of Ending
Centralized Power.

transportation; 4. domestic business;
5, employers and employees; 6. natural
resources.
The C1mmins resolution specifies va
Hous subjects to be examined by each OF
these joint committees. For instance,
the interstate transportation commit
tee will handle the problem of what
shall be done with the railroads. and the
will handle all kinds Of problems re-
lating to labor.
The Owen resolution is similar. but
does not outline the study program In
such detail; it also provides that the
joint committee shall be fairly repre-
publican parties" in Congress. while
the Weeks resolution provides for an
equal number of republicans and of
democrats.
Senator Overman's bill provides for
federal commission of five, with not
more than three members of one po-
litica1 party. The commissioners are
to be appointed by tho President and
confirmed by the Senate and are to
receive salaries of $4,000 year.
Problems Set for Study.
The problems set for stucy by this
commission in the overman bill in
clude:
The financing, regulation, control
rine.
The development financing, expan-
sion and direction of foreign trade
The reorganization, financing and
readjustment of industries engaged IN
war work by way Of recovering them
to normal production.
Technical education and Industrial
research as a means Of developing and
strengthening industry.
The redistribution of labor.
The supply, distribution and avail
ability Of raw materials and food
Stuffs.
The conservation and development
of national resources.
Inland transportation by ran and
water.
Communication by telephone. tele-
graph and wireless.
The reorganization OF government
departments.
The bill carries an appropriation Of
$5OO,OOO to be used by the commits
sion.
If the expectations of many Of the
members of Congress are fulfilled,
however, the President is not likely
to wait for Congress to establish a
commission or committee to make a
study of reconstruction problems. He
will, they believe. certainly oppose a
congressional committee. He will ap-
point a committee Of his own from
the executive departments, with ex-
perts on economics in private life,
and obtain their recommendations as
speedily as possible, 1t Is believed.
and submit these recommendation
to Congress.
Efforts to continue in effect various
powers granted the federal govern
ment during the war will be resisted
strenuously in some instances, Whiie
in other cases Congress probably VIII
act quickly to grant the request OF
the executive. -
Railroad and Wire Control.
It is understood that one Of the big
contests in reconstruction will be
waged about the question OF perma-
nent government ownership OF tne
railroads and telephone and tele-
graph systems.
Senator Cummins Of Iowa has just
introduced a bill to take away from
the President Immediately all power
granted by law to priorities- OF ship
ments over the railroads and on the
merchant ships of the United States.
The same bill would take from the
President the power to control pro-
duction and distribution OF merchan-
disc. In other words, Senator Cum
minis proposes to put out OF business
the War Industries and the War Trade
boards without delay and to revert to
the prewar methods of doing business
without government control in these
matters. The bill has been referred
to the Senate committee on interstate
commerce.
How much of the reconstruction pro-
gram is to be put through by the
present Congress, which is under the
control Of the democrats, and how
much under the next Congress. which
comes into being after March 3 next
and will be under the control of the
is still a matter Of con-
lecture. Undoubtedly the democrats
would like to put through the entire
program while they have control. But
this does not appear to be either prob
able or possible. The republican
leaders have said they will not en-
deavor to embarrass the President and
that they will aid in putting through
war measures and other measures
needed by the country. However, it
is safe to say that the republicans in
the next Congress will have much to
do with the reconstruction program
for this country.
An examination of the following
ures enacted by Congress and the
time limits set upon them indi-
cate what task confronts Congress
in the "unscrambling" process:
/. Act authorizing the President to
take over and operate the railroads
Federal control of the roads shall con-
'tinue during the period of the war and
"for a reasonable time thereafter.
which shall not exceed one year and
nine months next following the date"
CONTINUED on Twelfth Page.)