The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-02-15
Thinks President Exceeded
Powers, But Supports Nc
AdOO Bill as War Measure
SENATOR M'LEAN'S
STAND is SIMILAR
The Two Senators Agree That Emer-
gency Legislation Is Necessary to
Protect Property-Want Ample Com
pensation to Owners.


WASHINGTON, Feb. 15.-While op-
posing the action of President Wilson
in taking over the railroad systems of
the country, Senator Kellogg Of Mime
sofa, the "trust buster" in a speech
in the senate urged the passage of the
amended McAdoo railroad bill as war
emergency. Senator Kellogg said that
the railroads should have been left to
their own private management, but now
that the government had taken them
over legislation was needed to guaran-
tee ample compensation to the owners.
Senator Mclean of Connecticut, also
supporting the bill, attacked the prin-
ciple of government control, saying that
it could be tolerated only as a war
measure. He said the transportation
facilities had broken down under gov
eminent supervision, and that this was
indicative of what might be expected
under any system of federal control.
But, like Senator Kellogg, he advocated
passage of the McAdoo bill, with the
amendments in it to allow the inter
state commerce commission power of re-
view in the rate and compensation fea-
lures.
Senator kellogg said that in taking
over of the railroads President Wilson
had gone far beyond the intent of con
gress when ii passed the emergency
law of Aug. 10, 1917, under which the
president acted.
But the railroads have been taken
over under the war power conferred
upon the president, and we are con-
fronted with the necessity of making
payment for the use of the property. :
argued the senator. 1t is our duty TO
make as effective as possible, under the
circumstances, the operation under gov
eminent control. 1t might be argued
that, as the railroads have already been
taken over. the ACCESSIBILITY Of doing
SO IS no longer an issue
Senator Kellogg urged the amend
ment to return the railroads to private
ownership IS months after the war.
The Minnesota senator spoke of the
argument that the railroads had broken
down under private control and that.
therefore, the government had to step
in
81 am not here to claim that our
iran lportatlon system is perfect: that
1t cannot be improved; or that the laws
governing the railroads are all thev
should be, he said. "But when the
public hopes, by the medium of gov
eminent operation, to cure all the evils
resulting from Transportation conges.
ton we are likely to be disappointed.
We have in this country, all in all. the
best system of railroads in the world
the cheapest constructed, the lowest
capitalization per mile. the cheapest
freight rates, and the best service. con
sldering the varied conditions of eli
mate, industry and development. and
the necessity for vast increase in trans
portatlon facilities to meet the growth
OF the country He then produced fig
ures TO prove that the roads had met
requirements under private manage
ment
tie argued that one of the chief
causes of tae congestion that overlook
the railroads before the government as
sumed control was the operation of the
priority orders issued bv government
departments as war emergency meas
ures.
1t was a most glazing example of
abuse OF governmental power, through
separate branches of the service. in no
way co-ordinated. the senator said
- 1t was the understanding of congress
when 1t passed the law of Aug. 10, 1917,
that there would be but one power di-
recting the preferences and priority in
transportation. As matter of fact, in
stead Of all the priorities going through
Judge Lovett, the war department, the
navy department, the food administra
ton, and fuel administration were All
issuing priority orders, not only through
the heads of departments, but commits.