Evening Star Newspaper, September 18, 1932, Page 4

ROOSEVELT'S TOUR HELD ILL-ADVISED Previous Western Trips That Ended in Failure for Can- didates Recalled. BY WALTER TRUMBULL. @pecial Dispatch to The Star. ] NEW YORK, September 17 (NANA) | —Some political wiseacres, including membcw of his own party, question the wisdom of Gov. Rooseveit's trip to tht coast and back, in which h. will visit| 14 States. Such political journeys in search of votes on the part of a presi- | dential candidate always are uncertain | in their effect and sometimes have ended in disaster. The best known Pacific Coast tours | of this type were taken by Charles Evans Hughes in 1916 and James M. Cox in 1920. Hughes was defeated bl Wilson and Cox by Harding. I1f Gov. Roosevelt is elected he will be the first g:ndldnte to win after such a political p. Woodrow Wilson's election in 1912 was due directly to the split between | Taft and Roosevelt. In 1916 the Re- publican party was again reunited and! Hughes, when he began his Western tour on August 5, looked a highly prob- | able winner. To this day it is con- sidered that he lost the election by that journey. Johnson Snub Fatal. On August 8 Hughes spoke in Chi- cago, August 13 in Spokane and Au-| By the Assoctated Press. SALT LAKE CITY, Septembr 17.— The text of Gov. Roosevelt's speech at Salt Lake City follows: I am having, as I have repeated many times these past few days, & glorious time. Never have I met people more cordial, more interested, more en- thisiastic in their hospitality. To my mind it is no mere personal tribute to me. It is an expression of the hope that peoble hzve that a new deal will mean better and happier days for all of us. This, it seems to me, is what I have learned as I have passed over the westward trail of the pioneer. My visit here in Salt Lake City is, I assure you, one of the brightest spots of a happy trip. As I have viewed the scene 1n this valley, it is easy to see how a dis- tinguished ci~zeu of your State, arriv- ing In this alace 85 years ago, ex- claimed, “This is the place.” Pessimists tell me that for some of the great problems of American life, such as the prices the farmer gets for his products, nothing can be done be- cause these things are locked in the | jaws of an unchangeable economic law. But when I see, as I have seen here, what human beings have done in the work of reclamation and in other at- tempts to change, through the efforts of man and for the benefit of man, It is clear to me that if we can change the conditions of nature that made a place a desert, we ought to have faith in the possibility of chang- sumer more closely together to the benefits of each. gust 18 he landed in San Francisco and trouble. The vital point in ques- | tion between the progressives and lhe‘ old guard Republicans was the indorse- ment of Hiram Johnsen for Governor. | Hughes made a speech in which he E:omlsed neutrality, but two days later | went to Los Angeles, stayed at the ! same hotel with Johnson and failed to | see him. Californians hotly resented this and the State went for Wilson, and | elected him in a close vote. Other States which Hughes lost to Wilson, but which have gone Repub-| lican in every later presidential vote, were Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Mon- tana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Washing- | ton and Utah. These, with California, are nine of the States on Gov. Roose- velt's present schedule. Tthe others are | Oregon, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and ‘Wisconsin. . On September 7. 1916, Frank Hitch- | cock and George Perkins went out to Oyster Bay and persuaded Theodore Roosevelt to take the stump in the West in an effort to undo the mis- chief caused by the Hughes tour, but, | while he consented, it didn't bring California back to the fold. James M. Cox set out on his West- emn vote-ge‘ting tour, in 1920, on Sep- tember 2, zlmost a month later than Hughes started, and 10 days earlier than Gov. Roosevelt. There probably never was a more continuous political | speaker than Gov. CoxX at that time. His trip called for a visit to 22 States. He made, during that campaign, 16 speeches in Ohio alone. He spoke in Pittsburgh into a then new amplifier, supposed to be capable of carrying his voice to a crowd of 150,000 listeners, 1f that many enthusiasts came to listen Gov. Cox talked his way through the country until he reached Portland, Oreg. There he had to pause to have his throat treated. But he was making speeches in San Francisco two days later. He went to Los Angeles, to San Diego, and then started back and spoke in Albuquerque, in Omaha, through Missouri and Kansas. Tt was a noble effort, but Warren G. Harding won the election. Davis Trip Cut Short. John W. Davis, when the Democrats | selected him in 1924 on the 103d ballot to run against Calvin Coolidge, started on a Western tour but never got be- yond such places as Estes Park, Colo., and Cheyenne Wyo. It was rumored that somewherc near those points the campaign funds began to run low. The former Ambassador traveled in a | special Pullman car equipped with sound devices. | Former Gov. Smith, running against Herbert Hoover, in 1928, also started | West. {of these far-flung relationships. Great Tasks Recognized. The tasks we face in the reordering of economic life are great; they call for courage, for determination and what you have abundantly out here—the | hardihood of the pioneer. We still have before us, as had those who set-| tled this great West, battles with hun- ger, battles with human selfishness and, what is more important, the battle with our own spirits, seeking, in the face of discouragement, the means of restora- | tion and relief. As the life of the pioneer came to be more widely extended with the coming of the railroads, the develop- ment of commerce, things that were local came to be national, and things that were national came to be interna- tional. Interdependence is the watch- word of this age. For example, when due to unwise tariff schedules of our National G ernment in Washington, some far-awa nation 1s driven to retaliation, the farm- er in Iowa, Kansas, Colorado or Utah suffers. I need not tell you of the importance The independepce of the Philippines, for example, 5,000 miles away. which our party in its platform heartily advocates, is not without significance to you in your daily life and your future happi- ness. And one of the greatest of these questions of international relationship is that of money, of gold and silver. I am glad o note that the administra- tion in Washington has at last come to | recognize the existence of silver. To move in the direction of considera- tion of this question is thoroughly in accord with the Democratic platform “We favor a sound currency to be pre- served at all hazards and an interna- tional monetary conference called on the invitation of our Govermment to consider the rehabilitation of silver and related questions.” Elements of Question Changed. ‘The elements of this question have chenged profoundly in the past gen- eration. The economists of the world have come to recognize that the prob- lem of money is largely cne of inter- naticnal concern. I propose to speak of this in more detail very shortly, Iining the difference between the plat- forms and policies of the two major parties. I have spoken tcright of the build- ing of the West In this development the railroad, of course, was the dom- inant factor. For 90 years railroads have been the means of tying us all together in national unity. T need not tell you that in this de- On September 19 of that year velopment we have seen great heroism, | the face of nature itself, the complaint | of these pessimists seems a bit absurd. | ing the economic conditions sufficiently | to bring the producer and the con-| out- | be-n invested ip this standard American Industry. Even railroad stocks are held in small units of a few shares here and there by school teachers, doctors, thrifty workmen. Experts in finance know that perhaps 30,000,000 people have a stake. in these great American enterprises. Next, the people who work in the railway systems, either directly on the lines or in the industries which furnish railroad supplies, there are over 1,700,- 000 railroad employes required to handle normal trafic; and to these must be added, in direct interest, hun- dreds of thousands of men who supply coal, forge rails, cut ties, manufacture rolling stock and contribute labor to maintain the systems. Most_numerous of all are the people who ride or ship goods over the steel h}ghwnya. That includes about all of us* en, Difficulty of Roads, Now there is no reason to disgulse | the fact that the rallways as a whole are in serious difficulty, and when so large a part of the American people have a direct cash stake in the situa- tion, I take it that our job is neither to howl about a calamity nor to gloss over the trouble, but patiently and carefully to get to the bottom of the situation, find out why the trouble exists and try to plan for a removal of the basic causes of that trouble. I do not share the opinion which has been aired recently that the railroads have served their purpose and are about to disappear. Capable students of American transportation do not support pointed out, if you tried to carry all railroad freight by motor truck you would have to have a fleet of trucks | which would make a solid line, bumper to bumper, all the way from New York to San Francisco; or, to put it differ- ently, you would have a 10-ton truck | moving every 30 seconds over every mile of improved road in the United States. Let us put it another way. In a upon to transport over thirty million people one thousand miles and to trans- port 440 million tons of freight one thousand miles. No other machine is available to carry that load ‘There is no danger of the railroads | | going out of business. They have a| | great economic place in the scheme of things for a good long time to come. Why, then, the difficulty? In the first place, we did unbalance the system of things. We built—prop- erly—hundreds of thousands of miles of first-rate highways directly paralleling the railway tracks. These we paid out of taxes or bond issues. Today many hundred busses and trucks engaged in interstate commerce use these rights of way for which they have made no investment. You and I, in our annual tax bills, pay for most of the maintenance of the highways and interest charges on their construction. The motor vehicles pay only a small part. Naturally, they can often haul passengers and freight at a lower rate than the railroads. They | can_operate with a relatively smaller | overnead and capital, lower taxes and | lower maintenance costs for their | right of way. Unfairness to Be Avoided. | Also, we, the national Government, | allow them to operate free from many restrictions which would insure safety | to the public and fair working condi- tions for labor. We must not give them any unfair competitive advantages over the rails. We do not desire to put motor | vehicle transportation out of its legiti- mate field of business, for it is a neces- | sary and important part of our trans- | portation systems: but motor trans- | portation should be placed under the | same Federal supervision as railroad transportation. Second, while thus forcing the rail- roads to meet unfair competition we have not only permitted but frequently required them to compete unreasonably with each other. In regulating the railroads we have preserved the policy | that at all times, between princip | points, there must be competing rail | road systems. There is a great deal to be said for | this policy so long as there is traffic enough to support the competing lines. As long as you have that traffic the | competition helps to insure efficiency. But as the railroads have been al- he spoke at Omaha, and then at Okla- | great faith and, unfortunately, also great | Jowed to increase their capacity far homa City, where a big radio hook-up | was_arranged. his brown derby to Mrs. Rathburn, and it probably is still an object of m{ somewhere in Montana. It also was in| Helena that Gov. Smith was adopted by | @ tribe of Indians. He did not go on! to the Coast, but returned by way of ! Butte, and when he got back as far | at stake, were regarded by those same | | and so eliminate some of the present East as Milwaukee, received a reception | which stands high in the history of | ovations. Perhaps Gov. Roosevelt, too, will come back without his hat and as a brother Indian. The modern presidential campaign dates from 1828, whe nAndrew Jackson, the Democratic nominee, went to New Orleans to make a speech and celebrate the anniversary of the battle he won | there in 1815. From the time of Jack- | son the political cartoon also dates, together with such nickrames as “Old | Hickory” and such slogans as “To the | Victor belongs the spoils.” Blaine Makes Trip West. William Henry Harrison also waged & colorful campaign in 1840, but the first_real political Western trip by a candidate was made by James G. Blaine when he ran against Grover Cleveland in 1884. This trip was started when, on September 21, he went West as far as Newark and he never did ge! | further toward the setting sun than| ©Ohio. | California was not admitted to the Union until 1850, Oregon in 1859 and Washington in 1889, so old-time candi- dates didn't worry unduly about the Pacific Coast. They were concerned with carrying the East and South. Stephen A. Douglas did some extensive campaigning when he ran against Abra- ham Lincoln in 1860. He spoke at Hart- ford, Troy, Boston, Concord, Burling- ton, Bangor, Rocky Point, Syracuse, Lexington, Petersburg, Rochester, Nor- folk and New Orleans. Lincoln came twice to New York to speak at gather- ings with Hamlin, who was running for Vice President. James A. Garfield, in 1880, spoke mostly at soldiers’ reunions, addressing the Army of the Cumberland, the 42d Ohio and other military bedies. Wil- liam Jennings Bryan was a prolific campaigner. When, in 1896, he was nominated to run against William Me- Kinley, because of his refusal to permit the working man to suffer the cross of gold and the crown of thorns, he made an Eastern and Scuthern tour and wound up his speech-making in the, Middle West. In 1900 Bryan again ran against McKinley and his speech-making included Missouri, Kansas, Ohio, Illi- nols, Nebraska, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, West Virginia and Delaware. According to past history, these vote- getting trips usually have been taken by the laser. Gov. Roosevelt hopes to ‘be the exception. (Copyright. 1932. by North fmerican News- paper Allfance, — GOVERNORS TO BE ASKED North Dakota Plans Capitol Cor- ner Stone Laying October 8. BISMARCOR, N. Dak. Septem injustice. = When the railroad first In Helena, he tossed |stretched cut across the plains and into | competition have become more Now we face the | those mountains and valleys, it was re- garded as a miracle, challenging the imagination of the people. Later there came an age when the railroads. con- trolled by men who unfortunately did not recognize the large public interest people as an octopus, crushing out their life and sapping their substance. But that day has passed. The rail- road is becoming a servant of the peo- ple, largely owned by the people them- selves. It is this new relationship of the railroad that should guide our con- sideration of its problems. The railroad that was first a miracle, next a sinister threat, has now become a part of our national economic life. We are now concerned about their preservation. The problem of the railroads is the problem of each and every one of us. No single economic activity enters into the Iife of every individual as much as do these great carriers. It is well to pause a moment and examine the extent of that interest. As I have done before in other mat- ters, I want to think the issue through in terms of individual men and women. A “railroad” indirectly affects every one within its vast territory. Directly it affects three great groups. Roads Owned by People. First, its owners. These are not, as too many suppose, great railway mag- nates sitting in luxurious offices and clubs. They are the people through- out the country who have a savings bank account, or an insurance policy, ing account. Figures, though they may be dull, nevertheless do talk. There are more than eleven billions of railroad bonds outstanding—about half as many, in fact, as there are United States Government obligations. Nearly five billions are owned by savings banks and insurance companies—which means that they are owned by the mil- lions of policyholders and savings bank depositors. ‘When you put money in the bank or pay that insurance premium, you are buying an interest in the railroads. Some two billions more are held by churches, hospitals, charitable organiza- tions, colleges and_similar institutions as endowments. The remaining bonds are scattered far and wide among & or, in some measure, an ordinary check- | host of people whose life savings have | | beyond traffic needs, the wastes oé an | more insupportable. | issues: Shall we permit them—in fact, | force them—to bankrupt each other. or shall we permit them to consolidate and so to economize through reducing unprofitable services? shall we permit them to divide traffic | wastes? No solution is entirely attractive, be- cause we have the problem of an over- built plant, or partially ‘unemployed capital, a_problem similar in its diffi- culty to that of unemployed labor. But a definite sound public policy actually carried out will hasten improvement. | " Unnecessary Duplication. | Third, we can cut out some expen- sive deadwood in the shape of unneces- sary or duplicated facilities. The pub- lic generally does not realize that 30 per cent of railroad mileage carries only 2 per cent of the freight and passenger traffic. This does not mean | that all this mileage can be or ought | to be scrapped. But it does suggest that a considerable amount of judicious | pruning gradually can be done without public detriment. Finally, there has been entirely too much maneuyering for position among the railroads themselves in the past 10 years. We have had an epidemic of railroad holding companies whose finan- | clal operations were, to say the least, | not generally beneficial to the orderly development_ of transportation. They were financial comets, free to rove through the system, spending other people’s money in financial gambles and in acquiring side enterprises out- side of the direct sphere of railroad- ing. A great deal of money has been | lost, and a good 1dul of damage done, | by these companies. All that I have said should indicate that one chief cause of the present railroad problem has been that typi- cal cause of many of our problems—the entire absence of any national planning for the continuance and operation of this absolutely vital national utility. The individual railroads should be regarded as parts of a national trans- portation service. This does not mean all should be under one management. Indeed, the principal doubt of the effi- ciency of consolidations has been caused by the repeated demonstration that & great railroad is made by good execu- tives, and experience has shown that Jacksonville ... Palm Beach. ber 17 (&) —Governors of every State in the Union will be invited to attend cere- monies for laying the corner stone of North Dakota’s new Capitol Building October 8, a_committee appointed by Gov. George F. Shafer decided yester- day. ‘The committee also plans to ask the ers of Canadian provinces adjoin- . ing North Dakota and all constitutional rs of adjoining States. Vice Presi- ‘ym Charles. Curtis has .ac an e ion to be the principal ‘speaker, UND- .00 .00 .00 36.50 36.50 1,65 38, 29. 3 BAGGAGE TERB! CHECKED ot 0 Phone: NAtional 0637 or Union Station SEABOARD BACK-HOME EXCURSION FARES SOUTH Sept. 30th and Oct. 1st 21-DAY LIMIT ROUND-TRIP FARES TO PRINCIPAL POIN’ $29. At .$21.00 TS New Orleans supegnl 812323 ogA ALLOWED AIR LINE RAILWAY that view. As Prof. Ripley of Harvard | normal year our railroads are called | In other words, | the m over which one manager can be effective is limited to a small railroad should have a recogni: of operation and a definite part to play in the entire national scheme of trans- portation. It is necessary that each rail service should fit into and be co- ordinated with other rail services, and with other forms of transportation. Let it be noted that our postal service uses every varlety of transport: Rall, automobile, steamship and airplane; but it controls few of these vehicles. We might well approach the rallroad problem from a similar point of view— survey all our national transportation needs—determine the most efficient, economical means of distribution and substitute a national policy for national lack of planning and encourage that growth and expansion most healthful to the general welfare. Wisdom of the Many. In common counsel and common pur- poses we shall find the corrective of a | present unhappy tendency to look for dictators. The wisdom of many men may save us from the errors of sup-| posed supermen. To those who may shrink from any suggestion of a more vigorous and coherent public program, I venture to point out that it has not been the existence but the lack of a public policy which has caused just criticism of rail- road regulation. The definite programs of the past— to stop rate wars, to prevent rebates and discriminations, to improve safety | —these have all produced great public | benefits and have saved the railroads from themselves. But in the post-war | era of political drift and private mastery | we have too often fumbled rather than | grappled with railroad problems. | I do not share the view that Gov- | | ernment regulation per se is responsible for any great amount of the present difficulties. Had this been true, we | should have known it long before the | depression came. In the words of one of the railway | presidents: “There is no question what- | ever that the regulation of the ral roads of the country has been in the | public interest.” Regulation, in fact, has protected investors as well as patrons and I think no enlightened one would care to go back to the old days when unregulated railroad opera- | tion landed one-third of the railroad mileage in receivership. | When the depression came, with its| great loss of tonnage, the combined effect of uneconomic competition. un- | productive and overextended mileage, | imprudent financial adventures and fre- | quently 1l1-advised management resulted iln a_situation where many railroads literally were unable to earn their in- terest charges. | _The Government then, through the | Reconstruction Finance Corporation. undertook to tide over the emergency | by freely lending money to the rail- |roads, with a view to keeping them | ‘fiflmt. | Policy in Broader Sense. | | e glad to approve this policy— as an emergency measure—though I do not go along with many of the methods As far as it goes, the policy—and I | speak in the broader sense—is good | We had far too great a stake in the | situation to allow a general smash-up. 1f elected, I shall continue the policy of trying to prevent receiverships. But | T do not believe that is more than a stop-gap. Lending money is all right if—and only if—you put your bor- rower in a position so that he can pay you back. The criticism is, T think well founded |that the Government did not fallow | through with a well considered program |of putting the railroads back on their |feet. And certainly when the rail- roads applied to the Government for | cash. the Government was entitled to make at least the kind of requirement which a private banker would make under similar circumstances to protect his interest. e Government in lend- ing public money is entitled and should make sure to protect the public in- | terest. | " Further, where mere loans cannot | clean up 'the situation, the necessary | readjustments ought to be provided as a part of the plan of lending. In its | railroad relief, as elsewhere, the Re- | publican administration bas lent money | not in accordance with a plan for re- |leving fundamental difficulties, but only with the hope that within a year or so the depression would end—a | policy I have criticized elsewhere, and shall continue to criticize. | Facing the facts squarely, we may | as well realize first rather than last, the fundamental issues. Railroad securities in general must not be allowed to drift into default. The damage done to savings banks, insur- ance companies and fiduciary institu- tions generally would be too great. But,_ let me make it clear that the extension of Government credit will be largely wasted unless with it there are | adopted the constructive measures re- quired to clean house. In individual railroads these turn on the financial | conditions peculiar to each case. In certain situations, where fixed charges | impose an unsound overstrain, they | must be reduced. Sounder Financial Structure. In general, corrective measures must | be adopted making for a sounder finan- | clal structure along the lines I Dow propose to set out. Unless the under- lying conditions are recognized, we are wasting our time and our money. Concretely, I advocate: First. That the Government annouce its intention to stand back of the rail- roads for a specified period; its help being definitely conditioned upon mc- ccptance by the railroads of such re- quirements as may in individual cases be found necessary to readjust top- heavy financial structures through a ?mpmu scaling down of fixed charges. propose the preliminary development of a national transportation policy with the aid of legislative and administra- tive officials and representatives of all interests most deeply concerned with the welfare and service of the railroads, including investors, labors, shippers and passengers. I propose that in the ap- plication of this policy to the railroads the Reconstruction Finance Corpora- Established 35 Years Genuine Toric Glasses Far or Near Complete With Shell or Metal Frame Invisible Bif and Tuesday........... KAHN 617 day First and best quality. Toric Kryptok Bifocal Lenses (one pair to see near and far). Best lenses made. Sold regu- larly $15. Special price Mon- tion, working with the Interstate Com- merce Commission, share the work of planning the reorganization or read- justment, for the protection of public investments and those of innocent se- curity holders. :And I also propose that when such plans have been worked out, the same agencies shall indicate a specified pe- riod of suppért to see the railroac through, in the carrying out of these plans, Second. To ald in the rehabilita- tion of roads unable to meet the present unprecedented strain or that may suc- cumb to past or future mismanagement, I propose a thorough overhauling of the Federal laws affecting railroad receiver- ships and indeed of all kinds of public vtility feceiverships. As they now stand, they suggest Mr. Dooley’s famous dic- tum that they are arranged so that every member of the bar may get his fair share of the assets. There is ur- gent need to eliminate a multiplicity of court actions, a maze of judicial steps, a long period of business chaos and a staggering expense allowed to | lawyers, receivers, committees and so forth. Included in this revised pro- cedure should be a provision by which the interests of security holders and creditors shall be more thoroughly pro- tected at all points—against irresponsi- ble or self-interested reorganization managers. ‘Third. I advocate the regulation by the Interstate Commerce Commission of competing motor carriers. ‘Where rai] service should be supple- mented with motor service to promote the public nterest, the railrosds should be permitted in this manner to extend their transportation facilities. Indeed, they shpuld be encouraged to modernize and adapt their plant to the new needs of & chanz\n;bewor]d. Fourth. I belleve the policy of en- forced competition between railroads can be carried to unnecessary lengths. For example, the Interstate Commerce Commission should be relieved of re- | quiring competition where traffic is in- sufficient to support competing lines, recognizing, of course, the clear and | absolute responsibility for protecting the public against any abuses of monopo- listic power. Likewise, I believe the elimination of non-paying mileage should be encouraged wherever the tranéportation needs of the community amt'cbed can be otherwise adequately met. ‘Would Press Consolidations. Fifth. Proposed consolidations of rail- roads, which are lawful and in the pub- lic interest, should be pressed to a con- clusion. At the same time the provi- sions of the law should be revived in line with the policies here proposed, and with repeated suggestions of the Inter- state Commerce Commission and of representatives of shippers, carriers and their employes, to insure further pro- tection of public and private interests involved. There should be clearer defi- nitions.of the objects, powers and duties of the commission in promoting and | safeguarding all the interrelated par- ticular interests comprehended within the public interest. Those who have in- vested their money or thelr lives in the service of railroads. those who are de- pendent on its service to buy or to sell goods, those who rely upon it for the preservation of commaunities into which they have built their lives—all have vital interests which must be further safeguarded All the appropriate agencles of the Federal and State Governments should have a part in a national effort to im- prove the health of these great arteries of commerce. Sixth, So-called “railroad holding companies” should be definitely put un- der the regulation and control of the Interstate Commerce Commission in like manner as railroads themselves. We eannot let our fundamental pol- icies be blocked by scrcens of corporate complexities. Finally, we must realize that Govern- ment encouragement and co-operation, more than mere restriction and repres- sion, will produce lasting improvement in transpcrtation conditions. The econ- omy and efficiency of railroad opera- tions will depend upon the capacity of railroad management and its freedom from undue burdens and restraints when this is balanced by acceptance of public_responsibilities. It will also de- pend in large measure upon the com- petence and morale of railroad emploves —perhaps the largest body of skilled workers functioning as a unit in our industrial life. Transportation is not a mechanized service. It is a service of human beings whose lives are worthy of even more intelligent care than that necessary to preserve the physical mechanisms which they operate, and it is clear to me that all the men and women who are em- ployed in our great transportation sys- tems are entitled to the highest p sible wages that the industry can af- ford to pay. Every great economic interest in the Nation requires the continuous, efficient operation of the raflroads. The prod- ucts of our farms, mines and forest flow into the markets. The fabricated products of our manufactures flow back to these primary producers along the | steel highways. Costs Must Be Paid. We must pay the fair cost of this transportation, which is in truth a tiny fraction of the selling price of com- modities. But we cannot burden our producers or restrict their markets by excessive costs of transportation. So the constant improvement in the economy and efficiency of transportation is a matter of ever-present national concern. Under stimulus of good times and under pressure of hard times much has been decne in the way of this im- provement. More can be done. As a soundly devised public policy reaches its fruition, railway security owners may expect greater certainty of fair but not excessive return; the pub- lic may reasonably expect lower rates; labor may reasonably anticipate secur- ity in properly compensated work. I do not favor any Government ac- tion which will relieve railway manage- ments from performing their responsi- bilities. After all, it is well to observe that the actual railway operators are not the owners of the railroads, nor the KAHN on 7th St. S pecials M onday and Tuesday 35 Years Complete Outfit, With Case and Cleaner Included Genuine Toric KRYPTOK ocal Lenses 7 50 OPTICAL CO. Seventh St. N.W. " Between F and G Sireets ROOSEVELT OFFERS TFOLD RAIL PLAN U. S. Should Aid Carriers in Working Out Policy, He Says in Utah, (Continued From First Page.) State Chairman T. A. Walters of Cald- well, Idaho; State Chairman Delbert M. Dnger of Utah; Orman W. Ewing, Utah national committeeman, and Fred Johnson of Rock , Wyo. Leaves in Afternoon. ‘The Governor will remain here until tomorrow afternoon, when he will en- train for Pocatello, Idaho; Butte, Mont., | and the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Roosevelt'’s hotel suite here was occupied by President Woodrow Wilson during his League of Nations' speaking tour in 1919, In selecting Salt Lake City for one of his major addresses of the cam- paign, Mr. Roosevelt chose one of the raiiroad crossroads of the West. ‘The speech was the second major declaration of the present 8900-mile swing through the West. The other presidential aspirant outlined his ideas on farm re- lief. He make two other major talks during the trip, which will end on October 3, when he returns to Albany. They will be at Portland, | Oreg., and Sloux City, Jowa. The Port- land address will de with public | utilitles and the Iowa speech will take | up further the tariff and agriculture. | Seven Rail Proposals. Of his railroad policy, Mr. Roosevelt | tonight said: | “I propose that in the application of | this policy to the railroads the Recon- struction Finance Corporation, working major users of railway services and to- | day they only command access to capi- tal on the basis of their ability to pro- tect capital. i Their position now depends, as it| ought to depend, on their being able | to do their job well. We are entitied | to demand, and I think they would be | the first to concede, that they give a| mansgement which is sound, enconomic and skillful; that they do not use their positions as financial stewards to| further personal desires for gain for they | are, in reality, public servants; entitled | to every assistance from the Govern- | ment—but_held to high standards of | accountability. The next situation today is that most | of our raflroads throughout the Nation | Ment are failing month by month to earn the fixed charges on_ their existing debts. Continuance of this failure spells only | one thing—bankruptcy. Here is the difference in & few words | | between the policies of the President of | the United States and policies which I propose. | He suggests only the extension of | further credits to the rallroads—thus obviously increasing their debt and in- | creasing their fixed charges. His policy may put off the evil day for a short pericd but, standing alone, it makes the day of reckoning more tragic for the Natlon. My policy goes to the root of the difficulty. While I would do everything | possible to avert receiverships which now threaten us, I seek to bring the operating balance sheets of the ra.lroads out of the red and put thcm into the black. In other words I want the railroads to stand on their own feet, ultimately to reduce their debts instead of increasing them and thereby save not only a great national investment, but also the safety of employment of nearly two miilion American railway workers. I make the point clear that the main- tenance of their standard of living is a vital concern of the national Govern: ment. In the great task of reordering the dislocated American economics, we must constantly strive for three ends: Efi- clency of service, safety of financial | structure and permanence of employ- | ment. The railroad mesh is the warp on which our economic web is largely fashioned. It has made a continent into a Nation. | like Eu- rope, into amall, clashing units. It made possible the rise of the West. It is our service of supply. These are not matters of private concern; they have no place in the excesses of speculation, nor can they be allowed to become springboards of financial ambition. Such readjustments as must be made | should be so made that they will not have to be done again; and the system | must become, as it should be, secure, serviceable, national. This is the tion policy of the Democratic party. The problem today is new in form, but old in content, and principles have not changed. Avoid financial excesses; adjust plant to traffic; co-ordinate all carrier serv- ice; above all, serve the public reason- ably, swiftly and well. This is the road to economic safety. with the Interstate mission, the work m on or readjustment for | on of public investments and those of innocent security holders. 1 “And I also propose that when such plans have been worked out, the same shall indicate & definite period of support to see the railroads through | in the carrying out of these plans.” | The other proposals of the New York Governor were: | A thorough overhauling of the Fed- eral laws “affecting railroad receiver-| ships and indeed of all kinds of pub- lic utility receiverships,” to aid in re-| habilitating rosds unable to withstand the present strain or that might suc- cumb to mismanagement. Regulation by the Interstate Com- | merce on of competing motor carriers, railroads to be allowed to sup- plement their transportation facilities with Slndor service where it will pro- mote the public interest. Relleve the Interstate Commerce Commission of requiring competition where tr2ffic is insufficient to support ompeting lines; encourage the elim- | ination of non-paying mileage. Would Press Mergers. Press to a conclusion proposed con- solidations of railroads that are lawful and in the public interest; more clear- ly define the objects, powers and duties | of the Interstate Commerce Commis- | sion n promoting and safeguarding all | the interrelated particular interests | comprehended within the public in- Bubject railroad holding companies to the regulation and control of the In- terstate Commerce Commission, “And 1t is clear to me that all the men and women who are employed of! our great transportation systems are entitled to the highest possible wages that the industry cen afford to pay,” was the way he concluded the outline of his seventh point. “Here is the difference in a few words between the policies of the Presi- dent of the United States and policles which I propose,” he continued. | “He suggests only the extension of further credits to the railroads—thus obviously increasing their fixed charges. His policy may put off the evil day for | a short period, but, standing alone, it makes the day of reckoning more tragic for the Nation. “My policy goes to the root of the difficulty. While I would do everything possible to avert receiverships which now threaten us, I seek to bring the balance sheets of the railroads out of the red and put them into the black. In other words, I want the railroads to stand on their own feet, ultimately to reduce their debts instead of increas- ing them, and thereby save not only a great national investment, but also the safety of employment of nearly 2.000,- 000 American railway workers. Three Ends Cited. “In the great task of recording the lislocated American economics we must constantly strive for three ends: ESff clency of service, safety of financ structure and permanence of employ- Commerce Com- of planning Before beginning his discussion of the railroad gquestion, the Democratic candidate told the crowd, gathered in the silver-producing country, that th Democratic platform favored the call ing of an international monetary con- ference to consider the rehabilitation of silver and related questions. He added that he planned to speak of the money problem in a later speech The New York Governor said the owners of the railroads were nli, “as 100 many suppose, great railway mag- nates sitting in luxurious offices and clubs,” but “the people throughout the country who have a savings benk ac- count, or an insurance policy or in some measure an ordinary checking account.” Of the more than eleven billions of railroad bonds he said were outstand- ing, the candidate asserted nearly five | billions were owned by savings banks and insurance companies, two billions more by churches, hospitals, charitabl organizations, colleges and similar in- | stitutions and the remainder in the hands of persons “whose life savings have been ln\esud. in this standard | American industry Mr. Roosevelt said he did not share the opinion of those who believed the railroad was about to disappear. be- cause he considered there was no other machine available to carry the load of freight transported by the rail- roads. Discusses Bus and Truck. One of the things which helped to unbalance the system, he sald, was |the construction of highway systems | | upon which busses and trucks operated without the necessity of investing in their upkeep. “Also,” he added, “we, the National Government, allow them to operate free from many restrictions which would insure safety to the public and fair working conditions for labor. We must not give them any unfair competitive advantages over the rails.” L ey “It is necessary that each rail service should fit into and be co-ordinated with | other rail services and with other forms of transportation,” he said, after at- tributing a part of the present difficul- | ties to the unreasonable competition he asserted had existed between railroads at the same time that they were com- peting with busses and trucks. | Mr. Roosevelt said he approved of | the policy of the reconstruction cor- poration, but “I do not go along with | many of the methods. “Lending money is all right if—and only if—you put your borrower in a |w LAFAYETTE HONGR PLANNEDBYD.AR Wreath to Be Placed at Statue in Park Tomorrow Morning. National officers and members of the Washington Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will place reath at 11 ar. tomorrow at the > the statue of Gen. Lafayette in Lafayette Park. This ceremony will precede one. to be held during October in Paris, in hich the 133 French soldters who were killed assisting Colonial troops at the Battle of Yorktown will be honored. Mrs. David B. Caldwell of this city, vice president general of the D. A. R and chairman of the Committee on Ar- rangements for the Paris ceremony, will take part in the laying of the wreath Mrs. James T. Morris, leader of the Paris pilgrimage, of Minneapolis and this city, will also take part. Mrs. Morris, who is also chairman of the D. A.R. Yorktown Committee, spent |15 years in research to discover the names of the Americans 133 Frenchmen and 209 fell at Yorktown A tablet bearing these rames was placed on the battlefield last year. A similar bearing the names of the French- Il be placed in the D. A. R 3 Hall in Paris nan ever appointed to n by the War De- George M. Grimes. vice State of the District of Columbia D. A R, will act as the District of Co- lumbia representative for the Paris pilgrimage osition so that he can pay you back,” p hy nt delegations to visit Mr. ay represented the American Mining Congress. It was headed by A. G. Mackenzie, chairman of the Utah chapter. Silver Plea Presented. st for adequate metals tariffs remonetization of silver was Mackenzie told Mr. Roosevelt E n up here repri in m e lead a nd zinc, in said “The present high price of gold, as compared with the prices of commodi ties and services, makes$it impossi ors equitably to meet their ob- lig: n te f gold. and seriously impedes the world's industrial and trade ased use of ld as the monetary base. We do not advocate bi: metalism in the sense that implies free coinage of silver at the fixed ratio to gold, but instead such additional util- ization of silver as will broaden and fortify the metallic money base and so increase and stabilize the price of sil- ver as to reduce the high rate of ex- change which adversely affects our commerce with those countries that do not and cannot employ gold as their monetary base. “We believe the question is a proper 1 international consideration cipal countries of the world lieve further that it should be considered on broad economic greunds as a matter of concern to the people of all countries. We particularly do not request consideration of it in behalf of the silver mining industry or otherwise than solely on its economic t. We recommend a thorough, te and fair study of the facts, rced from the prejudiced convic- tions of those whose interests commit them to the advocacy of a single metal for use as a monetary medium.” LAND RIGHT UPHELD CALEXICO, Calif, September 17 (#.—The right of the Colorado River Land Co. to possession of 50.000 acres of improved land south of the inter- national boundary was upheld in a de- cision returned vesterday by Judge Jose L r of ico. The Me department of agricul- ture had sought claim to the land on the ground that it formerly belonged to the Cocopah Indians. The company presented titles extending back a quas- ter of a century. 7Crape' Mir'tlé" Blooming. ean be moved MARYLAND NURSERY. Edmonston « Hyattsville) TAXES! —won’t seem so big if you pay by our monthly deposit plan The lump-sum expense which taxes im- pose need cause you mno worry, even though you may not have the necessary funds to meet your assessments. Morris Plan was established to give help- ful financial assistance in just such eme; the cies. orris Plan for a loan under terms You can_arrange through that will enable you to pay your taxes just the same as you now pay your rent. ou can thus cancel your tax indebted- ness through a convenient process of monthly deposits. When you obtain a loan for the purpose of paying your taxes or for any other reason you will have an entire year for repayment. Loans may be made from 6 Morris Plan Bank with character earning power as the principal basis ‘and for credit extension. MORRIS PLAN BANK Under Supervision U. S. Treasury 1408 H St. N.W,