White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1913-09-21

- a
nan Is a man who is helping to build
a state not merely a politician who
Is dead, as Thomas Bracket Reed
ayerred.
we had better fight the Mexican
tnan t fight Big Business. But there
Is no need OF fighting either.
Fighting Big Business is fighting
ourselves. Big Business is simply
made up of a vast number of common
people, working for a common end
and purpose.
Big business has grown up out of
the needs of the times.
That the government should ever
have held an unfriendly attitude to-
ward its men of enterprise-its cred
itors and builders-is most lament
able.
Germany, the most prosperous
country on the globe, encourages and
co-operates with Big Business.
Economic genius is too rare and
fine to tout. No country can afford
10 pillory its men who maintain pay
rolls, any more than 1t can afford to
destroy its thinkers, scientists. poets
and Philosophers nations have
done in the past.
Zig Business IA render a service
for the people. benefit them, accom-
modate them, in a way that little
business cant.
And the big point just here Is that
Washington is at last beginning to
see II.
The idea of government control of
public utilities is no new thing. But
so far as | know, the proposition has
always been put out by the opposi-
ton.
When a man who is at the head of
the most wide-reaching public SER
vice In America makes a suggestion
of Federal supervision il comes as a
surprise and an innovation.
The statement by the president of
the American Telephone and Tele-
graph company. published as an ad-
vertisement in the principal news
papers of the country. was SO free
from flourish. so frank. simple, direct
and unpretentious, that | doubt yet
whether the general public has
awakened to its far-reaching benefi-
cent influence.
As a people we are suspicious. If
a man really wanted to deceive hu-
manity he could not do it better than
by telling them the truth.
Mr.. Vail has made Washington
think about it,"
The government of the United
States owns the post office system.
The post office system is a monopoly
fixed by law. No n is allowed to
20 into the business of carrying let
ters and delivering them in eompe-
tltion with Uncle Sam.
In fact no one could do so ueeess
fully.
They might. however. start letter
carrying companies in various cities,
and thus set up a local competition,
or. If you prefer. a local irritation.
The public would then have a du-
~plicate system. two sets of post Of
fees. two sets of mail carriers, and
rival mail boxes on each corner bid
ding for patronage.
The little concern, however, no
matter how worthy its intentions
could only serve the people in its i'm
mediate vicinity. All letters going
any distance would have TO be trans
ferred to Uncle Sam.
However. for the good OF all the
people. Uncle Sam has seen nj 10
~monopolize the business. That this
,s done for selfish reasons on the part
of certain men is unthinkable.
I u
The last paragraph in Mr.. vars
statement is a surprising one. 1t Is
| this, "A majority of the sharehold-
ers are women.
Mr.. Vail might have added tha'
, majority of the employees OF the
American Telephone and Telegraph
eompany are women; that the largest
individual shareholder is a woman
ara that most Of the people VINO use
the telephone are women.
The question is; Shall TINS ne'eS,
atty of our lives continue to be owned
and controlled by private interests
Mr.. Vail says the time has come
uhen the means of quick communlea-
ton should be controlled by the gov
eminent (and the government Is the
%neople.) just as our waterways are
controlled by the government.
And Washington sits up and cd
serves.