Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1920-06-17
THE HIGH COST
Of LIVING
UNCLE TED SAYS MUCH OF THIS
COUNTRY'S DIFFICULTY DUE
TO PEEVISH PRESIDENT

tnlS week. Zee, IL makes me sore.
1t was Jack talking to his sister as
they were coming up the front steps
late in the afternoon. They had
just come from the freight office and
found that because the freight cars
were tied up, the new canoe Uncle
Ted had bought them had not arriv-
ed and no one could tell when it
might come.
willie Jones, whose father is an
engineer on the railroad, says that
is all because the roads were turned
back to private control. He says
that If the government had kept run
ming them everything would have
been fine this being Ruth's solu-
ton of the matter.
Look here, you kiddieS,' called
Uncle Ted from the other ends of
the front porch, don't blame the
private ownership of the railroads
for the fact that your canoe hasn't
come and that freight cars are tied
up everywhere. Since you seem to
have nothing to do, come over here
and I'll tell you something about it.
SIN the first place there are lot
of people interested in seeing the
ldlliOduo 81 bdNh W 6ONSl hhiNhb
control who are spreading all kinds
of stories about how terrible the
roads are since they were turned
back to private ownership. For ex-
ample, Interstate Commerce Com
missioner Wooley recently made a
statement which, if not studied, is
more than misleading. Speaking
of the close of federal control, he
said, The breakdown in service
started almost Immediately Of
course, anyone reading this state.
ment would think right away, just
as you think about your canoe, that
the return of the roads to private
control is responsible for the poor
service, at least so far as freight is
concerned. There are several
things the people of this country
must remember before they blame
private control.
First of all, when William Gibbs
McAdoo, who is trying hard to be
the next president, took charge Of
the railroads as director general for
the government, many of the rail-
roads had millions of dollars in their
treasures, but after the government
control was completed this money
was all gone. Another thing that
worked against the railroads was
the fact that during the period the
government ran the roads the equpi-
ment was allowed to run down. AS
business in the roads increased there
was no attempt to increase the num-
Der of terminals or switches. Every
one will remember that almost at
the same time the roads were turn
ed back to their owners large
number of the railroad men went on
strike
"Oh, remember that" said
Jack. at looked as though many
cities would be without food, and
cars were tied up everywhere"
eyes, that's right" said Uncle
Ted. "You see the democratic adj
ministration in Washington that was
running the roads had been able to
get these workmen to promise to put
off their strike, telling them that IL
they would the high cost of living
would be reduced. But instead OF
bringing down the high cost of liv-
ing the ADMINISTRATION has done
things that keep it going up.
"Now, l am not trying to excuse
the men who went on strike. The
strike was not justifiable, but when
you come right down to it, the real
reason for the strike was the fact
that the administration broke its
promise. There certainly is one
thing sure, that as soon as Mr.. Nc
Adoo made a mess of the job of run
ming the roads he got out of the job
in a hurry and started making NOV
ing pictures for Charlie Chaplin and
Mary Pickford because they gave
him more money. When Mr..
Hines came into the job he messed
the job just as bad, following the
policies started by the presidents
Now Mr.. McAdoo and
his friends are trying hard to get
the American people to forget that
he had anything to do with the rail-
roads, but he cannot escape the fact
that he had big part in the general
messing up of the railroads by the
present administration.
ITO get back to the cost of living
question for a minute children. On
the day congress adjourned, June
5th. a telegram from President Will
son to the officials of the railroad
brotherhoods was made public in
which he attempted to lay the blame
for the high cost of living at the
doors of congress. He said that
congress had not paid any attention
to his appeals and the appeals of the
secretary of the treasury to make
over the tax laws which he says are
partly responsible for the hight cost
of living. He says lot of other
clever things, but We will just look
into this one. Who is to blame for
the heavy taxes we now have to
pay? The war? Yes, of course,
that cost lots of money, but Mr.. Will
son doesn't mention the fact that If
his administration hadn't wasted
millions of dollars during the war
taxes would be lower. He doesn't
say why he failed to follow the ad-
vice of men who knew, when he was
advised nearly a year ago to buy the
1919 Cuban sugar crop which would
have given us plenty of sugar and
kept the cost down. He doesn't
say why the department of justice,
headed by Mitchell Palmer, has fall
ed to turn its hand to reduce the
cost of living when it had plenty of
laws to work with. No, he doesn't
dare mention his administration on
these matters, but makes a sad at
tempt to shift the blame to congress.
He is still mad because the senate
wouldn't adopt the dangerous, un-
American world club plan and he