The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1922-03-16

railroads today present menace to
the country, not alone to- the owners
Of the properties, but as affecting d.
rectly the international situation"
Upon the declaration Of war, April
6, 1917, the Council of National De-
Tense organized the Railroad War
Board, composed of Fairfax Harri-
son, Julius kruttschnitt, Hale Holden,
Samuel Rea and Howard Elliot, and
it undertook to secure cooperation
between the various railroad sys-
TENS. Despite the activities of this
committee, Mr.. McAdoo says, the con-
dition of the railroads grew steadily
worse until there had been an al
! most complete paralysis of transport
tation. On December %, 1917, the
Railroad War Board confessed Dts
inability to solve the problems Of
transportation.
During this period not less than
five committees of railroad executives
had failed to restore the proper eff
cheney to the transportation sys-
tenn.
Followed Recommendations of &C.
1t was upon recommendations of
the Interstate Commerce Commission
and the confession of failure by rail-
road executives that the president,
on December 26, 1917 directed the
taking over of the railroads as a
war measure. '.tE.. . i
."Of the ACCESSIBILITY and necessity
Of this action there has never been
question:" declares McAdoo.
Julius Kruttschnitt, recently spokes-
man for the Railroad Executives be-
fore varions tribunals, admitted be-
fore the Senate Committee that
what has been done has been for the
l have gathered from general inter-
course with railroad executives that
they have all accepted the situation as
the best thing to be done."
--"This breakdown of the railroads
did not occur over night" said Mr..
McAdoo. ut resulted not alone from
lack Of unification, but from the inn
paired physical condition of the roads
extending, oper period of years, and
from long-defferred maintenance and
improvements. ~"
When the roads were taken over by
the government, the records of the
L. c. c. disclose, there were las, 900
cars of freight in excess of normal in
the territory east of Chicago and St.
! LOUIS anu nOTtn VI Cne OnlO ana fOCO-
mac rivers. >. -
The facts, as they have been ad-
duced by the Senate Committee, are:
On January 1, 1917, the transpor.
tati0n system had broken down and
was inadequate to the nations needs.
The American governments war pro-
gram was hampered, the allied armies
were short of food and materials and
the civil populations of our allies in
Europe were facing starvation.------
The railroad executives, after eight
months Of effort, were unable to cor
rect this situation and confessed their
inability. to do so.
The government acted only when
it became clearly established that re-
fusal to do so would invite irremedi-
able disaster.
On January II, 1919, after year
of Federal control, A. c. Smith, C. H.
Markham, R. H. Aishtonn, Hale Hol-
den, B. +. Rush, N. D. Maher and B.
l.. Winchell, among the ablest rail
road men in the United States, Off
cially reported to the Railroad Ad-
ministration:
''The measures taken during the
year of 1918 called for no apologies.
The efficient operation of the rail-
roads in support of the government
during the war justifies every act of
the administration during the Pc
Rod"
This testimony is ample refutation
of charges that the railroads were
taken over for political reasons and
that they were operated inefficient
ly. b.. 49,, ....-...:.