Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-08-26


heightened degree, if we are to &C
complish the first tasks of peace.
They are more difficult than the
task of war-more complex, less cas-
lily understood-an require more in
telligence, patience and sobriety. We
modified our man power for the
fighting, let us now mobilize our brain
power and our consciences for the
reconstruction. Of we fail, it will
mean national 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 scarcities
it created, and so as soon as pos
sible relieve our people of the cruel
burden of high prices. The railways
are at the center of this whole pro-
cess.
Hope For Real Relief.
The government has taken up with
all it's energy the task of bringing
the profteer to book, making the
stocks of necessaries in the country
available at lowered prices, stimulat-
ing production, and facilitating dis
tribution, and every favorable re-
suits are already beginning to APP
pear. There is reason to entertain
the confident hope that substantial
relief will result and result in in
creasing measure. A general increase
in the levels of wages would check
and might defeat all this at it's very
beginning. Such increases would inc
vitably raise, not lower the cost of
living. Manufacturers and producers
of every sort would have innumerable
profits and all effortI to discover
profits and all efforts to discover
and defeat profteering would be
hopelessly confused. / believe the
present efforts to reduce the costs
of living will be successful, if no
new elements of difficulty are
thrown in the way; and l confidently
count upon the men engaged in
the service of the railways to assist,
not obstruct. 1t is much more in
their interest to do this than to in
sist upon wage increases which will
undo everything the government at
tempts. They are good Americans,
along with the rest of us, and may,
| 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 establish either sue
cess or failure, it will of course,
be necessary to accept the higher
costs of living 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
lneXcusable inconsistency of MAX
ing general increase in wages on
the assumption that the present cost
OF living will be permanent at the
very time that we are trying with
great confidence to reduce the cost
OF living and are able to say that it
is actually beginning to fail.
Uneasiness Ungrounded.
l am aware that railway employees
have a sense Of insecurity as to the
future of the railroads, and have
many misgivings as to whether their
interests will be properly safe
guarded when the present form of
federal control has come to an end.
No doubt it is in part this sense of
uncertainty that prompts them to
insist that their wage interests be
adjusted now rather than under con-
ditions which they cannot certainly
foresee. But l do not think that
their uneasiness is well grounded. n
anticipate that legislation dealing
with the future of the railroads will
be in explicit terms afford ade-
quate protection for the interests of
the employees of the roads, but quite
apart from that it is clear that no
legislation can make the railways
other than what they are, 4 great
public interest, and it not likely
that the President of the Unite1
States, whether in possession and
control of the railroads or not. will
lack opportunity of persuasive force
to influence the decision IF CUES
tions arising tbeween the managers
of the railroads and the railway en-
ployes. The employees may rest as
sured that, during my term Of office.
whether l am in actual possession of
the railroads OF 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 coJope5ation with the gov
eminent now in its efforts to reduce
the cost Of living will bv no means