Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1922-06-21

Some Outstanding Accomplishments
During Federal Control Of Rail-

y
During Federal Control Of Rail-
roads.
Was government control Of the rail-
roads the CHASTITY failure railroad pro-
pagandists would have us believe?
The people have heard the railroad
executives answer to that question.
It is time they were becoming fam
iliar with the other side Of the story
In preceding bulletins we have quo
ted from the testimony OF Director
General McAdoo. who ran the roads
for the first year of Federal control,
and Of Director General Hines, who
succeeded McAdoo,- and remained on
:. the job until the roads went back to
their owners-March /, 1920.
Now we will place on the stand a
witness whose knowledge of the rail
road problem will not be questioned
and whose impartiality is above sus-
picion.
Eastman on Federal Control =.
Joseph B. Eastman is distinguish
ed member Of the Interstate Com
,merce Commission and, because Of
his position, is in possession Of all
the FACTS concerning public and pri-
vate operation of the roads.
Addressing the National Associa-
ton of Railway and Utility Commits
sioners at it's annual convention held
in Atlanta, Ca, October IL, 1921, Mr..
Eastman said: ....
1T occurs to me that the railroad
discussion, in recent years has been
on painfully low level. l am not
thinking Of the ignorance and dema-
.goguery which always enter into any
public controversy, but of discussion
from sources which are presumably
intelligent. Rather than being an
earnest and constructive effort to seek
the truth, it has too often, if my i'm.
preston is, correct, been largely an en-.
deavor to shift the blame; in other
words, to find goat an endeavor
productive of nothing but rancor and
bad blood.
"For a long time, in the minds of
: .,
Interstate Commerce Commission was
apparently the sole obstacle to pro
sgress and increases in railroad rates
the sole, panacea.
AL "More recently the walls of wrath
u have been emptied upon the Railroad
II Administration, upon labor, and. more
! recently still upon the Railroad Labor
Board. t4:Hnf ll;,:iSs;. 81, ii 4,f,,.,{
Now, I am not speaking of honest
!. criticism: We al need it. 7 have in
mind the propaganda which omits eV:
!erything that is favorable to the OBJ
ject of attack, turns the spot light up
on a :eVerythinlgsthat isaunfayorab !, and
adds few linessfor good measure Il
e., Private Versus Public#controlz
- Take, the Railroad Administration,
It was guilty sof errors, rs doubt; but
we ought not to forget that the neces.
sity of@Federal control was conceded
at the time when it was undertaken;
that one Of the numerous reasons was
= the preservation Of railroad securities
from financial decentralization; and
that the roads were operated during
Federal control for the most part by
substantially the same staff as now
under the leadership Of men whom
the railroad world still delights, to
honor. ,
"The fact that the roads when un
der Federal control failed to earn the
Z. ;so-called standard return by many
/, hundreds Of millions of dollars: is Of
II fered as proof positive of the. inefh
!, cheney Of Government operation. ~ ~:
! /. ss."'But u call your attention to sthe
fact that during the first six month,
after the return to private control. tn.
deficiency was upwards Of $6oo, 000, 00l
that In the twelve succeeding months
following the most stupendous ID: In
crease Sever made in our railroas
rates, the deficiency was at least $3.50,
q o0,o0o; and that It was kept from
reaching a still larger sum only b!
sIashes in expenditures, which hav'
left the country with one Of the Iarg