The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1939-09-21

+ Ty substitutes 1Or the steel TOduS.
The rush of getting our own troops
and supplies TO Atlantic seaports,
plus the necessity for keeping up
/ that vital flow of supplies TO the
hard-pressed allies. was terrific So
the government took over the rail-
/ roads
Government Control Left
Railroads in Bad Shape
But consider for a moment what
was the chief reason why their TAX
ing over by the government was so
essential. 1t was TO get the roads
out from under government regula-
ton! So long as the roads were in
private hands any collision, any ex-
changing of services, any agree
ments that A would handle this ter
ritory and B that. while c would
handle only through business, would
have been frightful affronts to the
interstate commerce commission. In
fact, such practices would not have
been tolerated for moment.
It never occurred to anyone. of
course. that this could have been
solved by the simple decision by
congress that for the period of the
emergency all restrictions except as
to rates and safety were abrogated.
Yet after the war no one denied
that the only advantage from gov
eminent operation was this short
cireuiting of federal regulation. In
fact, there was terrific rush to get
the roads back into private hands,
and there is little doubt that if the
war had continued much longer the
stupid nefficiency of government
operation would have more than off
set the advantages of removing gov
eminent regulation.
So obvious and true was this,
along about the time the roads were
handed back to their private own
ers-in such bad shape that they
have never fully recovered-that
several ardent government owner
ship advocates moaned that this un-
fortunate experience had put the
cause of government ownership back
for so years. "
Political Significance
OF Mississippi Primary
There is no discountng the effect
of the Mississippi gubernatorial pri-
mary on the possible nomination of
President Roosevelt for a third
term. If the Chief Executive decides
he wants a third term. Victory of
Paul B. Johnson, on a pro-Roose-
welt ticket, and with the support of
Sen. Theodore G. Bilbo, over for
mer Gov Martin S. Conner, who
had the support of Sen. Pat Harri-
son, is highly important in calculat-
ing the stand that the Mississippi
delegation may take at the Demo-
cratic national convention next
June
Bilbo has been an out-and-out
third-termer for Roosevelt. Harri-
son has said little on the subject,
but his plain sympathes have been
with the group of Southern Conserv-
atives including Carter Glass and
Harry Flood Byrd of Virginia, JOSH
ah W. Bailey of North Carolina,
Cotton Ed Ellison d. Smith of
South Carolina, and Walter F.
George of Georgia.
For many years the practice OF
the Mississippi democracy has been
to put both its United States sena-
tors on the delegation il sent to ma
tional conventions. But also for time
out of mind the practice has been
to bind the delegation by the unit
rule. This means that the Is votes
she casts at these party assemblies
must be cast all together, and that
how they are cast is determined by
majority vote.
So while Senator Harrison may be
one Of the delegates, and in fact
probably will be very influential
one, it is also probable now that the
friends of Bilbo and Governor John
son las he will be them will be
able to muster majority of the del
egation. Which means, unless some
thing unforeseen should happen, that
Mississippi's 10 votes will be east
for the denomination of Franklin D.
Roosevelt
Reservations That Must
Be Giuen Consideration
While this is the obvious political
deduction from the primary, espe-
cially in view of Johnson's very
large majority considering the size
of the vote, there are few reserva-
tons. For one thing, it must be reI
membered that HARRISON did not
make any speeches in favor of Con-
ner, and, that despite the know-
edge that Harrison was for him,
many of Harrison's friends have
never forgiven Conner for his race
against Harrison last time Harrison
was reelected 10 the senate. Con-
ner at that time made slurring ref
erences TO the way Pat spent his
time in Washington, giving the inn
preston that he was often on the
links Of the Burning Tree Golf club