Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-06-08

portance wholly distinct from its
provisions, which have been framed
with extreme care. This act declares
national policy and, so far as any
law can do it. establishes that policy as
a rule Of action. The policy embodied
In the bill comedies at the outset that
1t is of course impossible to return to
the old system or lack of system in
the management Of the railroads.
Under Government SuDervision.
They must henceforth be under
thorough government supervision and
| also the government must have
over them large measure OF con.
troll The transportation system of
the country can no longer be suffered
to continue without such SUPPRESSION
and control. But the policy also rep
resents the principle that the govern
ment must not assume the ownership
of the railroads. Their operation and
management must be left in private
ownership. The phrase government
ownership" means not only that the
government shall own the railroads,
but also. it is to be feared. that those
who run the railroads shall own the
| government. General government
ownership under our political system
would inevitably bring about the mas
terry Of the government by those who
operate the machinery of transporta-
ton or of any other industries which
| come into government possession. The
rights Of the general public. for whom
all industries exist, would disappear
under this scheme and nothing would
| be left to the people except the duty
( of paying taxes to support the roads
That is a very perilous position for a
J representative democracy. Our gov
eminent must not be dominated by
any one man or any class or any
I ,tn1 N1
| a part Of the people and not the whole
! people. Moreover. in the United
i States. government ownership where
/ ever applied to an industry, whether
| 1t involves transportation or tele-
graphic and telephone communication
| or shipbui1ding or manufacturing is
a very inefficient and wasteful sys-
| tenn. badly managed and certain to
| be intolerably burdensome to the tar
payers. This point it is not necessary
to argue because the country through
| the demands of war turned the rail-
roads over to the government and we
| have had the painful privilege of OBJ
serving the performance which fol-
lowed. The government management
which ensued was inefficient, the rail-
roads were wretchedly conducted and
money was spent and wasted with q
prodigality which nothing can defend.
During the time in which the govern
| ment undertook to manage the rail-
roads they sustained. despite a gener-
| Gus increase in freight rates. a loss
the total payments out Of the Treas
ury to support the railroads have
reached the enormous sum of one and
three-quarter billions of dollars. There
was universal dissatisfaction with the
government management and It was a
Just dissatisfaction. The experiment
failed and should not be renewed.
As to FOREIGN Oueafsou.
From domestic affairs. which I have
| only touched upon briefly, let us turn
to foreign questions, to our relations
with the world Of other nations. Look
first at one of the most pressing i'm
portance just beyond our own borders.
Look at Mexico. For seven years the
United States has been pursuing I'M
der the direction Of the President a
policy Of "watchful waiting" The
President saw fit to intervene in Mex
leo. AS matter of fact he made war
upon Mexico. for in the taking of
killed and wounded and several hun
dred unregarded. incidental Mexicans
were also either wounded or killed
in the conflict. We went there to
exact an apology for the treatment
of some of our sailors at Tampico. The
apology has never been given but
Gen. Huerta was driven from power,
which was the Presidents real pur-
pose, and Mexico then fell into a state
of anarchy which. growing constantly
worse. has continued to this day The
President saw Mt to recognize Car
junta, as political chief. He thus
furnished an essential support to the
Carranza government and what has
been our reward? Over six hundred
Americans have been murdered in
Mexico, some under circumstances of
lav
no reparation has been made. Deco
rated by endless futile and useless
notes they have gone on unchecked.
To have been an American citizen in
Mexico added to a mans danger. The
words 81 am an American citizen"
Instead Of being protection. as they
ought to be, In every corner of the
world. were an absolute peril to any
one who was entitled to that high
distinction. Mexico teemed with Ger
! man plots. The Mexican government
largely the offspring Of Mr.. Wilson's
recognition. did not support us in the
war but gave aid so far as it was
possible to the cause of our enemies.
Yet we still continued to support Car
rama. His government sent agents
into this country to foment industrial
| trouble and to bring on strikes. They
allied themselves with the bolshevist
and anarchistic elements. Nothing
was done by the United States. Car
| rama insulted the American govern
ment in every possible way and still
! nothing was done. We fell SO low
that when an American was'seized by
| one of the many bands of brigands
and held for ransom all that the
government of the United States
| would do was to offer to be the chan
mel for conveying the ransom of their
citizens to the highwaymen who had
| seized them. The mere statement
seems incredible but it is in exact
accordance with the facts in some
cases. Still nothing was done and
we watched and waited. Naturally
we lost our influence in Mexico and,
what was far more important, we lost
! the respect of the Mexican people by
/ the manner in which we submitted
to every sort of insult and outrage.
| Need OF Firm Hand.
| We have watched and waited long
enough. 1t is time that this condi.
ton. disgraceful to US and ruinous to
Mexico. should cease. We need a Arm
hand at the helm. We need a man
who will think not only of the rights
OF the United States but of the well
rare OF Mexico. The Mexican people
! would not resent the influence or in,
PREVENTION of the United States If II
| would only help to bring them peace
under a president Of their own choos-
ing. The great mass of the Mexican
people wish TO work and earn money.
They long to be able to sleep in peace
and not be subject to pilIage and out
rage. Thousands Of them look to us
for help. Let the Mexicans choose "a
their president some strong and IN
| right man who is friendly to the
United States and determined to es-
tablish order and then let the United
States give him real and cordial
| support, and SO strengthen and up-
hold him that he will be able to ex-
| terminate the bandits and put an end
to the unceasing civil war which has
| well nigh completely ruined one of
/ the finest and most valuable cnuntri ea