The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-01-24
PICKING AND CHOOSING.

Having assumed the operation and
control of all the railroads in the
United States, Director General Nc
Adoo is now showing a disposition to
make fish of one and fowl of another.
Or perhaps an apter smile would be
to say Re is planning to separate the
sheep from the goats.
To the surprise of the house COM
mittee which is considering the bill
uncer whic government operation of
railroads will be validated, the director
general has disowned and threatens to
turn adtift a number of the smaller
and shorter railroads of the country,
upon TIL" ground that they do not con-
tribute to the war efficiency of The
nation and that the taking over of
railroads is war measure alone.
This proposed action of Mr.. McAdoo
seems hardly to be in accord with his
previous one in issuing orders to these
little roads, along with the big ones
which orders have been obeyed; and
it also gives jolt to those who wish
to make government operation of rail-
roads a perpetual policy.
Neither in his proclamation order
ing the taking over of the roads nor
in his address to congress asking for
legislation to carry out his purpose,
did Mr.. Wilson separate the railroads
into big ones and little ones, into long
ones and short ones. His orders and
his requests were for the railroads of
the country. He did not pick and
choose among them; he took them all.
He took the lean and the fat, the pros
porous and the INDECENT, those which
have ample terminals and plenty of
rolling stock and lots of business and
those which lack good connections,
equipment and traffic.
Mr.. McAdoo doubtless thinks he
knows what he is about. but at this
distance it looks as tho an attempt on
his part to make selections among the
railroads will bring endless trouble to
the administration and disaster to the
transportation business of the coun-
try. The interests of the various roads
are too much intermingled to make
safe such a procedure
1t is we'll known that in operation
short connecting or feeding lines, not
owned or controlled by thru lines be-
longing to organized systems. owe
much of their service and the revenue
from it to connection with those sys-
TENS for which they do a good deal of
collecting, transferring and delivering
of traffic. They received notice of the
official control to which they were to
be subjected. and assumed that they
he ftna ,.io
against deficiencies due to it that was
promised to all concerned. Part of
the cost of the plan was expected to
be in the guarantee against loss to
individual lines on account of trans
fers and concentration of service in
way to produce the greatest effect for
the government at the least cost.
This is a matter which may be correct
ed with due regard to the rights of
small roads. 1t is hard to see how it can
be fairly and successfully done with
out treating the whole system as a unit
with manifold and greatly varying
parts. There may be lines. not alto
gether local or short from which
much business will be drawn away for
larger service over other lines leading
to shipping points for government
purposes.
The chief reason and excuse for as
Stunning control of the railroads is the
necessity of concentration and the
fullest efficiency for this particular
service at the sacrifice of any interest
with which it may conflict The con-
ditions are made altogether different
from those of a normal railroad serv-
ice in ordinary times.
The Republican national committee