davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-15
STREET RAILWAY RELATIONS
RECONSTRUCTION PROBLEM
Standard Franchise and Closer Touch
With the Public Among the Remedies
Proposed for Existing Situation,

REIMBURSEMENT of the entire re.a-
tionship between street railway COM
panes and the communities they
serve may result from the war.
Financial and official Washington
has taken coGnizance of this posi-
bility in the announcement that the
Chamber of Commerce Of the United
States will institute broad, national
inquiry as to transportation as it
relates to control of rates and serv-
ice, franchise taxes. and the attrac-
ton of capital into the business.
AMany traction, corporations have
been brought 7toHthe, verge of bank
ruptcy, and some actually have been
forced into. receivers hands as a re-
suit of greatly increased costs of OPP
GRAFTON imposed by war conditions
The plight of the industry has at
tracted the attention Of the Chamber
of Commerce of the United States.
Call for Immediate Attention.
The program for industrial recon-
struction devised by the war service
committees of this organization at
their recent session at Atlantic City
calls for the giving of immediate at
tention to the street railway problem
\ special investigator committee
is to be named. That the committee
will make revolutionary recomm enda-
tions designed to give stability once
more to the industry is the general
belief.
Street railway men generally are
understood to favor the step taken
by the chamber of commerce. p. II.
Gadsden, chairman of the street rail-
way war board, toh the Atlantic
City conference that the time has
arrived when. for the benefit of the
public as well as the transportation
concerns. there must be a recasting
of the relations between them.
Stating that the income accounts of
ass railways representing SO per
cent of the electric railway mileage
of the country. showed a falling off
of SO per cent for the first six months
of 1918, as compared with the corre-
spending period of the previous year,
Mr.. Gadsden said:
"Of all the problems of readjust-
ment which the nation will have to
meet and solve. none will be more Sc
riouS or more difficult than those pre-
scented by the public utility industry.
In the light of our experience. as
emphasized by war conditions. it is
manifest that to insure the efficient
operation of these companies there
must be a recasting of the entire basis
of the relationship existing between
them and the communities they
serve"
Enlistment of standard fran
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-15
Program for Extensions.

1t is the purpose of the Postmaster
General in the event that government
ownership is attained to extend the
telephone and telegraph service to
reach many thousands of citizens,
whom they do not now reach, and at
the same time he believes he can re-
duce prices to the users of the wires,
which, of course, will result in eX-
tending still more the use of both
telephone and telegraph.
The Postmaster General has organ
lied a number of committees. COM
posed both of government officials and
of the men best adapted to such stud
les in the country to report on such
dation of various telephone COM
panies, the division of the country
into telephone and telegraph districts
corresponding with the number and
territory of the railway mail service
and inspectors. divisions; the stand
ardization of telegraph and telephone
rates, compensation of employees. the
purchase of supplies so as to co-ordl-
nate costs, the use of the telegraph in
the transmission of money orders and
the use of stamps in sending mes
saees. the contra ctual relations be-
tween the railroad and telegraph COM
panies the extent to which branch
most Offices and branch telegraph Of
fees should be consolidated. and final
ly the use of the wires by government
officials. with the idea of cutting out
such use where these government
messages could go just as well by
mail.
Growth Of Sentiment.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-15

Continued from First PageD
member. just as long as he has DO
lar of assets. Hence there can be 40
failure-he has realized on his "a
sets and paid off his obligations-that
is. of commercial paper and two-name
notes.
Practice has confirmed the theory.
The federal reserve law makes no
, provision for the rediscount<ne OF
collateral securities-which furnish
large part of the security back of
bank loans in this country.
That securities may be always
LIQUID it is necessary to have the big
open market generally known as
wall street - sometimes misunder-
stood but always vital 1t is the
market where savings banks. trust
companies and national banks hnd
temporary use for money. where they
may dispose of blocks of securities
any time and to an extent. the fed
; eraI reserve board dominates. through
member banks. this great mart in It's
! use of money, putting on brakes ana
preventing any wild fluctuations. or
| greatly enlarged speculation. at
| time when the governors of the sys-
! TEN do not think it wise.
This function was probably never
dreamed of by the makers of the
I federal reserve law, but it is IN force
and operative just the same.
| When first installed the federal re-
| serve system was opposed by some
bankers for the reason that thei
| thought the regional banks would
not be able to pay dividends on the
capital stock, which is furnished pN
! 6 per cent subscriptions for lndiHid,
ual banks on their capital stock ana
surplus But the banks have made
good and paid 6 per cent DIVIDENDS
! Then there was objection to keep
| ing the surplus with the regional
i banks rather than in central reserve
cities where they earned interest
| The federal reserve banks introduceh
| a par collection system throughout
the country. and some bankers com
blamed of the loss of exchange prohts-
Benefits Outweigh Objections.
| But all these objections are lost ia
the general satisfaction with whtch
the system has served the BANKS,
with the feeling of safety 1t has en-
gendered and with the assurance thal
panics are a thing of the past
The privileges of the federal reserve
system are offered non-member
| banks. partially at least, throueh
animation with member banks. This
aiso has been of great advantage TO
business. and they are taken adVah-
taee of in very large degree.
| The federal reserve act Will continue
To NAV a stellar part in the future of
America for generations. to guard the
| gold TO keep its touch on the pulse
of trade and commerce and to make
for prosperous banks. growing in NJ
lnorta-'s to meet. the nation s ns As.,s-.s-i.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-15

eminent ownership and operation of
public utilities. including the rail-
roads and the telephone and tele-
graph systems. Its supporters be-
lieve that the public is entitled to
any dividends that may accrue from
the oneration of public utilities and
that these dividends should be paid
In extensions of service and in lower
rates. Not long ago Senator James
Hamilton Lewis of Illinois frankly
announced that it was his conviction
the next great issue in politics in this
country would be government owner
ship of public utilities and he urged
the democratic party to beat the re-
publicanS to it''-those were not his
words, however. He has a resolution
before the Senate interstate commerce
committee today expressing it-as the
sense of the Senate that the United
States government should enter upon
ownership of interstate roads. tele-
graphs. telephones, lines of water
transportation and coal mines. Sem
ator Gore of Oklahoma is the author
of a bill to have the government take
over and operate as a permanent ar
rangement the wires in the District
OF Columbia. Senator Johnson of CAL
1fornla, Senator CumminS of Iowa and
Senator Norris of Nebraska are 9TH
ers who believe in government opera
ton of these utilities in one form or
another.
Notwithstanding this growing senti-
ment, however, it is the Judgment of
leaders on Capitol Hill that govern
ment ownership of the wires or of the
railroads will not prevail. certainly
not at this session of Congress.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-15

original capital invested. on increased
valuation and on capital expended
for betterments. which have been
drawn out of the profits of the bust
ness itself. The full benefit to the
public of telephone and telegraph
service cannot be enjoyed as long as
these systems are operated solely for
profit"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-15

chise is one solution of the problem
according to the war board head
THE time has come he said. for
the electric railways to say to the
public that they are willing to CO
operate in the working out of \
standard franchise. which shall pro-
vide for a proper return upon the
proper value of the property, and
guarantee sufficient service to the
communities.
Makes Adjustments Automatic.
ION such basis there is little room
for difference of opinion. On such a
basis the matter of fares readily ad-
justs itself. On such a basis. the re-
sponsibility Of the electric railways
for paving, the annually-recurrin
question of taxation. the under
grounding of trolleys. the extension
of service into unproductive terri
tory, and numerous other questions
that have caused irritation in the
past present themselves for consider
alton in an entirely new aspect
Mr.. Gadsden predicted that, in view
of the disastrous experiences OF the
street car companies during the war
they will not be able to attract in
the future the private capital need
ed for their further development.
I'm some way" he stated, 1.-The
American people must realize that
their interest in the continued eff
cient operation of these railways is
such that it becomes imperative that
they should recognize some response
bilty for financial results. In some
way, the credit of the public must be
put behind these properties in re-
turn for the class of service which it
demands.
Board to End Existence.
The street railway war board, which
has been in existence since last De-
cember. is about to go out of bust
ness. 1t will be succeeded by COM
mi.tee on national relations of the
American Electric Street Railway
Association. which will maintain the
same headquarters of the board in the
Munsey building.
Mr.. Gadsden, it was announced, will
serve as the chairman of this com
mittee. the personnel of which will
be the same as that of the war
board w. " Hill of Los Angeles,
Cal, manager of the California Elec-
trio Railway Association and for
merly assistant manager of the war
board. will continue in Washington as
manager of the national relations
committee.
f. c. Faber of Chicago. president of
the Aurora, Elgin and Chicago rail-
road. who came to Washington for
the period of the war as manager of
the war board, will return shortly to
Chicago to resume his business activ-
tiles there.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-15
Like Links in a Chain.

Senator Ellison d. Smith of South
Carolina. chairman of the Senate COM
mittee on commerce. frankly admits
he is opposed to the principle Of gov
eminent ownership. He believes. how
ever, that if one of these public utili-
ties is taken over permanently by the
government all will be taken. 'Sfhey
are but links in a chain." he said re-
Gently, land once one link is attached
to the government the others neces-
sarily must follow suit"
Since the government took over the
wires in July. Postmaster General
Burleson has authorized increases in
wages of the telegraphers. and at the
same time he has promised decreases
in the rates charged for messages.
An order has been issued putting into
effect lower rates for might mes
sages" hx telegraph, effective Janu-
airy /, 1913, These night messages
will be subject to post office carrier De-
liz cry. sgsrs,s es1 assSsss s & ~ ! =
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-15
WAR TRADE BOARD
| HAS TASKS AHEAD
Having Helped to Win War.
Must Now Aid in Recon-
struction.
PUT A KILLING PRESSURE
ON THE ENEMY NATIONS

Having contributed substantial
share to the winning of the war. the
War Trade Board is to be continued.
reconstruction. There is no other
body equipped with the organization
and possessing the exact information
to deal with the problems of overseas
commerce now arising and promising
to continue to arise in increasing
numbers.
The obligation of the United States
to assist France and Belgium to re-
build their/deyastated areas and still
more binding obligation to make up
the deficit of Europes foodstuffs,
make it essential that there shall be
some agency in this country with au-
thority to allocate supplies and con-
troll shipments.
There was no difference of opinion
that the War Trade Board was the
proper agency to carry on this work
Cnanimity of its election arose from
it's record as War-mak king lnStru-
ment.
Waged Economic Battles.
war she went in with both feet and
waged a battle in the field of eco
Monies aAwell as on the field hghtlng.
In the former field the American ex-
peditionary force did the fighting; in
this second field the War Trade Board
bore the brunt of the back home
battling.
1t was the War Trade Board that
brought about lack of steel hard
ening materials for shells in German
war factories: that shut up the shops
of German firms in South America; ;
that supplied Pershing's men with
saddles and mules from Spain; that
brought to the allies lumber from
Switzerland and iron ore from Scan
danavia; that cut off German food
supplies from neutral nations; helped
reveal hidden German-owned proper
ty in this country and diverted hum
dreds of thousands of ship tonnage to
meet the requirements of the Yanks
overseas.
When the United States entered the
war Germany'S trade was crippled.
but far from the complete paralysis
which certain allied victory required.
Neutrals Kept Up Trade.
Hollantts had been sending enough
foodstuffs into Germany to feed the
eutire boche army on the western
front. Denmark was doing Is much.
Norway and Sweden were exporting
enormous quantities of minerals and
other materials for German war fac
tories.
These neutrals were wholly within
their rights. of course. in sending
their commodities into Germany and
then meeting their domestic needs by
imports.
What the United States and its al
lies really did was to offer these neu-
fro nrnnnSitjOn
many could. 1t was a system of bar
gaining and the neutrals accepted the
better offer.
=, The War Trade Board negotiated
agreements with Denmark. SwitZer-
land, Sweden and Norway, made prog
ress with Holland, which Germany
! had by the throat, and consummat ed
commercial bond with Spain.
AS an illustration of the results one
example may be cited. Swiss exports
to central powers in pounds for the
I first three months of 1917 and 1918
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-15
Longest in Command.

Aside from controversial points.
however. certain facts are obvious. Of
all allied commanders Haig is the old
est. in point of service as chief, as
he is. believe, the youngest in years
He came to command in 1915, when
French went home after Loos. when
the new British army had only begun
to come to France and the real or
ganization of victory was still to be
made. The army that fought at the
first Somme in 1916. in ArtoiS. Pr
cardy and Flanders in 1917. at the
Somme and in Flanders in defeat and
then in victory. in supreme victory in
the present year. was of his making.
Before he commanded armies the
reputation Sir Dougles Haig was
made in battle. He was the outstand-
Ing figure of the first Ypres. which
was fought mainly undeD his imme-
date direction. When French went
home there was no one else thought
of to succeed the Boer veteran. In the
great Somme campaign of 1915 the
British army. under Haig's direction.
learned its business. 1t was costly
lesson. the mistakes were many. but
at the end of the campaign the arm.
believed itself superior to the Ger
man; it felt that it had learned its
job.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-15
Seized Private Funds.

Where did they get the funds? They
rified the factory vaults, and after
they We're empty. took Hoops private
funds by force of arms. They seized
and distributed about 100000 rubles
among themselves. When these We're
zone the factory would have had to
close down if the Germans had not
81 epped in and restored Hoops
property to him.
MANY of the technical staff of the
factories were killed on the charge OF
their being 'bourgeoise.' Many other
administrators. experts, foremen and
others fled. Still others of the fac
tory technical staffs were ordered to
90 to the factories. and if they re-
fused were shot on the spot. Nearly
all of the factories in Russia have
been discontinued.
.sThe soviet system doesn't represent
the ueople's will. 1t is forced on the
neopie. There are no real elect ions.
The bolsheviki use the red guards to
mack assemblies and force their can
didates, Voters are exclusively bolshe-
Wiki. and only bolsheviki or those
claiming to have no property are
eiieible to office. But as matter or
facf. many of the bolsheviki have
amassed money. In all my tour l met
only a few of them who were honest.
How the great industrial plants OF
Petroerad and Moscow have been vir-
tually destroyed Is told in detail by
:..sSt. Boris Brasol. The Dhouk9ysky
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-15
Ignorant of Administration.

Although this illiteracy was gen
! eral the bosnevilli went ahead to
apply the elective committee system
to every industry. Only 4 per cent of
the Russian people have been to pub
| lie schools and about ca or 6S per
cent of the entire population is il
literate s.tost of the Russian people
are peasantS-fully I'll of every 1000
and only 10 per cent of the people
are Industrial.
! A backward country. Russia had
| few enough administrators who knew
| how to manage factories. banks. rail-
roads. street car systems and other
utilities. These comparatively few
experts were promptly disposed of by
degrading them to menials or by re-
moving them by summary or violent
methods. This hoppened not only i'll
industry. but in hispitals and all other
institutions. In No. Union of Towns
Hospital-one of the largest hospitals
| in Petrograd-a self-constituted COM
mittee composed of walters. janitors.
nurses scrubmen and yardmen de-
posed the chief DOCTOR made him
scrubman and elected scrubman
chief doctor. Needless to say. the re-
! suits were tragic enough for the pa :
tients. This is merely one instance
of a large number of similar in
stances.
| "Soviets have been the great craze"
narrates Prof Grondys. Every grea t
| apartment house has a soviet. Every
| factory was put under the domination
of a so$alled council of workmen. 7
personally saw the application of
their theories in many factories For
example. in Hoops agricultural ma
chine factory at AleXapdroTsky they
voted to make Koop an employe at
| 500 rubles a month and made par
ticularly Ioud-talking workman di-
rector of the factory. Every day they
held meetings in the factory. read
newspapers during work hours and
did not work more than four and a
| half hours a day. But they voted
themselves salary increases of from
500 to 1000 per cent.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-15
HOW RULE OF THE BOLSHEVIK .
HAS RUINED RUSS INDUSTRY
Ignorant Workmen at the Head of Great
Plants, While Former Owners and
Experts Do Mental Tasks.

steel works near Petrograd employ cd
io.OO0 mon in 1916 making guns. ar
NOR and munitions for the Russian
government. The average mechanics
wages were 700 to 500 rubles $3.50 Iii
$500 a month";
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-15
Growth Of Sentiment.

Recently there has. grown up in
congress a strong sentiment Tor gov
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-15
Finally Marched to Victory.

With all their handicaps, with all
ton. they built a great army, fire.
ouently victorious. sometimes de-
feated, suffering the same disappoint-
ments which came to Grants army
in 1864. after it had at last become
convinced of its superiority. sharing
this disappointment with nation
equally blind to certain truths, but
gaining in power and efficiency up to
the hour when it broke the strongest
lines of the enemy, manned by the
best of the surviving troops of the
foe, and began march to victory
which was only halted by the white
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-15
British Campaign Sacrificed.

The next year the opening victory
was complete. ArraS was a real
achievement. Nimy Ridge a genuine
military triumph. But afterward
HaiS's campaign was manifestly i'm
peded as he Loyalty endeavored to aid
Nivelle. who had failed and was fall
ling. The British campaign was sac
rificed. delayed: the blow in Flanders
came too late, although it began with
the great success of Plumer. About
this Flanders campaign men talk as
they talked about Grants campaign
from the Rapidan to Cold Harbor. 1t
was terribly costly, it did not bring
Immediate success.
Then Russia collapsed and the Ger
mans came west to Picardy. with the
road made easy for them by political
interference. Haig was defeated and
FCch came to command. One day We
heard the memorable appeal of Haig
to his army, fighting with its back
to the wall; the appeal of a general
TO his men heard and obeyed The
German wave was halted.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-15
ISSUE ON OWNERSHIP
Of TELEGRAPH LINES

Continued from First Page)
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-15
Feats of British Army.

ana so. between these two wonder
Iul and cotemporaneous events, men
nave forgotten almost completely the
achievements and the individual
CLAIMS upon our praise of the men
VINO made and led the British army
to ultimate victory after period
equal in length TO that of our own
civil war. and filed with the same
dIsappointmentS which the north suf-
fered through that long and terrible
time. Yet for HaiS and his subor-
dinate army commanders there is due
some mention in the present moment,
even when the achievements of Foch
Petain. Castelnau. Mangin and Gour-
aud are still too recent to be dull
memories. And in this article | mean
to review briefly the achievement of
the most conspicuous of the British
generals.
or HaiS it is perhaps hardest to
write. because all the burden was his
and no man knows now exactly how
great that burden was. Politicians
interfered with HIM. Last spring.
when the heavy blow fell upon his
armies. bringing temporary disaster.
1t was political dictation which had
compelled him to stretch his line to
such an extent that it was thinly held
at vital points. and it was political
influence which had deprived him OF
necessary reserves. So much We
know.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-15
Among Great Commanders.

Therefore, if the great glory is to
Foch, as il was in our civil war to
Grant in the north and Lee in the
south, it seems to me that Haig must
deserve the praise which we of the
north gave to Sherman, which France
gives to Petain in the present hour
That the British will reckon their
comma nder-in-chie with Wellington
and Marlborough seems likely: GER
xainly they have no other names which
permit comparison But by COMPARE
son Haig's task was gigantic: he took
the huge British volunteer army when
1t was little more than mob and
fashioned out of it an effective in
;strument; he suffered severe defeats
and even severer disappointments in
}his use Of 1t, but he ultimately led it
Ito complete victory. which would have
Zee: totally impossible had the Brit