The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1913-01-11
per 50 deluded ON the subject as the
Weston Republican IS.
Mr.. CLAWS Again.

MIA conservation commission, Louis
r. Gavfs has been. permitted to re-
sign asis7position, and as he retires
from 1t, suit is brought against him
BY the United States government to
frecover several hSrndred thousand
dollars alleged to have been with
held by. Tim from government funds
when heEwas serving as special
agent OF the Department Of the In-
terror.
Detailed information regarding
the federal suit is not at hand. Ii
the California case, Mr.. Claws was
charged with having exerted his in
fluence while serving in that capac-
ity in favor of timber monoponsts.
The fact that he retired from the Of
flee. under fire has created the dm-
preston that the charges preferred
against him by Surveyor General
Kingsbprg, OF California, were sus-
tanned.
This CLAWS is the same CLAWS
who, 1T will be recalled, was active
in the movement to discredit secre-
tary Ballinger and who was sum
marily dismissed from the public
service by President Taft. AT that
time CLAWS was hailed as a martyr"
to / the cause of conservation and re-
ceived job from THE presidents
California enemies. Now that CLAWS
is accused OF acts entirely discred-
liable to a, friend OF conservation, 1t
lis probable that his former califor-
mia admirers wish they had not per-
mitted themselves to be carried
away by their eagerness to take a
whack at the president.
On the assumption that where
there is lot of smoke there is also
some fire, it will likely appear to
many of those who were led to dis
credit President Taft in the con-
servaticn controversy that ne was
not altogether such a fool as they
thought he was and that he is grad
sually being vindicated of his course
in that controversy. as he will
doubtless IN time be vindicated of
other past official acts that did not
! at first meet with popular favor.
Two Systems Nuisance.
Says the Parkersburg Sentinel:
Judge Dayton has approved the
proposed sale of the National Tele-
phone Company with its stock hold
ings in subsidiary companies. This
means that the West Virginia and
Western Telephone Company and
nearly every other independent COM
pany in northern West Virginia aad
eastern Ohio are to pass into other
hands, The accusation was made
! that the Bell telephone people were
to be the real purchasers, and Judge
Dayton; refers to this charge. ex-
planning that its truth or falsity can
not be established until the sale is
actually made.
1.-THE telephone company has not
been profitable under the receiver
ship and as there was po other way
out Of the mire but to order the sale
the soundness OF Judge Dayton's
order cannot fairly be called into
question, but the situation becomes
one that the people served by these
corporations would do we'll to watch.
If the Bell is the purchaser that cor
poration will have complete mo-
nopoly of rapid verbal communica-
tion in Parkersburg and all other
points in aorthern West Virginia ex-
cept in the few places touched by
the Postal Telegraph Company. 1t
is already operating the Western
Union and If it gets the West vir-
ginia and Western it will have this
city completely bottled up, and it
will not be long before the people
will find themselves paying for the
expense and reduced revenues years
of competition imposed csa the Bell"
While the Telegram is opposed
to monopoly in general, its years Of
experience with double telephone
system in Clarksburg impels it to
the belief that two systems are
nuisance snd that one would be a
blessing, provided, of course, that
the one system is good one, There
are valid objections against mo-
nopoly OF business by public car
rier, such as that cited in the COM
bination of telephone and telegraph
systems, but they would not rest
with equal force against the tele-
phone business alcIna because OF Its
peculiar public function; and the
day has dawned when quasi public
corporation can belforced to fuu1ishI
an adequate and reasonable service