Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1918-12-12

thouSh"eSsly leave to shift for them
selves in = p!ii,ess competitive q
ket.
For the ~steaty:ns and tacilitation Of
our " domestic business readiust.
ments nothiI; is more important than
the immediate determination of the |,
taxes that are 20 be levied for 1918, /
1913 and 1920.
II the war had continued i. would
have boon Necessary TO raise al least
$4,000. o"e, 600 By taxation payable in
the year 1919, but the war has ended
and I agree with The secretary Of the
treasury that It viii be safe TO reduce
the amount to S6.o00,000 ,06e. An i'm
mediate rapid decline in the expenses
Of the government is not to De looked
tor. Contracts for war supplies will,
indeed, be rapidly Cancelled and liQui.
dated. but their immediate liquidation
will make heavy drains on the treas
ury for the months Just ahead of US.
entirely concur with the secretary
OF the treasury in recommending that
| thN 9s,otvsNDptVpV ittA'u IA ANNitiobA
to the $4,000, coo, 900 provided by exist
ing law be obtained from the profits
which have accrued and shall accrue
from war contracts and distinctively
| war business. but that these taxes be
confined to the wal profits accruing in
| 1918, Or in 1919, from business original
ing In war contracts. ! urge your &C.
| ceptance of his recommendation that
provision be made now, not subse-
quent, that the taxes to be paid IN
1920 SHOULD be reduced from $1,000
000. 900 to 1900, 600, 900.
| take it for granted that tie con
grcss will carry out the naval program
which was undertaken before We en-
tered the war. The secretary Of the
navy has submitted to your commit
tees fer authorization that part Of the
program which covers the building
plans for the next three years. These
plans have been prepared along tie
lines aud in accordance with the policy
which the congress established, not
Under the exceptional condition Of The
war, but with the intention o. adhering
to q definite method q development
for the na,y. | earnestly recommend
the uninterrupted pursuit Of that pol
icy. It would clearly be u.|i.e for
lis to attempt to GdiQat Il programs
10 q tuIur. I5.1 policy as yet unde-
) tcrmined.
The question which cauSca the
greatest concern is the question CT the
policy to be adopted toward the rail
roads. I frankly urn to you for coun'
sci upon it. ! have no confident judS
mcnt Of my own.
1t was necessary that the admins
| tration of the railways should be takel
} over by the government so long as tn
war lasted. 1t would have been impos
sible otherwise to establish II carr!
y through under a single direction tn
necessary priorities of shipments.
would have been Impossible otherWis
IS to combine maximum production OF IN
factories and mines and farms wit
the maximum possible car supply I
take the products to the ports II maj
kets; impossible to route troop snlI
q ments and freight shipments Wlthou
b regard to the advantage or disadval
tage of the roads employed; inlposs
6. Bile to subordinate, when necessary, a
questions OF convenience to the publ
II necessity; impossible to give the ne
cssary financial support to the r0at
IT from the public treasury. But all thcs
a necessities have now been served, an
u the question is what is best for IL
,t railroads and for the public in the I
III ture.
or | believe that it will be Ser'iceab
to for me to set forth as explicitly
possible the alternative courses IL
III lie opento our choice. We can siMl
he release the roads and go back to t
81. old conditions OF private managenleI
re unrestricted competition and mul
on form regulation by both state and ~
ts eral authorities; or we can go to t
NJ opposite extreme and establish co
ne piete Government control acco
"a. parted, il necessary, by actual G.
90 eminent ownership; o. We can a0t
st, an intermediate course Of modlil
on private control, under a more uniil
IN. and affirmative public regulation a
100 under such alterations Of the law
We will permit wasteful competition TO
yet avoided and a considerable degree
u%nitication OF administration to
effected, as, for example, by regio'
un- corporations under which the railw;
md Of defnable areas would be in ell
viii combined in single systems.
to welcome this occasion to armour
es; to the Congress my purpose to join
has Paris the representatives OF the g
in ernments with which we have b
ost associated in the war against the
trail empires for the purpose OF
tch cussing with them the main featu
; q of the treaty OF peace. realize
.ng. great Inconvenience that will att
to my leaving the country, particuli
led at this time, but the conclusion t
the it was my paramount duty to SO
lily been forced upon me by c%onsiderati
and which l hope WA seem as conclus
ma. to you as they have seemed to me.