Evening star., 1923-06-03
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.


Just as during the war period, gov
ernment operation of the railroads
of the country was undergoing trial
with close scrutiny by the people, so
during the last three years private
operation has been under observation.
The signs are not lacking to indicate
that during the next session of Con-
gress there will be a tremendous
struggle over the transportation sys-
tenn and the laws relating to it.
1t is significant that Senator Curtis
Of Kansas, republican whip of the
Senate, has just returned to Wash
ington after spending some time in
Kansas with the statement that the
people of Kansas are thinking more
about the railroads and freight rates
than they are about foreign relations.
1t is of great significance that the
progressive group have raised the
war banner against the valuation of
the railroads by the Interstate Com
merce Commission and against the
Esch- Cummins transportation act.
Questions Being Discussed.
People are asking themselves what
have the railroads been doing since
they were returned to private opera
tion in February, 1920? And the
railroad managements themselves,
through the Association of Railway
Executives and other organizations
and institutions, are presenting their
side of the case.
The progressive bloc in Congress
ia fa hlnrl-tha mo no in
in the two being to a considerable
extent identiCal-have announced
they will seek drastic amendments
of the Esch-Cummins transportation
act at the next session. When the
last Congress met in December the
railroad problem was recognized as
of vital Importance, but the leaders
decreed that the time was too short
in which to tacke it, and except for
hearings before the interstate COM
merce committee of the Senate,
nothing was attempted. The word
had gone forth there was on no ac-
count to be special session of the
new Congress, so the whole matter
must go over until the close of 1923.
Not unnaturally the friends of gov
ernment ownership and operation of
the railroads have hailed with glee
the conference of the progressives
on railroad valuation, recently held
in Chicago, and the determination of
that conference to fight the valua
tion as it is being made by the Inter
state Commerce Commission, through
the courts and through Congress.
They look upon it as a step toward
La Toilette Heads Fight.
Senator Robert NJ. La Toilette of
Wisconsin, whose name is carried by
the act. providing for the valuation
of the railroad properties, was chair
man of the conference, and he will
lead in the fight to change the method
of valuation. Representative Hud-
dIeston of Alabama is vice chairman
and Senator Robert L. Owen of Okla
homa is second vice chairman and
former Representative Edward Keat-
ing of Colorado is the third vice
chairman.
What the progressive group objects
to and charges that the Interstate
Commerce Commission has failed to
obey the law in so doing is the
valuing of railroad properties on the
basis largely, of what it would cost
to reproduce those properties today.
1t charges that the commission has
failed to carry out mandatory pro-
visions OF the law providing for the
valuation; that it has not ascertained
the original cost of railroad proper
ties; that it has not ascertained the
amount and value of public donations,
and that it has not reported the meth
DDS whereby it arrives at the values
fixed.
Contention of Progressives.
The contention of the progressive
spokesmen is that if the railroads
were permitted to value their prop
critics for the purpose of rate-making
on the basis of the cost of reproduc-
tion at present prices, the people
would be compelled to pay-through