Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-08-25
HARDWICK HITS
BACK AT LEGION
Answers Resolutions
Adopted at Augusta
in Detail
Continued from Page Three)

ANNilNiAAAs~NA LAOIIl dSS 1HlCEJ
alton of the railroads during the war
/ did. am proud of it, and the
event has abundantly justified my
position.
Under law existing prior to June
IL, 1917, priority over any and all
other shipments and freight move
ments was given over all railroads
on demand of the president. "To
the prompt movement of the military
and naval forces of the United States
and all supplies therefor, and all ma
terial necessary to be used in the
manufacture of arms, ammunltions
and the equipment therefor" (Cong.
Record, p. 3447.)
If necessary to pool the railroads
in their operations during the war,
and for war purposes, as many
thought-that could have been as
easily provided for, by simple stat
ute, and if the government had COM
pletely Communicated the money
markets of the country, for govern
ment loans, with the result that the
railroads were unable to finance new
loans, or to pay old ones, as was prob
ably true, it wo1ld have been pct
ter for the government to have lent
the railroads the money that was ab-
solutely required, to insure their Ell
ficient operation. That was the plan
/ suggested.
Instead, we took over the railroads
during the war, and the government
operated them, for something like two
and one-half years-wlth what re-
suit? The men who operated the
railroads under the government were
the same-unchanged-except for
the Director General Mr.. McAdoo,
and possibly few of the higher Of
ficials. The same men pulled the
throttles on the engines, sat in the
fireman's box, mended the tracks,
worked in the shops. And what wac
the net result of the two and one
half years OF government operation?
Higher passenger rates, higher
freight rates, poorer service, and a
loss of more than four thousands mil
lions of. dollars out of the pubic
treasury, with all the claims not yet
paid. I submit this was a heavy
price to pay for a wholly useless
thing that could have done better
without the government operating
the railroads at all, and if the plan
! suggested had been followed we
would have gotten just as good, II
not better service out of the railroads
and saved a loss of four billions of
dollars. not an inconsiderable item
in the burden of debt that is left
upon US.
Espionage Law.
l2. The twelfth specification IS
that | opposed the espionage law.
| did. | am proud of it. 1t insult
ed She traditions and endangered
the liberties of free people. We ola
not find it necessary to enact such
a law in order to successfully prose
cute the Revolutionary War, or the
War of 1912, or the Mexican War,
or the Spanish War, and it was who'll
Nv unnecessary and entirely hurttul
to have such law for the German
War.
Its purpose was not as stated by
these young legionnaires. 1t was not
enacted to ''free the country OF
snies" We had ample laws before
its enactment to accomplish that. 1t
was not enacted to prevent German
submarines from getting lntorma-
tion"-we had am, lie laws without it
to accomplish that-many OF them a
hundred years old or more. 1t was
not enacted "to prevent dynamiting
and burning of munitions plants, etc
We had ample laws, almost as old as
our country itself, to prevent that.
No It was enacted to paddock the
tongues of honest Americans-to stl-
file the voice of fearless and honest
criticism-to chain the thoughts, cow
er the spirits and intimidate the souls
of American citizens. 1t is the proud
est memory of my life that l had
the privilege in the senate of oppos-
ing it - and the object of the
contest am now making in Georgia
is to help restore and regain the an
cient rights and liberties of the peo-
pie, with which it interfered and
which at one time it threatened to
permanently destroy.
10. The thirteenth specification is