Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1920-01-23

Addressing the members of the
Atlanta Freight bureau at their an
nual meeting Monday night on leg
islation pending in congress for the
return of the railroads to their own
ers, Senator Hoke Smith said there
are many details yet to be worked
out by the conference committee of
the house and senate, but certain
general principles are sure to be in
corporated in the finished bill, for
on these principles there is general
agreement in congress. The most
important of these are as follows:
/. The powers of the interstate
commerce commission will be broad
ened to cover the approval of pooling
between different lines of road, the
requiring of joint use of terminals
by different roads, the elimination of
certain features of unfair competi-
ton, the unification of railroad ia
cilities wherever the same will make
for better service.
2. There will be established an
impartial tribunal to which the own
ers and employees of railroads will
be required to submit their disputes
over wages and hours, and the deci-
sions of this tribunal will be final
and binding upon both parties, and
it, will be made unlawful to charge
or receive more than the decisions
authorize.
3. The government will make it.
self responsible for a fair return to
the owners of the roads, for fair
treatment to the employees of the
roads, and above all for continuous
service to the public.
4. The government for a while
will stand behind the owners of the
roads in overcoming the tremendous
difficulties that confront them in re-
Stunning the operation of their prop
critics, which difficulties are a nat
ural consequence of the war and Of
the manner in which the government
took over and operated the roads as
a war emergency.
Railroad Lessons Learned
Some lessons of the highest inn
portance have been learned from the
governments experiment with OPP
Grating the railroads during the war,
declared Senator Smith.
The first of these is that private
operation is far more economical and
satisfactory to the public than gov
eminent operation, which will show
loss Of more than billion dollars
in spite of the fact that railroad
traffic has surpassed in volume all
past records, and the further fact
that rates are higher than ever be.
fore.
The second lesson is that the pub
lie service, continuous and adequate,
is paramount to all other conSidera
tons, being more important than the
interests of the owners or the en-
ployes of the roads, and that both
of these factors must be compelled
to obey the law and must be pro-
hibited from resorting to force.
AS to the taking over of the rail-
roads by the government, Senator
Smith said he believed it was I'M
wise and unnecessary. He believed
better results would nave been OBJ
tanned by a general pooling of the
roads under private operation. Aft
er they were taken over by the pres
ident, he believed it would / We been
better to place in charge of their
operation a board of managers COM
posed of the ablest men in the rail.
road service, instead of putting their
operation on the shoulders of the
president, who already had on him,
the most stupendous task in history
He believed it was an unfortunate
mistake to name Secretary McAdoo
as director-general of railroads, as
he was making q brilliant success
in the treasury department. and had
his hands full already, and under the
double load his health broke down
in few months. No dozen rlen in
the coutry, declared Senator Smith,
are capable Of operating the rail.
roads, much less one man. MANY.
mistakes were made, he further de.
clared and as a result the govern
ment has lost more than q billion
dollars in spite of enormously heavy
traffic and enormously high rates
"haw Must Prevail"
But I am optimistic over the out
look for the future" said Senator
Smith. With assistance from the
government the railroads will soon
overcome their difficulties. Labor
conditions are better now than six
months ago. We are rapidly on the
upward trend. Above all else, we
have established the proposition that
capital and labor must bow in obedi-
ence to the law. Just here I wish
to praise Attorney General Palmer
for his firmness and courage in han
ding the coal strike and the meat
packers. Without obedience to law
we have no argument.
Our achievements in the war have
no parallel in history. Our splendid
commander in France. General Perslt-
ing, by his iron, nerve and persistent
determination, brought the war to
conclusion twelve months earlier
than Foch and Haig had planned. He
refused to use our American boys
for requirements in the French and
British armies, but insisted on a
strictly American sector, and got