Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-01-21
WILSON AND GARFIELD
TARGETS OF PROTFS.
Industrial America Shrieks as
Mills Are Closed to Cure
Coal Crisis
HAS PRESIDENT ERRED?
Much Depends on Whether Move
Breaks Freight Gorge That
Shuts SeabOard
BY j. HAMPTON MOORE
WASHINGTON. Jan. .


roared at Fuel Commissioner Garfield
; for three days, hut has taken his modl-
I cine just the same The President. vhc
backed up his fuel administrator, has
also come in for criticism, but that has
not changed the situation The order
closing down the mills and industrial
establishments using coal as fuel stll
stands r. Even the uutbursts in the
House and Senate have had no material
effect Arbitrary and uncallcd for as
many contend the order was, Il remains
substantially as writtcu though tho In
convenience, nancIal loss and hardship
caused by It have been great
Since issuance Of that order Senators
and Representatives have been frccr 70
speak Of the President and his war pol
icy than they were at any tine since tn.
declaration Of war. To large Ctcnt
! they have found support In the news
papers many Of them hitherto support.
ing the lead of the President without con-
/ trovCrsy
1t has been interesting to watch this
temporary turn Of the tide, What does
It portcnd? Members of Congress, at
first blush have the notion that the
President made a fatal mistake So FAR
as his political future is concerned
I BOmbarded with kilograms from home,
from large operators who have hitherto
insisted upon standing by the Presi-
dent" they have felt as IL the President
had weakened the Democratic party and
had made certain election OF a Republic
can Congress. It has been interesting
to watch it all and to attempt AN analy-
sis Of the situation.
HOUSE MOVES CAUTIOUSLY
The Senate possibly went further than
the House in undertaking to reverse the
existing order. Resolutions were intro
duCcd, debated and voted upon. The
House was more cautious, I'm view of
the doubt as TO whether Congress itself
had not conferred ample powers upon
the fuel administrator through the
President TO do exactly what he did do.
The road was made easy for Rcpubli-
cans In the House who offered "A reSO-
luton for postponement or modification
of the order, by Democratic objection
20 unanimous consent.
From that time on Republicans took
the floor whenever opportunity offered
and scored tho Administration for in.
competency In permitting the railroad
congestion to develop and in failing Ia
y
measures than were adopted. Such re-
plies as were made by Democratic mem.
bcrs were apolOgetic and lacked the
force Of the Republican assaults. except
In few instances where southern MEM
hcrs, who are not affected by the order
80 far as cotton Is concerned (cottor
having been eliminated from the juris'
diction of the food and fuel administra'
tions), suggested that meanufacturerS
who demanded war were now "squeal
ing" because they had to endure q
slight financial loss, which was con
trasted with the sacrifices Of the mel
who have been drafted into military
service.
That tho order created general con
sternation however cannot be denied
Spokesman for the industries of Maine
and New England Contended that many
Of their industries We're operated 10y
water power and did not require coal
They wanted to run. 1t was held as t'
them. however, that the order ala no
admit Of such exceptions.
ON the other hand, Representatives
of Louisiana, one of the two state
west Of the Mississippi included in th'
order, asserted that many Of their saw
mills used their own sawdust as fuel
the residuum Of which in turn served
the domestic uses. If these industries
were closed down, It was said, domestic
users would he obliged 10 draw upoi
the co! supply, which, Of course, woult
decrease the common output; but tn
Administrator held that there could b'
no discrimination, even in such case
Thus II developed that what the Fue
Administration was driving at was al
actual stoppage Of Industrial produc
ton for tho number Of days set fortl
in the order.
STOP PRODUCTION-MORE CARS
VIII the plan work? Nothing sue
ceeds like success And evidently tn
President and his fuel administrators
who are undoubtedly cooperating will
the director general OF railroads, an'
possibly with some Of the big railroad
themselves, are hoping for the success
of this unusual undertaking, We ar
informed that the main reason for tn
order was the clogging Of the railroat
tracks in the vicinity Of New York
where ships have been waiting for thei
bunker coal.
A glance at the map Of the Cnltet
States, with its forty-eight States driv
ing their foodstuffs and their industria
products into the neck Of the transporta
tlon bottle at New York, will ConvinC
the observer that something in the ma
ture of the gorge at Niagara In winte
would be likely to cventuate under ah
normal transportation conditions. II a
ports along the coast were favOre
equally with New York, the port O
Philadelphia, for instance, with its faCili
ties superior in some respect to those q
New York or the less favored ports O
Boston, Baltimore, Norfolk, Charleston
Savannah and Jacksonville, the situatio
would be different Distribution by ra
and water in normal times would b
easier. and in abnormal times would Ger
tainly relieve the fierce pressure at on
port.
This It Is believed is the situatio
which actually confronted the railroad
under the war board management whe
the ocean-going service was certainl
unsatisfactory. and under Director Gen
eral McAdoo when conditions gre,
worse No President has ever done sue
daring things as has President Wilson
No one ever had such power as Con
gress has conferred upon him, Perhap
no President, in recent years at leas
has had so daring and resourceful
right-bower as President Wilson has ha
in Secretary McAdoo.
Therefore, the gorge being formed a
New York, whether due to incompeter
gencralship or not, the argument seen,
r to have been that relief could be secure
only by holding back any further pres
sure upon the railroads until the gorg
at New York could be cleared ava!
This seems TO be the theory upon whic
the Administration Is working, nOtwltl
itanding the many charges Of car
wastage and card idleness, the car stag