The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1913-08-20
MUTUAL RELATIONS AND INTERESTS
OF THE BELL system AND THE PUBLIC

The suit brought By the Omitted States
question in the purchase of certain
telephone properties in the northwest,
as we'll as the pending Interstate Com
merce Commission telephone investiga-
| tion. have caused many inquiries.
Without taking up anything going to
the merits OF these proceedings, it
has seemed to as proper TO state gen.
orally what has been u policy and
purpose In the conduct of our bust
ness.
We have found. or thought that we
| had, that our interests were best served
| when the public interests were best
served; and we believe that such sue
| cess az we have had mas been because
our business has been conducted on
these lines.
We believe that our company has an
interest as vital as that of the public
in the proper administration of the
problems OF electrical inter communi-
cation. The success and prospect ty of
oar company depend upon a solution
of these problems which shall be sound
from both the standpoint of the com
pany and the public which it serves.
Following our own best Judgment,
supplemented by the best cbtainable
advice we have endeavored TO do what
would best serve the public interest;
wherever possible our plans have been
disclosed to the public in advance.
and what has been done in carrying
them out as been along ordinary
business lines, with the implied. and
generally, with the expressed approx
al, authorization or consent of the
municipal and state authorities dir
ectly interested. Our effort has been
not only to obey the law, hut to
avoid every thing which might even
have the appearance OF an attempt at
evasion.
Our business methods and policy,
and practically all OF the details as
TO the transaction of our business, are
10 atters of common knowledge and are,
and for many years have been, we'll
known 70 the government. We will
willingly furnish the government any
additional information which is In our
possession or under our control, and
will cordially cooperate with il in OBJ
tanning such further information as il
may require. Every possible assist
ance will be given by us to the
courts in the effort TO determine
whether our prlicy is or has been
inimicsl to the public interest. We
desire that anything wrong be cor
rected; we will voluntarily rectify
any wrong that may be pointed ont TO
us; and, Sc far as 1t may be deter
mined that our policy or any act I'M
der it is against the public interest.
Se will promptly conform to such
determination.
We beiieve that if each of our ex-
changes were made an Independent
unit and il each connecting line We're
put under a separate control. the effect
upon the telephone service of the
country would be a condition 50 in
olerable that the public would refuse
to submit to ii aud would immediate
ly require such physical connection
and common control of these various
units as would ~amalgamate them into
n single sys tenn Physical connection
In the case of telephone or telegraph
does not mean transfer of messages
from one line to the other. 1t
such a connection as will permit u
person To have the actual possession
of the particular line or communica-
| tion from one end of il to the other
and this can only be given efficiently
| by exchange systems and connecting
lines under a common control; and
that is what the Bell System is.
In this connection, and for general
f,rmstion, we will restate the policy
" hich controlled the building mp of
the Bell System, and our belief as to
what IA telephone system should be,
and what are its relations to the
public.
We believe in and were the first TO
advocate state or government control
and regulation of public utilities;
that this control or regulation should
be by permanent quasi Judicial bodies.
acting after thorough investigation and
governed by the equities of each case;
and that this control or regulation, be-
yond requiring the greatest efficiency
and economy. should not interfere
with management or operation. We
believe that these bodies, il they are
to be permanent, effective and Of
public benefit, should lie thoroughly
representative; they should be of such
character and should so conduct their
Investigations and deliberations as to
command such respect from both the
public and the corporations that both
will without question accept their con
clusions.
We believe that the public would in
this way get all the advantages and
avoid all the manifest disadvantages of
public ow nership.
We believe that centers of business
and population exist for the convent
ence of the public as q whole. and
th.t no such center can prosper with
ont sufficient and efficient means of To-
tercourse with other centers aud tribu-
tarv territories; that such means can
only be afforded by prosperous utility
and service compar les and that fair
rates are essential to prosperous com
panies We do not bs lieve that any
public either desires or can obtain,