The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-08-17
RAIL MEASURE
MAY CALL FOR
new PRESSURE.
Necessity for Harding Leader
ship Seen as Result Of OPP
position to Measure-Busi-
ness Would Be Benefited.
WOULD HELP WORKERS
BY MARK SULLIVAN

N<AS'iliAN0lo o-N, mug. IL HdL tlI |
administration does not want congress
TO adjourn until after it has passed
the so-called railway bill is generally
understood, but it also is apparent, |
that if this is to happen, it probably
will be necessary for the president to
overcome once more his reluctance to
press his personal leadership on con-
gress.
There is a group of senators who
are opposed to the railroad bill as
such, and separate group who are
either opposed to taking a recess, Or
Indifferent about it. Such combina-
tion of opposition and inertia might
readily delay bill considerable
period. or prevent its passage alto
gether.
Help Credit of Roads.
Those members of the administra-
ton who have been urging congress to
act on the bill, base their plea on the
wholesome effect it would have on the
business situation throughout the
country.
Roughly the nature of the bill is that
the government should pay the rail-
roads at once. in cash, to the extent
of $500 900, 900 on account of what the
government owes the roads. That
the offsetting accounts. which the rail-
roads owe the government should not
be demanded now, but should be fund
ed into 10 year bonds.
That the cash which the govern
ment needs for the transaction should
be obtained by turning over the gov
ernment's railroad securities to the
War Finance corporation and ulti-
mately selling them to the public.
Bill Urged by Eugene Meyer
The direct and immediate purpose
of the administration is to affect the
economic situation of country favor
ably by making a large sum of money
available for the railroads to employ
labor in the upkeep of the roads.
Probably the best statement of what
the administration hopes to accom-
piish by the bill was made by Eugene
Meyer, the head of the War Finance
Corporation, in statement to the
house committee on interstate COM
merce, he said:
II believe ii would be distinct
economic asset to this country. of the
greatest importance, to restore labor
10 a full degree of employment. II
there are 1000 900 men who are goinS
to be employed as result of this
legislation at an average of say, 81
a day, that would be S4,000,000 a day
of production instead of non-produc-
ton, and it goes on down the line and
affects all our commerce and industry
and finance and agriculture, it will be
one of the most important steps in
reconstruction.
"Poor Management"-Meye
Il should feel very much ashamed
as one American citizen to go through
the winter with three or four million
men unemployed in this country. I'm
employment is merely an expression
of economic bad management for the
most part
II do not know of single thing that
would do more to restore the industry
of the country at this time-before the
winter comes on, when the amount of
unemployed labor will be increased by
the return of the men who have gone
into the harvest fields this summer
than this particular measure.
IF anybody knows of one | would
like to hear it, because l want to adj
vocate it"
Critics See Too Much Aid
The opposition 10 the measure is put
chiefly on the ground that, even
though it is largely mere bookkeep-
ing transaction on the part of the gov
ernment, il will amount in the end to
certain amount of renewal of the
kind of credit initiation from which
we have been trying TO recover.
Another objection, which comes
chiefly from the old advocates OF
stringent government discipline of the
railroads, is that the proposal is i'm.
proper largess to railroads, which, ac.
cording to the critics, have already
been treated with too much consid.
Grafton.
Copyright, 1921, by the New York
Evening Post, Incl
m