Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1920-08-07

creased consumption and added acreage |
has be n an uneaaaf one. Modernt
methods of soil treatment nave been
There ass still vast smpifes in extent,
in our country, performing no servios
to humanity They require only tie
applied genius of men, to cover them
with the bloom and harvest of human
necessities. The government should
turn its best engineering talent to the
task of irrigation projects. Every dol
lar spent will yield compromising re-
suits.
Any discussion 1f the question of
food supply leads very quickly to the
closely related matter of ,tTansporta-
ton. There is no one thing which
brings Us intermittent. to critical
, condition than che insufficepcy 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 be-
ginning of the war, the rolling stock
was sadly reduced and Inadequate. The
Lpublic had not given in pay for service
sufficient rev, nues on which credit
could be allowed by the banks. Moral
assistance was withheld because of
railroad policies that did not bring ap-
proyal Many of these corporations
had made themselves a part of .polftf-
cal activities. local, state and national.
Then there were more or less sporadic
instances of stock watering operations
I and the exploitation of utility proper
ties for personal gain. Abuses were
not general. but they were sufficient
to bring the entire railroad systems OF
the country in disrepute. The good
suffered with the evil. When the trans
lportation lines were taken over by the
government, they We're barely able to
limp through the task of the day.
/ Unity in operation. the elimination OF
the long haul and the merging of ev-
j cry mile of track and terminal and ev-
cry car and engine into co-ordinated
plan of operation. enabled the govern
ment to transport troops and supplies
at the same time affordiRg, under great
4 stress, satisfactory outlet for our in
ldustries. 1t should be remembered
in this connection that except for the
h motor truck which, supplemented trans
portation by rail, and except for the
great pipe lines which conveyed oil fol-
commercial purposes, we should not, IN
all probability, have been, able to throw
our deciding strength into the balance
and win the war Any attempt to dis
credit the federal operation of railroads
during the years of grave emergency is
unfair In the case of those who
knew the facts it is insincere. Toe
much cannot be said in praise of those
who directed this work nor of the mer
who physically operated the lines un-
. der the discouraging conditions of pool
equipment But all of this Ia water or
: the wheel. The problem of the rail
:. roads is still with us. The government
and the public should render every co
: Operation in the utmost good faith. tC
give thorough test to private owner
: ship. The railroads have had theil
llesson. Government regulation is &C
; cepted now as not only safeguard t
the public, but as.a conserving process:
TO the utility. Financial credit Is ne
: cessary to physical Rehabilitation ans
1t should be sufficient for the period!
| of maximum demand. We should no
lose sight, however. of the vast posi-
biIities of supplementary service by wa
I ter The Great Lakes and st. Law
renee navigation projects. particular!
= should claim the interest of the gov
D eminent. About one-third of on
Y states would be supplied with an Quite
for every ton of their exports. Tn
opportunity to make of the lake .har
bors great ocean ports of entry is in
D spring to contemplate. In the crop
/ moving period, the call on the railroad
is staggering. Grain piles up in tn
8 Elevators. With stagnation more o
! less general, the farmer sells his pro
$ duct under the most unfavoTable, condf
tons The .trackage and terminals il
e in middle states particularly. are clog
ged with this traffic and interference
with local movements of freight 5 in
: levitable. The solution would he sim
: plified by using the .water-ways. Asid
e from this the taccrutng grain from ev
e 1ery. crop would be "a consideration TO
e 1.-THE reason that the price of grain il
: this country is made by the Chicago
d market and it is determined by TIL
London quotations. The price in TIN
: british metropolis is stated fgur
= less the cost OF transportation. Th
e routing of these commodities by waite
would effect saving of Appropriated!
3 eight cents bushel. which means tina
: American grain would net just tina
e much more. =
r For more than forty years befor,
: Woodrow Wilson was elected .Presiden
e in 1912. a reform of our banking anS
/ currency system had been almost uni
: versally demanded and had been yea
> after year deferred OF refused by tn
E tstand-pat element of the republican
. party in obedience to orders. The con
J. troll of money and interest rates hal
: long been held by favored groups wh'
2 were thus able to dominate markets
! regulate prices. favor friends. destro.
rivals. precipitate and end panics, ant
4 in short through their financial social
7 and political outposts. be the realzrnl
3 ers of America. The Federal Reserve
, tact was originated by a Democratic
: President and Congress. against thu
3 bitter protest of Republican stand pat
> iters. who almost without exception
: voted against it. Among these men arr
III the familiar names of Senators Lodge
Penrose and Smoot, the inside senate
! cabal responsible for existing statu!
in the leadership of that party. fh'
Federal Reserve act is admitted to bt
1.-The most constructive monetary legis-
lation in history. At stroke 1T trans
Ifers the power over money and credi