The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1918-01-05


day, he was received with prolonged
patriotic applause from both sides Of
the House. 1t was repeated at proper
intervals as he decided the future
through railroad control. The read
ing Of the message was completed
between 81 minutes after IL and II
minutes Of l o'clock.
When the President showed that
"the Honorable William G. McAdoo
was the right man to assume direct
administrative control of this new
executive task" the Democrats set
the patriotic example of unanimous
applause. The Republicans were al
most unanimously silent. They
sh wed later that they had sinister
motives" They intended their ST.
lence to be ominous.
The railroad control bill. intro
duced Immediately following the
reading of the message by Mr.. The
tus W. Sims for the House Commit
tee on Interstate Commerce, is rep
resented in the Senate by like bill
introduced by Senator Smith of
South Carolina, member of the SEN
ate Committee on Interstate Com
merce.
In its relations to the future of the
country, the thirteenth and last sec
ton of the Sims bill is most i'm
portant. Under it the Federal con-
troll provided by the bill shall con-
tinue for and during the period of
the war and UNTIL CONGRESS
SHALL THEREAFTER ORDER
OTHERWISE" In other words. the
control provided for in the bill is
permanent unless after the war
Congress does order otherwise.
The appropriation of half billion
dollars provided by the bill is to con-
stitute a revolving fund" which is
explained as a fund applicable TO all
the purposes in view.
II will have revolved into it in due
course all income from railroads over
and above that provided for in the
bill as their ordinary compensation
for actual operations. This has been
discussed as their average net earn
ings" for a three-year period back
of June 30, 1917. The bill bases
compensation on their average met
operating income" which for the
period fixed may be quite different
under the bookkeeping Of the Inter
state Commerce Commission. The
bill provides that the President
may" utilize the services of the
Interstate Commerce Commission,
but the future of the commission is
put into the subjunctive mood. Only
expert grammaTians may be able to
decide it. The powers of Executive
control given the President for pur-
poses Of operation are absolute.
Under the bill, the President may
refnance the roads which get into
difficulties, such as receiverships. lie
may invest in equipments and facili-
ties of all kinds. He may go beyond
railroads to the purchase of every
thing needed for connecting water
links and lines on the coasts. He
may supply docks, terminals and
everything else his judgment ap-
proves. The provisions are of
blanket" nature, with everything
implied that is not mentioned. The
limitation seems to appear only in
the case of bonds. He may promote
any issue of new securities at will
by purchase or otherwise. Whether
this or any other section extends or
can be extended to bonds already
existing may be a question calling
for a long study and expert decision
Beginning on Monday next. the
House Committee, which by virtue
of the Half Billion Appropriation, is
made responsible for the bill, will
begin open hearings. Mr.. Sims and
the committee are disposed to learn
everything possible from all who
really have information to give.
They will listen and learn as long
as they can. OF course. there are
at least twenty million people ready
to say something before the close of
the hearing. The committee rooms
have only a limited seating capacity.
And everything must be decided
soon, even the question of how much
money the railroads are entitled to
from the treasury if their bondhold-