The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1913-10-21

member of the Taft administration.
Followers of newspaper opinion are
familiar with the arguments pro and
con. But the rumors of the Wilson
administration intentions in this d.
rection have provoked pointed sugges-
tons from it's opponents to the effect
that, whatever merit the abstract pro-
position may have, the program as
while the present is no time for it's
consideration. So far, it should be
said, only its opponents have been
heard from. The Dallas News (Dem)
has no objection to government owner
ship of telegraphs, but finds the report
that the President will thrust this
question upon congress next winter
altogether incredible" since Ibis
heaviest task now is to hold his party
together, and it is hardly compli-
ment to his sense OF eXpedience to sup
pose that he would, just now, toss an
apple of discord into the ranks of men
who need but little provocation to set
them into fighting one another Then,
too, it occurs to the New York Times
tInd) that "if the wirelesssis as sue
cessful as its pioneers hope" the gov
ernment's requirement Of wire COM
munications would be backing the
wrong horse" And with the same
thought in mind, The Wall Street
Journal eXclaims: Great idea to
spend hundreds Of millions Of the pub
lie money expropriating telegraph
wires which may be obsolete in ten
years with the development OF wire
less" The reports from Washington
say that the government contemplates
the eventual acquisition of the tele-
graphs through the control OF long
distance telephones. AS the New York
Press sums up the chief points of the
rumored program as given in the dis
patches:
IF the parcel post could be made a
success as government operation, a
government telegraph service could be
made an equal success.
III the telegraph corporations will
not be reasonable in giving them
selves over to the government, then
the government, through control and
operation of the telephone systems.
can harry the telegraph companies in
to meek surrender.
while it would be an enormous eX-
pense to buy the telegraph compan-
les as business proposition, if the
American systems could be had at
bargain rates-forced by competitive
attacks OF telephone systems controll-
ed by the recommendation it would
be as good business for the govern
ment to be in as the parcel post has
proved to be-"
1t seems extremely doubtful to the
Savannah News (Dem) that there
can be anything in the story chat the
government aims to get the telegraph
lines by such a method" And a num-
Der of editors and Washington cor
respondents note that this report has
been left without official confirma
ton, so that they look upon it as at
most "a feeler." The administration,
concludes the Savannah paper, MAY
contemplate governemnt ownership
OF the lines, but if it does it will ac-
quire them in a way that wouldn't be
open to criticism.
The telegraph lines are owned by
many thousands of people. It would
be unjust to render their property
worthless in order to get possession of
1T. When all the facts are known, it
doubtless will appear that if the ad-
ministration is planning government
| ownership of the telegraph lines it's
plan includes, the buying of the lines
at fair price"
Long arguments against the "delu-
sive promises" of government owner
ship of wire appear in the New York
Journal of Commerce and Times
Brooklyn Eagle Gnd. Dem Philadel-
phia Public Ledger (Ind.), and Balti-
more American (Rep) The New York
Press (Prog.) takes less extreme
ground 1t recognizes the strength OF
the arguments for public ownership
OF the means of communication by
wire, saying:
IF it were necessary, for example,