Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-02-19
SPEAKERS ADVISE DELEGATES
FUTURE BRIGHT WITH PROMISE
Harry A. Wheeler Of Washing
ton and ]. Ogden Armour,
Chicago, Deliver Key
note Addresses.

Two thousand men, among
them, governors, mayors, city
and state officials, business
and professional men, farm
ers and laborers are gathered
in Omaha for the Transmissis-
sippi Readjustment congress.
The brains of the West will
confer on constructive pro-
gram of development and will
create a machinery to carry
out that program at Washing
ton and elsewhere.
The congress opened in the morn-
ing with addresses Of welcome By
Mayor Ed P. Smith of Omaha and
Governor S. R. McKelvie of Ne
braska.
John w. Gamble, president Of the
Chamber of Commerce of Omaha
delivered an address on the purposes
of the congress.
AT the afternoon session the key
note speech" was delivered by Harry
A. Wheeler, president of the Cham
Der of Commerce of the United
States. which organization cooper
ated in calling the Omaha congress.
]. Ogden Armour sent a message
on Getting Back to the Highway
of Progress"
Names Clearance Committee.
/ Francis A Bfopan. chairman az
the executive committee of the
Omaha Chamber of Commerce, pre-
sided at the afternoon session.
President c. c. George of the
congress announced the general
clearance committee as follows:
Francis A. Brogan, Omaha. chair
man; ]. NJ. Wilson. Wyoming; Prof
A. /. Hacker, Lincoln; O. G.
Smith, Kearney; P. N. Meyers, ST.
Paul; ]. F. Smith, St. Louis, George
G. Boardman, San Francisco; f. N.
Ammons, Denver, and William
Watts, Ogden, Utah.
AT the evening session A. C.
Carpenter of New Orleans spoke
on inland waterways and ]. F.
Smetanka, special representative of
the Czecho-Slovak nation, spoke ON
European export possibilities.
Hold Group Meetings.
AT the, conclusion OF the after.
noon session the congress ad-
journed into group meetings de-
voted to agriculture, live stock.
civic, highways, water power, manu-
featuring, grain exchanges, gar
ment manufacturers, insurance,
building industry, advertising and
selling, milling, banking, rotary
lawyers, dairy products and farm
implements.
Wednesday morning will be devot-
ed exclusively to group meetings.
The declarations which emanate
from the group meetings will be In
the hands of the clearance commit
tee Wednesday noon and will be
acted upon by the general congress
Thursday afternoon.
Mr. Wheeler's subject was Read
justment Problems of the Middle
West" and his address was the
keynote" of the congress.
WHSelsE Appiauoeo.
Mr.. Wheeler was greeted with
rising welcome when-he was intro-
duced, and at the close of his SPLEEN
did address the audience rose again
in appreciation Of the constructive
thought which he expressed So
clearly. He was applauded fre-
quently during the progress Of his
address, particularly when he out
liped his views on government con-
Hol and private ownership Of rail
transportation lines. He struck
responsive chord when he declared
that better service is obtainable un-
der private ownership Of railroad
lines, and that there had been a
sloughing of enthusiasm, ingenuity
and initiative under. government
control. He said the country ac-
cepted the principle and practice OF
paternalism because of the war and
he expressed the hope that this re-
adjustment congress will decide OH
the measure of advantage and the
measure of disadvantage, whatever
it may be, of government ownership
or control of railroad lines.
Entangling Alliances.
He analyzed the far-reaching ef-
fects of a league of nations and ad-
ded that this country, under present
world conditions, must face more or
less entangling alliances. He viewed
these entanglements as having been
brought out for a mighty good
cause"
Many of the attendants at the ses.
sion declared that Mr.. Wheeler's ad.
dress was the most inspiring and in.
teresting exposition of present-day
problems they have heard. He show.
ed how the middle-west is vitality in.
terested even in the affairs ot
Europe, of an American merchant
marine, development of exporf
trade, and of promoting a logical re.
lationship between agricultural an6
commercial interests Of this trans
mississippi area. He explained in
succinet manner how tbe replace
ment of natural economic laws with
man-made laws results in injustices
and inequalities.
: Message From Armour.
]. Ogden Armour head of the
packing industry which bears his
name, intended to be present anC
deliver his first address before ans
public gathering. He had sent
word that it would be his maiden
speech, but on Sunday he wired
that he had been stricken with
cold and had been ordered to rs-
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