Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-09-03

The suit brought by the United !
States questioning the purchase of GER
tain telephone properties in the north |
west, as we'll as the pending Interstate !
Commerce Commission telephone in
vestigation, have caused many inquir- /
les. Without taking up anything going |
to the merits Of these proceedings, it !
has seemed proper to us to state gener- |
ally what has been our policy and pur-
pose in the conduct of our business.
We have found, or thought that wei
had, that our interests were best serv-
ed when the public interests were best
served and we believe that such sue
cess. as we have had has 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 prosperity of
our 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 pIblic in advance, and
what has been done in carrying them
out has been along ordinary business
lines, with the implied, and generally,
with the expressed approval, authoriz-
alton or consent of the municipal and
state authorities directly interested.
| Our effort has been not only to obey
| the law, but to- avoid everything which
might even have the appearance Of an
attempt It evasion.
Our business methods and policy,
and practically all of the details as to
the transaction of our business, are
matters of common knowledge and are,
and for many years have been, we'll
known to 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 it in OBJ
!
may require. Every possible assistance
will be given by us to the courts il
! their effort to determine whether our
policy is or has been inimical to the
public interest. We desire that any
thing wrong be corrected we will vol
unfairly rectify any wrong that may
be pointed out to us; and so far as il
| no lnfn hot n,
any act under it is against the public
interest, we will promptly conform tc
such determination.
We believe that if each of our ex
changes were made an independent
unit and if each connecting line were
put under a separate control, the effec
upon the telephone service of the coun
try would be a condition so intolerablt
that the public would refuse to submit
to it and would Immediately require
such physical connection and common
control of these various units as woult
, amalgamate them into a single system
Physical connection in the case of tele
phone or telegraph does not meal
transfer of messages from one line t.
, the other. 1t means such connection
, as will permit one person to have tn
! actual possession Of the particular lin
of communication from one end of
to the other and this can only be givel
, efficiently by exchange systems an
connecting lines under a common cor
troll; and that is what the Bell Sys
] TEN it.
In this connection, and for genera
, information, we will restate the polio
, which controlled the building up of tn
, Bell System, and our belief as to wha
p a telephone system should be, and wha
are its relations to the public.
We believe in and were the first t
advocate state or government contrc
and regulation of public utilities; tina
= this control or regulation should be b
permanent quasi-judicial bodies, actin
q after thorough investigation and GOV
p erned by the equities of each case
:. and that the control or regulation, BIZ
r yond requiring the greatest efficienc
:, and economy, should not interfere wit
:. management or operation. We believ
Y that these bodies, if they are to b
!. Permanent, effective and of public bel
h eft, should be thoroughly represent;
a tive; they should be of such characte
+ and should so conduct their investig;
= tons and deliberations as to comman
l. such respect from both the public an
the corporations that both will withou
question accept their conclusions.
y We believe that the public would |
this way get all the advantages an
l. avoid all the manifest disadvantage
l. Of public ownership.
We believe that centers of bushes
and poTIlation exist for the conven
eace of the public as a whole, and thu
: no such center can prosper witho,
= sufficient and efficient means ci int
course with other centers and tributaI
territories; that such means can on
be afforded by prosperous utility au
service companies and that fair rat
are essential to prosperous compnnie
N We do not believe that any publ
"A either desires or can obtain, nor ca
any service or utility furnish, perm
nent and efficient service at less tn;
n cost, including capital charges. We b
= lieve that ultimately the public eth