The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-01-05
OPEN FIGHT FOR
Govt OWNERSHIP
/ OF The RAIL WAYS
Senator Hiram Johnson Leads
Campaign in Senate.
Chance for Hot Contest Over
Railroad Measure.
OPPOSE HALF BILLION FUND
Demand Public Own Lines if
They Put Up the Money.
Bitter Wrangle Over Wealth
COnscriptiOn Again Pending.
Chance for Hot Contest Over
Railroad Measure.
OPPOSE HALF BILLION FUND
BY l.. C. MARTIN.

Washington, Jan. 5.-Government
ownership advocates. headed by Sen
ator johnson, California, began their
fight in congress today to prevent re-
turn of the railroads to private in
terests.
simultaneously Senator Smoot. Utah,
completed for introduction a radical
revenue bill, embodying all the prin-
ciples of wealth CONSUMPTION, fathered
by the Johnson-Borah Progresslves al
the last session.
Senator johnson sounded the gov
eminent ownership keynote when he
said if the people are to foot the bills
for railroad improvement, they
should own the lines permanently.
All thru the coming battle over
rail control legislation asked by Pres
ident Wilson, government ownership
advocates will sound this slogan: II
the peoples money goes into the rail-
roads, the only way to get it back will
be to take the roads for the people.
Cummins, Kenyon, Borah, and Hol-
lis, in the senate and Heating, Dore-
mus and Fess in the house are among
those who will be found in the front
line in the fight.
VIII Take Up Bill Monday.
Legislators today were busy analyz-
ing the administration railroad bill
which senate and house committees
take up Monday. On every hand pre-
dictions were made of a warm fight
over the appropriation of half a bill
lion dollars for new equipment and
purchase of railroad securities.
z Director General McAdoo Will be
called before the house interstate COM
merce committee next week to ex-
plain the workings of the administra-
TONS proposed legislation.
Members of the interstate COM
merce commission will be questioned
concerning the proposed compensa-
ton plan.
merce committee will hear the rail-
road executives but this is expected to
be largely a resume of the railroads
efforts to unity the systems.
Won't Spike War Machinery.
But administration leaders in both
houses are determined the hearings
shall not delay the legislation. Lea d.
ers in the house are refusing to state
their position on government owner
ship, claiming that the problem is now
10 give sufficient legislation to make
Federal control a success. Chairman
Simms and Majority Leader Kitchin
believe the government ownership
question should be settled after the
government has some experience of
operation.
With the railroad fight about to be-
gin, congress faced a renewal of last
Sessions bitter battle over war reye-
nue.. Senator Smoot was prepared to-
day to Introduce his bill amending the
income and excess profits sections of
the war revenue law. Smoot will take
mp to so per cent of war profits, elm
mating entirely the present scheme of
excess profits taxes, determination of
which depends on the amount of cap
ital.
Nobody needs to know a concerns
capital to figure the war profits tax
my bill provides said Smoot today.
WAR profits are computed with refer
lence to five pre-war years, instead of
three. This takes care of the lumber
and cotton industries, affected by alb
normal conditions in the three year
pre-war period.
SimpIifies War Tax Law.
MY bill does not greatly change the
income tax schedules, but it combines
all the levies now listed in two or three
laws, so that a tax payer can readily
figure out what he owes"
Shoots bill will be opposed by ad-
ministration leaders who don't want
any tampering with the revenue law
this session. Many other legislators.
however. will welcome the opportun-
ity Shoots bill gives them of dis
membering the present law