The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1918-01-10
PRESIDENT TELLS
WHY j. s. SHOULD
OPERATE ROADS
70 GUARANTEE PROPER RE.
TURNS TO ROADS DURING GOV.
ERNMENT OPERATION,
no UNNECESSARY CHANGES
Should First Consider Transportation
Of Troops, Materials, Food, Fuel and
All Things Necessary For Mobili-
zation Of Resources Of Country.

NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Wilson laid
before Congress-, assembled in Joint
session, his Recommendation for car
rylng out government operation OF
railroads. Bills to carry out the presi-
dents idea already had been prepared
under the supervision Of the depart
ment Of justice and were Immediately
introduced with plans for prompt con-
slderation in both House and Senate.
10 guarantee proper returns to the
roads during the period of government
operation, the president recommended
that Congress provide compensation at
the rate OF the same net operating in
come as the roads have received for
the three preceding fiscal years.
10 provide for proper maintenance
OF the roads and their return to own
ers in the same order as the govern
ment takes them ever. the president
recommended legislation to authorize
their upkeep and betterment during
the period Of Federal operation. Legis
lation to this effect is all contained
in the administration bills, which
would appropriate a $500, 0,000, 900 fund
Tor government operation.
Only by government operation, the
president told Congress, could the
unity necessary to the country be OBJ
tained, and he added that existing or
garizatiols Of the railroads should be
disturbed as little as possible.
Guarantees To Roads.
The president lald especial stress
on the guarantees to the roads and
their stockholders. saying on that
point:
Il need not point out the essential
justice OF such guarantees and their
great influence and significance, as
elements in the present financial and
industrial situation of the country. In
deed, one of the strong arguments for
assuming control of the railroads at
this time. is the financial argument.
It Is necessary thai the values Of rail
way securities should b. justly and
fairly protected and that the larg,
financial operations every year neces-
sary in connection with the mainte-
nance, operation and Development of
the roads should. during the period of
the war, be wisely related to the finan
cial operations of the government.
To Conscrve coramon interest.
Our first duty is, of course, to
conserve the comm~1 interest and the
common safety ard to make certain
that nothing stands in the way of the
successful prosecution CT the great
war for liberty aa1 Justice, but it is
also an obligation z public conscience
and Of public ro-0:. that the private
interests we disturb should be kept
safe from unjust injury, and it is of
the utmost consequence to the govern
,nent itself that all great financial ope-
rations should be stabilized and CO.
tions Of the government.
'No borrowing should run athwart
the borrowings OF the Federal treas
ury and no fundamental industrial
values should anywhere be unneces-
sarily impaired In the hands of many
thousands of small investors in tho
country, as we'll rs in national banks.
in insurance companies, in savings
banks, in trust companies, in financial
agencies Of every kind, railway securi-
ties, the sum total Of which runs up
to some ten or eleven thousand mil
lions, constitute a vital part of the
structure of credit, an1 the inquest
ioned solidity Of that structure must
be maintained"
The president spoke as follows:
Gentlemen of the Congress: have
asked the privilege Of addressing you
in order to report that on the 2Sth OF
December last, during the recess Of
Congress, acting through the secre-
tary Of war and under the authority
conferred upon me By the act of Con-
gress approved August 20. 1916, took
possession and assumed control Of the
railway lines of the country and the
systems of water transportation under
their control. This step seemed to
be imperatively necessary in the inter
est Of the public welfare, in the pres
ence of the great tasks of war with
which we are now dealing.
"As cur experience develops Difficult
ties and makes it clear what they are,
l have deemed it my duty to remove
those difficulties wherever l have the