The Washington times., 1920-08-07
tcont.nusd from Fourth Page,


states Tarin Commission are admins
tered by business men. Does anyone
contribute more to the making and
success or railroads than the farmer
Or TO the creation and prosperity OF
the banks, or TO the stability OF man
and trade units, or to the
agencies interested In exportingr
Our objective should be a decreased
tenAntry. With the period of occu-'
pAncy uncertain. the renter strips
land OF its fertile elements, and each
year diminishes our national assets.
Under the operation OF the Federal
Reserve and the Farm Loan acts. en-
has come to thousands
who ma that industry, character and
Intelligence are a golden security to
the peoples banker, the. Government
OF the United States. Multiply our
home owners. and you will make the
way OF the seditious agitators more
difficult. Bring into the picture OF
American life more families, happily.
a part of garden and flowers all their
own. and you Will fnd new streams
running into the NATIONAL current of
Help to equalize the bur-
dens OF taxation by making the hold
ers OF hidden wealth pay their share
with those whose property Is In sight.
In short. remove the penalty i'm
posed upon BODYBUILDING thrift, and
thousands OF contented households
under the shelter OF their own roof,
will look upon government with affec-
tion, recognizing that in protecting
It, they protect themselves. There are
ever before. The prosperity of the
under, Democratic rule has
been widely diffused. Never before
has the great mass OF the people
shared in the blessings OF plenty.
There Is much to be done, however,
in multiplying our home owners.
Nothing will bring more golden re-
turn to the welfare OF the Republic.
Common prudence would suggest
that we increase to our utmost. our
area q tillable land. The race be-
tween increased consumption and
added acreage has been an urequaled
one. Modern methods of soil treat
ment have been helpful. bu. they
have their limitations. There are
still vast empires in extent, in our
performing no service to hu-
manity. They require only the ap-
piled genius of men, to cover them
with the bloom and harvest OF human
necessities. The government should
turn it's best engineering talent to
the task of irrigation projects. Every
dollar spent will yield compensating
results.
Any discussion of the question of
food supply leads very quickly to the
closely related matter of transporta-
tion. There is no one thing which
brings US so intermittently to critical
than the insufficiency of
our transportation facilities. Both
the railroads and the public are to
blame. There has been no material
addition to the total mileage in the
last ten years, and the increase in
terminals has been much less than
required.
At the beginning of the war the
rolling stock was sadly reduced and
inadequate. The public had not given
in pay for service, sufficient revenues
on which credit could be allowed by
the banks. Moral assistance was with
held because Of railroad policies that
did not bring approval Many OF
these corporations had made them
selves a part of political activities,
local, state and national Then there
were more or less sporadic instances
Of stock watering operations, and the
exploitation Of utility properties for
personal gain. Abuses were not gen.
eral but they were sufficient to bring
the entire railroad systems of the
country in disrepute. The good suf-
fered with the evil. When the trans
portation lines were taken over by
the Government, they were barely able
to limp through the task of the day.
Unity in operation, the elimination
of the long haul, and the merging OF
every mile Of track and terminal and
every car and engine into a co-ordi-
mated plan of operation, enabled the
ta fra
supplies, at the same time affording,
under great stress, a satisfactory out
let for our industries. 1t should be
remembered in this connection that
except for the motor truck which sup
plemented transportation by rail, and
except for'the great pipe lines which
conveyed oil for commercial purposes,
we should not, in all probability have
been able to throw our deciding
strenRth into the balance and win the
war. Any attempt to discredit the
Federal operation of railroads during
the years of grave emergency Is un-
fair.
RAIL PROBLEM STANDS.
In the case of those who know the
facts It is insincere. Too much can
not be said in praise Of those who d.
rect ed this work, nor of the men who
physically operated the lines under
the discouraging conditions Of poor
equipment. But all of this Is water
over the wheel The problem Of the
railroads is still with us. The Gov
ernment and tho public should rem
der every cooperation in the utmost
good faith, to give thorough test to
private ownership. The railroads
have had their lesson. Government
regulation Is accepted now as not
only a safeguard to the public, but
as a conserving process to the utility.
Financial credit is necessary to phys
ical rehabilitation and 1t should be
sufYicient for the periods Of maximum
demand. We should not lose sight
however. of the vast possibilities OF
supplementary service by water. The
Great Lakes and st. Lawrence navi-
cation project, particularly, should
claim the interest OF the Government
About one-third OF our States would
be supplied with an outlet for every
ton of their exports. The opportu-
nifty to make of the lake harbors
great ocean ports OF entry is inspir-
ing to contemplate. In the crop-mov-
ing period. the call on the railroads
is staggering. Grain piles up in the