The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1918-12-06
no attention to them and go their

no attention to them and go their
own way.
"All that we can do as their legisla-
tive and executive servants is to me-
date the process of change here, there
and elsewhere as we may. l have
heard much, counsel as to the plans
that should be formed and personally
conducted to happy contamination,
but from no quarter have / seen any
general scheme of reconstruction
emerge which l thought it likely we
could force our spirited business men
and self-reliant laborers to accept with
due pliancy and obedience.
THE one conclusion that am ready
to state with confidence, is that it
would be disservice alike to the coun-
try and to the owners of the railroads
to return to the old conditions unmodi-
fed. These are conditions Of re-
straint without development. There
is nothing affirmative or helpful about
them. What the country chiefly needs
is that all it's means of transportation
should be developed, its railways, its
waterways, it's highways and its coun-
tryside roads. Some new element of
policy, therefore, is absolutely neces-
sary-necessary for the service of the
public, necessary for the release of
credit to those who are administering
the railways, necessary for the protec-
ton of their security holders. The old
policy may be changed much or little,
but surely it cannot wisely be left as
it was.
81 hope that the Congress will have
a complete and impartial study of the
whole problem instituted at once and
prosecuted as rapidly as possible.
stand ready and anxious to release the
roads from the present control and
must do so at very early date if by
waiting until the statutory limit of
time is reached / shall be merely pro-
longing the period of doubt and umcer.
tainty which is hurtful to every inter.
est concerned.
81 welcome this occasion to an
nounce to the Congress my purpose to
join in Paris the Representatives of the
governments with which we have been
associated i'm the war against the Cen
trail empires for the purpose of dis
GUESSING with them the main features
Of the treaty of peace. ] realize the
great inconvenience thatNwill attend
my leaving the country, particularly
at this time, but the conclusions that
it was my paramount duty to go have
been forced upon me by considera-
tions which hope will seem as con.
elusive to you as they have seemed
to me.
''The Allied governments have &C
copied the basis of peace which l out
lined to the Congress on the eighth of
January last, as the Central empires
also have, and very reasonably desire
my personal counsel in their interpre-
tation and application, and it is high
ly desirable that l should give it in
order that the sincere desire of our
government to contribute without
selfish purpose of any kind to settle
ments that will 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 tran
scendent Importance both to us and to
the rest of the world, and 1 know
Of no business or interest which
should take precedence of them The
gallant men of our armed forces on
land and sea have consciously fought
for the ideals which they knew TO be
the ideals of their country. have
sought to express those ideals, they
have accepted my statements of them
as substance of their own thought and
purpose, as the associated govern
ments have accepted them. 1 owe it
to them to see to it, so far as in me
lies, that no false or mistaken inter
probation is put upon them, and no
possible effort omitted to realize them.
1t is now my duty to play my full part
in making good what they offered
their life's blood to obtain can think
of no call to service which could
this.
Must Steady Business.
For the steadying and facilitation of
our own domestic business readjust-
ment nothing is more important than
the immediate determination of the
taxes that are to be levied for 1913,
1919 and 1920. AS much Of the burden
Of taxation must be lifted from bust
ness as sound methods of financing the
government will permit, and those who
conduct the great essential industries
of the country must be told as exactly
as possible what obligations to the
government they will be expected to
meet in the years Immediately ahead
Of them. 1t will be of serious conse.
quence to the country to delay all un-
certainties in this matter a single day
longer than the right processes of de.
bate\ justify. 1t is idle to talk Of sue
cessfhl and confident business recon.
before those uncertainties
are resolved.
If the war had continued it would
have been necessary to raise at least
the year 1919; but the war has ended
and I agree with the secretary of the
treasury that it will be safe to reduce
the amount to $4,000, 100000. An i'm
mediate rapid decline in the expenses
of the government is not to be looked
for. Contracts made for war supplies
will, indeed. be rapidly Cancelled and
but their immediate liqui.
dation will make heavy drains on the
treasury for the months just ahead of
us.
Expenses Still High.
The maintenance Of our forces on
the other side of the sea is still neces.
sary. A considerable proportion OF
those forces must remain in Eur3pe
during the period of occupation, and
those which are brought home will be
and demobilized at heavy
expense for months to come. The in.