Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1919-01-24
THINKS McADOO'S THREAT
is CASE OF PURE BLUFF

Washington, Jan. 19.-The repub-
lican publicity association, through
its president, Hon. Jonathan Bourne.
Jr., today gave out the following
statement from its Washington
headquarters:
UNLESS congress Immediately en-
acts legislation continuing govern
ment control of the railroads for a
period of five years Mr.. McAdoo has
thereatened to send advice by wire
less to Mr.. Wilson to turn them back
to their private owners at once. 1t
is part of the democratic plan that
the public, particularly the stockhol-
ders and employees of the roads.
should throw UP their hands In horror
at Mr.. McAdoo's suggestion and fe-
Eerishly write their senators and rep
resentatives In congress to get busy
on the five-year legislation. The
chaotic condition in which the roads
now are, with their immense burdens
Of increased wages and tremendous
equipment bills to meet, is enough to
strike terror to their owners when
they are suddenly Threatened with
the withdrawal of the financial sup
port of the United States treasury.
But let us study the situation and
see II the MeAdoo threat is not a case
Of pure bluff. The first and immedi-
ate result of throwing back the roads
TO owners would be to send them In
to the hands OF receivers. The prime
duty of receiver is to reduce expens-
es, and inasmuch as there is hardly
a road in the country that would find
u possible to meet the enormous
drains upon II with its present ope-
rating income, drastic curtailments
would go into effect at once. The
shipping and travelling public would
he the sufferers from reduction in
the number of trains, the impossible
ity OF collecting judgments for dam
ages, the prompt cessation of all i'm
provements that may be under way,
and loss of other benefits customariiy
extended to their patrons by solvent
roads. Dividends, OF course, would
cease at once. and the hundreds of
thousands of stockholders would seek
2 means to reek vengeance on the in
dividuals and political party that had
been the cause of their loss. One OF
the first acts of the receivers would
be to apply for court order reducing
wages of employees to a point con-
forming with the ability of the roads
to pay. Such an order would make
enemies of the men 1t affected. They
would promptly forget the raise In
pay granted them by the administra-
ton, and think only of the reduction
forced upon them by the relinquish-
ment of the roads by the government.
The officials OF the roads. upon whom
would fall the tremendous task of
bringing order out of chaos, would
see to it>that everything possible was
done to bring discontinue to the
men responsible for the predicament
OF their properties. In short, to
throw the roads overheard at such
short notice would bring such storm |
of condemnation about the heads of |
McAdoo and the democratic
party that they would not have a |
chance at the elections In 1920 or for |
The next fifty years
And they know It. II there is I
one thing above others 10 which the I
administration has devoted itself It T
IS the attempted cultivation of pop I
llar approval OF its official acts. To
suddenly reverse their policy IN that F
direction. and bring down upon them
/ countrywide flood of indignation
Iueh as Mr.. McAdoo's rash act would
'ntail. is the very thing above all
,thers of which the democrats will
lever be guilty.
The leaders of that party know
hat the best thing for them ls to let