Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-12-03
Presidents Message To Congress

~ contlnged from Page Five
roads and for the public in the flu.
| ture.
Exceptional circumstances and ex-
ceptlonal methods of administration
were not needed to convince us that
the railroads were not equal to the
immense tasks of transportation i'm
posed upon them by the rapid and
continuous development of the indus
tries of the country
We knew that already. And we
knew that they were unequal to il
| partly because their fun cooperation
was rendered impossible by law and
their competition made obligatory, so
that 1t has been impossible to assign
! to them severally the traffic which
best could be carried by their respee-
tive lines in the interest Of expedi-
( ton and national-economy.
Hopes for Peace by Spring.
We may hope, believe, for the
formal conclusion of, the war by
treaty by the time spring has come.
The twenty-one months to which the
present control of the railways is
limited after formal proclamation of
peace shall have been made will run
at the farthest, I take it for granted,
only to the January of 1921 The full
equipment Of the railways which the
federal administration had planned
could not be completed within any
such period. The present law does
not permit the use of the revenues
of the several roads for the execu-
ton of such plans except by formal
contract with their directors, some of
whom will consent, while some will
not. and therefore does not afford
sufficient authority to undertake inn
provements upon the scale upon
which it would be necessary to un-
dertake them.
Every approach to this difficult
subject matter of decision brings us
face to face, therefore with this UNI
answered question: What is right that
We should do with the railroads, in
the interest of the public and in fair
ness to their owners?
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 10 the public or to the own
ers of the railroads to leave the ques-
ton unanswered and that it will pre-
sently become my duty to relinquish
control of the roads, even before the
expiration of the statutory period, UNI
less there should appear some clear
prospect in the meantime of legis-
lative solution. Their release would
at least produce one element of a So
luton, namely certainty and a quick
stimulation of private initiative.
| believe that it will be serviceable
for me to set forth as explicitly as
possible the alternative courses that
lie open to our choice. We can SIM
ply release the roads and go back to
the old conditions of private manage
ment, unrestricted competition, and
multiform regulation by both state
and federal authorities: or we can go
to the opposite extreme and establish
complete government control, accom-
panied, If necessary, by actual gov
eminent ownership; or we can adopt
an lntermedlte course of modified pri-
vate control, under a more unified
and affirmative public regulation and
under such alterations of the law as
Will permit wasteful competition to be
avoided and considerable degree of
unification of administration to be eff
fected, as, for example, by regional
ways of definable area would be in
effect combined in single systems
The one conclusion that am ready
10 state with confidence is that it
would be disservice alike to the
country and to the owners of the rail-
roads to return to the old conditions
unmodified. Those are conditions of
restraint without development There
is nothing affirmative or helpful about
them. What the country chiefly needs
is that all of its means of transporta-
ton should be developed, it's railways,
It's waterways, its highways, and Ats
country side roads. Some new element
of policy therefore Is absolutely nee
essary-nessary for the service of the
pubic 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.
nut surely 1t cannot wisely be left as il
was. | hope that the congress will
have a complete and impartial study
of the whole problem instituted at
once and as rapidly as possible.
Announces VIII Go to Paris.
stand ready ana anxious to re-
lease the roads from the present con-
troll, and / must do so at n very early
date IL by. waiting until the statutory
limit of time is reached shall be-
merely prolonging the period of doubt
and uncertainty which Is hurtful to
every interest concerned.
! welcome this occasion to announce
to the congress my purpose to join in
Paris the representatives of the gov
ernments with which we have been
associated in the war against the cen
tral empires for the purpose of dis
GUESSING with them the main features
OF the treaty of peace realize the
great Inconvenience that will attend
my leaving the country, particularly
at tbs time, but the conclusion that 1t
was my paramount duty to go has
been forced upon me by considerations