Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-08-29
PRESIDENTS STATEMENTS ON
Shipments DEMANDS

difficult than the tasks of war
more complex, less easily UNI
derstood--and require more in
telligence, patience and sobriety.
We mo ilized our man power for
the fighting, let US now mobilize
our brain power and our con-
science for the reconstruction:
disaster. The primary first step
is to increase production and
facilitate transportation, so as
to make up for the destruction
wrought by the war, the terrible
scarcity it created and so as
soon as possible relieve our .peoS
pie of the cruel burden OF hlgn
prices. The railways are at the
center of this whole process.
Attacks on Proftteers
The government has taken up
with all it's energy the task OF
bringing the profiteer to book.
making the stocks of neces-
saries in the country available
at lowered prices, stimulating
production and facilitating dis
tribution, and very favorable re-
appear. There is reason to en-
tertain the condent hope that
substantial reflex will result. A
general increase in the levels OF
wages would check and might
defeat all this at It's very be-
ginning. Such increases would
Inevitably raise, not lower the
cost Of living. Manufacturers
and producers of every sort
would have innumerable addi-
tional pretexts for increasing
profits and all efforts to dis
cover and defeat profiteering
would be hopelessly confused. I
believe that the present efforts
to reduce the cost of living will
be successful, if no new eIe-
ments of difficulty are thrown
in the way; and I confidently
count upon the men engaged in
the service of the railways to
assist, not obstruct 1t is much
than to insist upon wage in
creases which will undo every
thing the government attempts.
They are good Americans, along
with the rest of us and may, I
am sure, be counted on to see
the point.
1t goes without saying that if
our efforts to bring the cost. of
living down should fail, after
we have had time enough to
either success or failure,
it will, of course, be necessary
to accept the high costs or liv-
ing as a permanent basis of
adjustment, and railway wages
should be readjusted, along with
the rest. All that I am now
urging is that we should not be
guilty of the inexcusable tncon-
sistency of making general in
sumption that the present cost
of living will be permanent at
the very time that we are try
ing with great confidence to
reduce the cost of living and
are able to say that it is ac-
tua1ly beginning to fall.
Sense of insecurity.
am aware that railway en-
ployes havd a sense Of inse-
curity as to the future of the
railroads and have many misgiv-
ings as to whether their inter
ests will be properly safeguard
ed when the present form of fed
eral control has come to an end.
No doubt it is in part this sense
of uncertainty that prompts
them to insist that their wage
interest be adjusted now rather
than Under conditions which they
cannot certainly foresee. But I
do not think that their uneasi-
1893 10 WC1I l. dIlLlCl-
pate that legislation dealing
with the future Of the railroads
will in explicit terms afford ade-
quate protection for the interests
of the employees of the roads:
but, quite apart from that, 1t is
clear that no legislation can
make the railways other than
what they are,' a great public in.
terest, and it is not likely that
the president of the United
States, whether in possession
and control of the railroads or
not, will lack opportunity or
persuasive force to influence the
decision of questions arising
between the managers of the
railroads and the railway en-
ployes. The employees may rest
assured that during my term of
office, whether 1 am in actual
possession of the railroads or
not, I shall not fail to exert the
full influence of the executive to
see that justice is done them.
[ believe, therefore, that they
may be justified in the confidence
that hearty cooperation with
the government now in it's eff
forts to reduce the cost of liv-
ing will by no means be preju-
dicial to their own interests, but
will, on the contrary, prepare the
way for more favorable and sat
isfactory relations in the future.
l confidently count on their
cooperation in this time of ma
tiOnal test and crisis"