River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-12-12

| the $4,000, 900, 900 needed in addition
to the $4,000,000,0O0 provided by ex-
listing 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 war profits accruing
in 1918 or in 1919 from business orig
mating IN war contracts. / urge your
acceptance of his recommendation
that provision be made now, not sub
sequently, that the taxes to be paid in
| 1920 SHOULD be reduced from six to
four billions. Any arrangement less
definite than these would add elements
of doubt and confusion to the critical
period Of Industrial readjustment
| through which the country must now
Immediately pass, and which no true
| friend OF the nations essential bust-
ness interests can afford to be respon-
s1Dle for creating or prolonging. Clear
/ ly determined conditions, clearly and
| simply charted, are indispensable to
| the economic revival and rapid indus
trial development which may conf
IDENTIFY be expected if we act now and
sweep all Interrogation points away.
Pleads for Navy Program.
| take it for granted that the con-
| gress will carry out the Naval pro-
gram which was undertaken before we
entered the war. The secretary of the
navy has submitted to your committee
for authorization that part of the pro-
gram which covers the building plans
OF the next three years. These plans
have been prepared along the lines
and 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 develop.
ment for the Navy. / earnestly rec
ommend the uninterrupted pursuit of
that policy. 1t would clearly be I'M
wise for us to attempt to adjust our
programs to a future world policy as
yet undetermined
The question which causes the great
est concern is the question of the pol
Icy to be adopted toward the railroads.
| frankly turn to you for counsel upon
it. | have no confident judgment of my
own. do not see how any thoughtful
man can have who knows anything of
the completely of the problem. 1t is
a problem which must be studied,
studied Immediately and studied with
out bias or prejudice. Nothing can be
gained by becoming partisan of any
particular plan of settlement.
Railroads Up to Congress.
1t was necessary that the admins
tration of the railways should be taken
over by the government so long as the
war lasted. It would have been impos-
sible otherwise to establish and carry
through under single direction the |
necessary priorities Of shipments. 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 to the ports and |
markets; impossible to route troops, |
shipments and freight shipments with
out regard to the advantage or disad-
vantage of the roads employed; i'm
possible to subordinate, when neces-
sary, 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
nl1h1io in tho f1If11ra2