Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1911-04-13
FOR PUBLIC CONTROL
VAIL FOR REGULATION AS WELL
AS PUBLICITY.
SAYS BOTH HERE TO STAY
Frank Recognition Of Public Rights
by the President OF Western
Union and Telephone
Companies.

Public regulation OF public service
corporations has come TO stay II
ought to have come and 1t ought to
stay. That is the fiat 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 genera. conduct. 1t came conse-
quently as surprise. not only be-
cause OF its novelty and squareness.
but also on account of the unqualified
acquiescence OF board of directors
comprising such eminent and conserv-
alive financiers as Robert Winson OF
Kidder, Peabody & Co.. and Henry l..
Higginson OF Boston, Henry p. Davi-
son OF j. p. Morgan & Co.; Senator
w. Murray Crane. George F. Baer. t.
Jefferson Coolidge Jr., Norman w.
Harris, John l. Waterbury and others.
President Wallis declaration is her
aided as the first recognition by those
in high corporate authority OF the JUS
! tice Of the demand that the 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 effective means pub
licity; ii means semi-public discus
sion and consideration before action;
1t means everything which is the OPP
posite of and inconsistent with effec-
tive competition. Compet;tion-ag-
gressive effective ompetition-means
strife, industrial warfare; it means
contentious; ii oftentimes means TAX
ing advantage of or resorting to any
means that the conscience of the con
|
ment OF the laws will permit.
Aggressive competition means
duplication OF plant and investment
The ultimate object of such competi
ton is the possession OF the field
wholly or partially; therefore II
means either ultimate combination on
such basis and with such prices as
-
loss of return on investment. and
eventual loss of capital. However II
results, all costs OF aggressive, I'M
controlled competition are eventually
borne, directly or indirectly, by the
public. Competition which is not ag
gressive. presupposes cooperative &C
ton, understandings. agreements
which result in general uniformity Of
harmony of action. which, in fact, IL
not competition but is combination
unstable, but for the time effective
When thoroughly understood 1t will
be found that control" will Civ,
more of the benefits and public ad
vantages. which are expected to b,
obtained through such ownership, ans
will obtain them without the publ,
burden OF either the public Office
holder or public debt or operating
deficit.
When through wise and judi
cious state control and regulation a.
the advantages without any OF til,
disadvantages OF state ownership
are secured. state ownership Il
doomed"
: IF Mr.. Vail is right" says Harper
; Weekly, in a concise summing-up
then II seems pretty plain that WI
are entered upon a new era in bot.
2 economics and politics And it is higl
time we did II evolution is to SUP
plant revolution as an efficient fore
in the development of civilization"