Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1924-10-16
FRENCH GIVES
INTERESTING FACTS


agTicu..u addressed a fairly good
audienc5 at the court house Tuesday
evening and those who missed it
missed something really worth while
! The meeting was in charge Of Dell
Christian, chairman Of the Republi-
can county central committee who
first introduced Mr.. Gallagher OF On
tario who was present at the meet
ing and gave very Encouraging re-
port relative TO the Owyhee Irrigation
would seem to be practically a sure
proposition.
Mr.. Means spoke briefly On the
problems concerning the agricultural
interest of the country and the many
accomplishments by the department
which he represents. bringing out
some vital points concerning farming
I interests of the state.
Congressman French discussed the
record OF the Harding-Coolidge ad-
ministraticn briefly and called atten-
; tion to the program Of economy that
in little more than three years has
reduced the expenditures OF the gov
ernment from ss.500, 100000 for the
fiscal year of 1920 and $500. .O00.-
600 for the fiscal year 1921 TO s3,-
l10O,O0O,0OO for the fiscal year that
ended June Both last. Mr.. French
declared that this reduction was the
more remarkable in view of the fact
that it includes nearly one billion
dollars of interest on the national
debt and another half million for the
care Of the soldiers and their de-
pendants of the civil war. the Span
ish-American war and the World
war
Referring to the limiting of arm
aments conference Mr.. French said it
was the greatest achievement of
America for the peace of the world
since the Monroe Doctrine was for
mulated more than one hundred
years ago.
Congressman French discussed at
length the question OF government
ownership OF railroads which SEN
ator La Toilette is urging in his
candidacy for president. Mr.. French
declared that it would bring dis
aster to the agricultural interests OF
the country and especially to the In
termountain states. He said that,
measured by the experience of the
past, it would mean increased freight
and passenger rates and that the
freight rate increases would fall
heaviest upon the farmers of the
country because that which they sell
is heavy commodity and the ma
chinery which they buy requires
heavy freight charges. Mr. French
cited the experience of the govern
ment in railroad management during
the war and pointed out that under
government management the COM
pensation to railroad employees had .
increased from S1739. 100000 in
1917, the last year of private man
agement. to s2,S4S,000.OOO in 1919
under government management and I.
to .6S1,OOO,00O in 1920 the year
in which the government turned
back the railroads to private manage
ment- Mr.. French then pointed out
that in 1921, under private manage
ment. the railroads reduced their ex-
penses for compensation to S2.765,-
100000.
The reasons for the tremendous
increase in expenditures under gov
ernment management are two-fold:
LIST. greatly increased CONDENSATION /
to railway employees: and end. a
tremendous increase in the number
or employees. In 1917 under private
there were 1.732.S76
employees in railroad work while in
1890 the number had been raised to
2,O22.S6S, an increase of approx
mately 100000. This was the wear
the government turned the railroads
back to private management and the
first year thereafter. the year of
1921, private managers reduced the .
number of employees to I.6sO.617. l.
tell you. as one who has served up +,
on the appropriation committee for ,
nearly six years. that in nearly every
instance where have been able to =
expenditures under govern |
ment management of project with {
private management the expenditures !
under government management are ,
vastly higher by comparison" I
Where then shall we look for /
freight reductions? Most Of the re- s
ceipts of the railroads go for the pay t
ment OF employees; employees either I
upon the railroads themselves or $
workmen who are producing coal /
and ties and steel rails and rolling G
stock. I
Again l tell you, the farmer is G