The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-12-02

nave no confident Judgment or my own
! do not see how any thoughtful man can
have who knows anything of the com
plexity of the problem; It is a problem
mediately and studied without bias or pre-
judice. Nothing can be gained by becom-
ing partisans of any particular plan Of
1t was necessary that the administration
of the railways should be taken over by
1t would have been impossible otherwise
TO establish and carry thru under a single
direction the necessary priorities of ship
ment. 1t would have been impossible
otherwise to combine maximum production
at the factories and mines and farms with
the waXimu impossible car supply to take
the products to the ports and markets; i'm
possible to route troop shipments and
freight shipments without regard to the
employed impossible to subordinate, when
necessary, all questions of convenience to
the public necessity: impossible to give
the necessary financial support to the roads
from the public treasury. But all these
necessities have now been served and the
question Is, what is best for the railroads
and for the public in the future.
Exceptional circumstances and excep-
tional methods Of administration were not
were not equal to the immense tasks of
transportation imposed upon them by the
rapid and continuous development of the
industries of the country. We know that
already And we knew that they were
unequal to 1t partly because their full CO.
operation was rendered impossible by law
that it has been impossible to assign to
them severaily the traffic which could best
interest of expedition and national econ
omy.
Peace by Spring.
We may hope, 1 believe, for the formal
spring has come. The twenty one months
to which the present control of the rail-
ways is limited after formal proclamation
of the peace shall have been made will run
at the farthest, take it for granted, only
to January of 1921. The full equipment of
the railways which the federal admins
tration planned could not be completed
within any such period. The present law
does not permit the use Of the revenues of
plans except by formal contract with their
directors. some of whom will consent while
ford sufficient authority to undertake i'm
provement upon the scale upon which 1t
would be necessary to undertake them.
matter of decision brings us face to face
therefore. with this unanswered question
what is it right that we should do with
and fairness to their owners.
No Answer Is Ready.
Let me say at once that have no answer
ready. The only thing that is perfectly
clear to me is that it is not fair either to
the public or to til owners.of the railroads
to leave the question unanswered and that
it will presently become my duty to
linquish control of the roads, even before
less there should appear some clear pros
pect in the meantime of a Legislative. solu
ton.
Their release would at least produce one
element of a solution namely, certainty
and a quick stimulation of private initia
tive.
1 believe that it will be serviccable for me
to set forth as EXPLICITLY as possible the
alternative courses that lie open to our
choice.
One Extreme or Other.
We can simply release the roads and go
back to the old conditions of fprivate man
agement. unrestricted competition and
federal authorities; or we can so to the
opposite extreme and establish complete
control, accompanied. If necessary, by ac-
tual government ownership. or We can
adopt an intermediate course of modified
private control under more unified and
affirmative public regulation and under
such alterations of the law as will permit
wasteful competition to be avoided and
eonsdsgab Sn ft Of far OF na
by regional corporations under which the,
railways of definable areas would be in ef-
feet combined in single systems.
The one conclusion that l am ready to
state with confidence is that 1T would be
disservice alike to the country and to he
owlers of the railroads to return to the old
conditions unmOdified. Those are condi-
tons of restraint without development.
There is nothing affirmative or helpful
about them. What the country chiefly
needs is that all its means of Transporter
ton should be developed, its railways. its
WHteTWHEs, IT'S highways anu u5 cOuHtTN-
side roads. Some new elements of policy
therefore. are absolutely necessary-nece5-
ary for the the Of the Sos
are administering the railways. necessary
for the protection of their security holders.
e bf R"rey may na m Msey Left
as it was. hope that the congress will
have complete and impartial study of
prosecuted as rapidly as possible l stand
ready and anxious to release the roads
from the present control ana l must do SO
the statutory limit of time is reached |
shall be merely prolonging the period of
doubt and uncertainty which is hurtful to
every interest concerned.
1 welcome this occasion to announce to
the congress my, purpose to join in Paris
the representatives of the governments
with which we have been associated in the
war against the central empires for the
features of the treaty OF peace -! realize
the great Inconvenience that will atterd
my leaving the country particularly at this
time. but the conclusion that it was my
paramount duty to go has been forced
upon me by considerations which 1 hope
will seem as conclusive to you as they have
seemed to me.
Accepts His Peace.
The allied governments have accepted
the basis of peace which 1 outlined to the
congress OH the sth of January last. as the
ably desire my personal counsel In their
Interpretation and application and It IS
highly desirable that 1 should give 1t in
order that the sincere desire of our gov
ernment to contribute without selfish pur-
pose of any kind to settlements that viii
be of common benefit to all the nations
concerned may be made fully manifest.
The peace settlements which are now to
be agreed upon are of traIscendent I'm
portance both to us and to the rest Of
the world that l know-of no business Or n
terest which should take precedence of
them. The gallant men of our armed forces
on land and sea have conscientiously fought
for the ideals which they knew to be ideals
of their country: have sought to express
those ideals; they have accepted by state
ments of them as the substance of their
own thought AMI purpose. as the associate
governments have accepted them; owe 1t
to them to see to it, so far as in me lbs.
that no false or mistaken Interpretation is
put upon them and No possible effort omit
ted to realize them 1t is now my duty %
play my full part in making good what
they offered their 1ifes blood to obtail.
1 think of no call to service winch
could transcend this.
I shall be in close touch with you and