The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1919-01-27
M'AO0O URGES FIVE YEARS
CONTROL OF THE RAILROADS

Adoo, former director general of rail-
roads and former secretary of the
treasury, made public today a tele-
gram in which he urged five year gov
ernment control of the railroads as
necessity for the development of in
land waterways and for the coordina-
ton of the railroads and waterways
with the new American merchant ma
rine
The telegram. addressed to Albert
Krell, chairman of the Miami and Erie
improvement committee of the Gin
cinnati Chamber of Commerce was
sent in response to an invitation to
attend an inland waterways meeting
today at Defiance, Ohio.
The message said:
Regret it is impossible for me to
attend your inland waterways meet
ing at Defiance, January 27.
1T seems to me futile to expend
great sums of money on the develop
ment of our inland waterways unless
our government adopts an Intelligent
policy about railroad control. The fu-
ture of waterways development is ab-
sOlutely dependent upon government
control which will enforce the opera
tion of the waterways and the rail-
roads as a coordinated and articul-
ated system which will give the peo-
pie the benefits of an efficient COM
bination of water and rail facilities.
This cannot be accomplished under
the present railroad law which pro-
vides that the railroads cannot be
controlled by the government for
longer period than 21 months after
the return of peace. Within a 81
month period no substantial develop
ment of existing waterways can be
made, nor can their operation in so
brief a period afford any adequate
test of their values.
upon the return of the railroads
to private ownership, which must be
made within the 21 months period, as
the present law provides, the cut
throat competition of the railroads
under private control with partially
developed waterways will effectively
destroy water transportation as here
tofore and the peoples Investment in
these facilities will continue to be of
little if any value.
81 have urged the congress to ex-
tend the period of federal control of
the railroads for five years because
that will give us time to develop some
Of the most important existing water
routes coordinate them with the rail-
road and prove heir worth as a part
Of the great American transportation
5ytsem.
"I also feel that the government
should control the railroads and the
inland waterways for a period of five
years so that they may in turn be
coordinated with our government
merchant marine which has been built
at a cost of more than two billion dol
lars and which under existing law the
government controls for five-year
period.
unless we look at this great prob
lem with vision and from the stand
point solely of the American people
instead of from the standpoint of the
selfish interest of private railroad
owners, private steamship owners,
private shippers, private investors, or
any other single class, we hall not
measure up to our obligations to the
American people, nor realize the great
and destiny that lie
ahead of us.
"The confusion of counsel about the
problem, made daily more
evident by the great variety of con-
flicting views and opinions now be-
ing presented at the hearing before
the interstate commerce committee Of
the senate at Washington, makes it
more and more clear that the course
Of wisdom, sagacity and prudence is
10 extend government control of the
railroads for five years; that our in
land waterways be developed to the
largest possible extent during that
period and that these inland water
ways and rail facilities be coordinated
with our great merchant marine in
an endeavor to get for American bus
ness enterprise a fair participation
n the benefits of world commerce.
mo part of our union is more vital
y concerned in this question than
he great states of the Ohio and Miss
ssippi valleys as well as those bor-
1ering on the lakes, the oceans and
he gulf Many of their leading ports
will continue to be starved and their
development arrested unless they are
given a chance under the impartial
control by the government of rail and
steamship facilities.
"The powerful and sleepless forces
If reaction are soidly arrayed against
his plan They will defeat it unless
he American people are aroused to
he situation The time is short. The
natter is vital. My earnest sugges-
ion to you and your associates is that
you press upon the attention of the
congress- the importance of the five
vear cntrol in order that the things
vou want to accomplish may be
brought about"