The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1918-12-05

wcula nave been necessary to raise
aIsleasf 38.eoo.000. COO by taxation
payable in the year OF 1919. h,If
the war has ended. and 81 arren
With the secretary OF the
that It will be safe to red,ace fire
mount to $4,000, 600, 900. An i'm
mediate rapid decline In the an
penses OF the government IL MT "a
be looked for. Contracts made fnr
war supplies will. indeed. be randi
AZ cancelled and ,iqGidated. buf
their immediate liquidation wili
make heavy drains on the treasury
II months junt ahead OF i q
Tire maintenance OF our. forces an
the other side OF the sen is stiii
necessary. A considerable pron0r-
ton of those forces must rennin IN
Europe during the period Of occu-
patton, and those which arn
brought home will be transported
and demObil!zed at heavy exnensa
for months to come. The interest
on our war debt must, of courses.
be paid and provision made for
he retirement of the obligations
OF n government which repre-
sent 1t. But these demands win.
of course. fall much below what q
continuation OF the military 8
atoms would have entailed, and
$4,000, 100000 should suffice to sup
ply a sound foundation for the IL
nancial operations of the year.
! entirely cciiaur with the secre-
tarS CT 80 treasury In recommends
ing II the ST. ,000. 900 needed
49, iition to the $A, 200, 100000
led by existing law be OBJ
! II I'd from the profits which have
accrued and shall accrue from war
contracts, and distinctly war busi-
Tess. but that these taxes be CON
fined to the war profits accruing in
1913. or In 1919 from business orig
mating in war contracts.
urge your acceptance OF this rec
ommendation that provision be
made now, not subsequently. that
h taxes to be paid In 1920 should
be reduced from $4,000. 100000 to
$1,000, O,0O0. Any arrangements less
Definite than these would add eie-.
ments OF doubt and confusion to the
critical period OF Industrial read
Justment through which the coun-
Try must now Immediately pass and
which no true friend Of the nations
essential business interest can at.
FORD to be responsible for creating
or prolongiEg. Clearly determined
conditions, clearly and simply
cnarted. are Indispensable to the
economic revival and rapid indus
trial development which may confi-
and sweep all Interrogation points
away.
Carry Out Naval Program.
take 1t for granted that the con-
gress Will carry out the naval pro-
gram which was undertaken before
we entered tho war. The secre-
tary of the navy has submitted to
your committee for authorization
that part of the program which
covers the building plans OF the
next three years. These plans
have been prepared along the lines
In accordance with, the policy which
the congress established. not under
the exceptional conditions Of the
war, but with the intention of adj
herring to a definite method Of de-
yelopment for the navy. I earnest
~ recommend the uninterrupted
pursuit Of that policy. 1t would
clearly De unwise for US to attempt
TO adjust u program to a future
world policy as yet undetermined.
The Railroad Problem.
The question which causes me the
greatest concern is the question of
the policy to be adopted towards
the railroads. I frankly turn to
you for counsel upon it. l have no
confident Judgment Of my own I
do not see how any thoughtful man
a have who knows anything OF
the complexity of the problem. It
is a problem which must be
studied, studied Immediately, and
studied without bias or prejudice.
Nothing can be gained by becoming
partisans Of any particular plan
of settlement. E
Needed Rail Control.
1t was necessary that the admin
istration of the railways should be
taken over by the government so
long as the war lasted. 1t would
have been impossible otherwise to
establish and carry through under
2 single direction the necessary
priorities of shipment. 1t would
have been impossible otherwise to
combine maximum production at
the factories and mines and farms
with the maximum possible car
supply to take the products 10 the
route troop shipments and freight
Shipments without regard to the
advantage or Disadvantage of the
roads Employed: Impossible to
subordinate, when necessary, all
questions of convenience to the
public necessity: impossible to give
the necessary financial support to
the roads from the public treasury.
But all these necessities have now
been served. and the question is:
What is best for the railroads and
for the public IN the future?
Competition Obligatory.
Exceptional circumstances and
exceptional methods Of administra-
ton We're o needed to convince
us that the railroads were not equal
to the immense tasks Of transport
tation imposed upon them by the
rapid and continuous development
of the industries of the country
We knew that already. And I'VE
knew that they We're unequal tot
partly because their fun coopera-
ton was rendered impossible by
law and their competition made
obligatory, SO that 1t has been i'm
possible to assign to them s~everallJ
the traffic which could be best
carried by their respective lines in
the interest of expedition and ma.
tional economy.
Sign Terms BY Spring.
We may hope, ! believe, for the
formal conclusion of the war by
treaty by the time spring has come
The u months to which the presen'
control Of the railways is limited
after formal proclamation Of thu