Bisbee daily review., 1918-12-03

with the republic of Colombia l very earnestly urge upon them an early and favorable action upon that matter. I believe that they will feel, with me, the present stage of affairs is set for such action as will be not only just, but generous and in the spirit of the new age upon which we must have just entered.
 50 far as our domestic affairs are concerned the problem of the private ownership of the railroads is a prob lem of economic and political adjust ment. That problem is less serious for us than it may turn out to be for the nations which have suffered the dis arrangements and the losses of war longer than we. Our people, moreover. do not wait to be led. They know their own business, are quick and re- sourceful at every readjustment, definite in purpose and self-reliant in action. Any leading strings we might seek to put them on will become tang led because they would pay no atten- ton to them and go their own. All ! that we can do as their legislative and executive servants is to mediate the process of change here, there and elsewhere as we may. I have heard much counsel as to the plans that should be formed and personally con ducted to happy consummation, but l from no quarter have l seen any gen eral scheme of reconstruction" emerge which I thought it likely we could force our spirited business men and self reliant laborers to accept with due pliancy and obedience.
 While the war lasted we set up many agencies by which to direct the industries of the country in the serv- ices most necessary for them to rem der, by which to make sure of an abundant supply of the materials needed, by which to check undertak- ings that could for the time be dis pensed with and stimulate those that were most serviceable in war, by which to gain for the purchasing de- partments of the governments cer- tain control over the prices of essen tial articles and materials, by which to restrain trade with alien enemies, make the most of the available ship ping and stabilize financial transac- tion both public and private, so that there would be no unnecessary con flict or confusion-by which, in short, to put every material energy of the country in harness to draw the com mon load and make of us one team in the accomplishment of a great task. But now that we know the armistice to have been signed, We took the harness off. Raw materials which the government had kept in its hands for the industries that supplied the armies have been released and put into the general market again. Great industrial plants whose whole output and machinery had been taken over for the uses of the government have been set free to return to the uses to which they were put before the war. It has not been possible to remove so readily or so quickly the control of foodstuffs and of shipping, be- cause the world has still to be fed from our granaries and the ships are still needed to send supplies to our men overseas and to bring the men home as fast as the disturbed condi- tions on the other side will permit. But even there restraints are being relaxed as much as possible and more and more as the weeks go by.
 Never before have there been agen- cies in this country which knew so