The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-06-02
Ry DAVID LAWRENCE.

Should Read Writing on the Wall and
Take Early Action.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE. (
Especial Despatch to The Reformer.)
Copyright 1921. -s:
WASHINGTON, June 2-preSidentl
Harding has taken his first important
step toward solving the railway problem.
He has in effect asked the interstate /
commerce commission to reduce freight |
rates He did not do so directly-he
managed the thing very tactfully and
diplomatically. For president is not
supposed tn ask the interstate commerce |
commission, which is Guasi-judicialI
body. to render any decisions. Woodrow
Wilson had some informal conferences |
once with members OF the Interstate com |
mercc commission and was severely criti- i
ciZed for trying to intiutnce the commits
sion To revise rates.
| President Harding adopted a much !
more direct and even boldcr course which
| professionally will establish a precedent
and brush aside for all time the technical
criticism that a. president cannot com
muuIcate with the Interstate commerce
commission, Mr.. Harding walked to thel
| Interstate commerce commission building
and told the members of the commission
that he recognized that the commission
| lis the ratemal,ing body of congress. and
| that as he was authorized TO cOmmuni-
| cate freely with congress he felt free to
| communicate directly with the agent of
| congress.
Should Lower Fruit Rates.
| With that delicate question of right
off his mind Mr.. Harding entered into a
general discussion with the commission
on the subject of rates. making delicate
! inquiry a. To the progress the commits
sion was making on the subject, and ,ox-
pressing his own opinions over certain
classes Of rates. lie mentioned partic-
Iularly the rate on fruit carrying which
il 80 much subject of complaint i'm the
! West. He was much pleased to learn
! that the commission was endeavoring to-
bring about a revision q. rates and that
/ the commission was proceeding ON a plan
whereby the railroads would voluntarily
/ reduce their scale on certain commodities
! where obviously the rate WAS more than
the traffic could bear. Mr.. Harding left
the commission with parting word that
carried n great deal OF significance. He
spoke Of his desire To be helpful and to|
| remain in closer touch with the work the
| commission - doing.
Well Considered Plan.
! Now the visit of Mr.. Harding was no
lcaSual affair. accidentally brought about.
| 1t was deliberately thought ont AZ a.
means of ,caHvinGing the country that
L EtSltttslliF AAdAAfHE ttN"ENAAtAA TIM Fbt19-
/ Sity of lower freight rates. and he hoped
| that the carriers would recognize the
trend of public opinion, and the necessity
! for freight reduction in view of the pres
lent economic situation. The whole sub
| ipct was discussed at the cabinet meet
ing on Tuesday after which it was an
uounced that the President would do
something about rates the very next day.
/ The visit to the commission was planned
/ by Mr.. Harding not only after consulta-
tion with the cabinet bht after it became
| known here also that the railroad labor
board would hand down decision cut
! ting the price of certain classes of labor
and eliminating an estimated cost OF
| 0G00O,0 600 a year in wages
! 1t was i'm the Judgment of Mr.. Hard
/ ing the psychological time To act. With
| wages going down the public has been cN-
ppcting freight rates To 60 down. Mr.
/ Harding sought chance to emphasize
the necessity of the two steps being taken
as close together as possible not merely
to hasten return to normally, but tnl
console the laboring classes who would
/ be accepting wage reductions with the
! knowledge that the railroads viii be
obliged To reduce freight rates. too. Some
labor leaders have insisted that the men
would not object to wage decreases ifI
! accompanied by reduction in freight
rates. which, in turn would be reflected
i'm a revision downward of the cost of liv-
ing.
| Mr.. Harding consulted Senator Cum
MINIS. chairman of the senate committed
on interstate commerce. and James Da
Wis who. aS director general of the rail
roads. handles all the affairs hanging
over from the period when the govern
ment had control of the railroads. Steps
will soon be taken to pay the roads large
sums of money owed them by the gov
eminent and to make it easier for them
to pay some of their debts.
Roads Not Eager to Change
The railroads are not eager to reduce
freight rates They claim ii will still
further decrease their already small earn
ings. But the President takes the view
! that the present rates are more than the
traffic can bear. and if the rates are re-
! duced there will be more business for the
railroads in the aggregate than it is pos
sible now. Chairman Clark of the inter-
state commerce commission wrote several
letters a few months ago insisting that
rates could not he reduced. Senator
CumminS has seemed to think rates
couldn't GO down. Nevertheless Mr..
Harding believes the railroads will be
better off if rates are lowered The cab
linet shares that opinion and Mr.. Harding
has gone ahead blazing the trail almost
as is usually the case with an executive
who is trying to steer the ship of state i'm
4, an aconou,ip tlrOhlpm which rnuuirpS re-