The Elk Mountain pilot., 1911-04-21
FOR RPUBL|CC0NTR0L
VAIL FoR REGULATION A. WELL
A. PUBLICITY.
SAYS BOTH HERE TO STAY
Frank RseosnltIon Of Public Rights
by the President Of Western
Union and Telephone
CompanIes.

Public regulation Of public service
corporations has como to stay. II
ought to have come and It ought to
stay. That IL tho nat and uneQuivocal
assertion OF Theodore N. Vail. presi-
dent of both the American Telephone
and Telegraph company and the
Western Union Telegraph company.
1t came in the form of his annual re-
port to the seventy thousand stock
holders Of the two great corporations.
Although Mr.. Wallis advocacy of full
publicity In connection with the affairs
Of such concerns was we'll under
stood. nobody in financial circles had
anticipated so frank an avowal Of
full public rights in the shaping Of
their general conduct. II came conse-
Quently as . surprise, not only be-
cause Of its novelty and squareness.
but also on account of the unqualified
acquiescence Of a board Of directors
comprising such eminent and conserv-
atiye nnanciers a. Robert Winson of
Kidder. Peabody 4 Co. and Henry L.
Hisginson of Boston. Henry p. Davi-
son Of ]. p. Morgan 4 Co.; Senator
W. Murray Crane. George F. Baer. T.
Jefferson Coolidge Jr.. Norman W.
Harris. John I. Waterbury and others.
President Wallis declaration IL her
aided A. tho hrst recognition by those
in high corporate authority OF the Jus
tice Of the demand that tho public
be regarded as virtual partners in all
matters that pertain to the common
welfare. He goes directly to the
point.
Public control or regulation of
public service corporations by perma-
nent commissions" he says. has
come and come to stay. Control. or
regulation. to be elective means pub
licity: It means semi-public discus
sion and consideration before action:
II means everything which Is the op-
posite Of and Inconsistent with efYec-
tive competition. Competition-aE-
gressive. effective competition-means
strife. industrial warfare: II means
contention: It oftentimes means TAX
ing advantage of or resorting to any
means that the conscience Of the con-
testants or the degree Of the enforce
ment Of the laws will permit.
Aggressive competition means
duplication Of plant and inv9stment.
Tho ultimate object of such tompeti-
ton 10 the possession Of the Geld
wholly or partially: therefore II
means either ultimate combination on
such basis and with such prices ~
will cover past losses. or It means
loss Of return on Investment. and
eventual loss Of capital. However It
results. all costs of aggressive. un-
controlled competition arc eventually
borne. directly or indirectly. BY the
public. Competition which IL not az
gressive. presupposes cooperative &C
ton. understandings, agreements.
which result In general uniformity or
harmony Of action. which. in fact. 10
not competition but 10 combination.
unstable. but for the time effective.
When thoroughly understood It will
be found that control" will give
more Of tho benefits and public ad-
vantages. which are expected to be
obtained through such ownership. and
will obtain them without the public
burden Of either the public ONCE
holder or public debt or operating
deficit.
when through = wise and Judi
cious state control and regulation al
the advantages without any of the
disadvantages of state ownership
are secured. state ownership is
doomed"
IF Mr.. Vail IL right" says Harper's
Weekly. in = concise summins-up.
then It seems pretty plain that We
are entered upon a new era In both
economics and politics. And It is high
time we did II evolution is to sup
plant revolution as an efficient forco
In the development of civilization"