Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-07-15
SEEK MAN TORUN
WIRES M'ADOO
DOES THE ROADS
May Be Burleson, but Many,
Including Labor Leaders,
Oppose Him

July 10
much speculation here as to when
the President viii find it necessary
20 take possession of the telegraph
and telephone system under the
wre control resolution, and who he
will designate to operate them. 1t is
understood that he will not act i'm
lnediately.
Efforts are being made to per-
suade the President that Postmaster
General Burlsson should not be
placed in charge of the wires of the
nation. Union labor leaders oppose
Burleson. But persons close to the
President believe that he will turn
the commercial wires over. to the
Postmaster General.
After the joint resolution, which
was adopted by the Senate yesterday,
is signed by the Speaker of the
House it will go to the President.
The next important step in the
program to control the wires is the
selection of a man to take direct
charge of the operation of the wiers
AS it has been a long cherished
idea with Postmaster General Burle-
son to have the wires placed under
the Post Office Department and op-
it is assumed that this will be the
general plan. But there is also an
impression that a practical telegraph
or telephone man will be placed in
active charge, under Burleson. The
President has conferred with the
Postmaster General on this subject
and. it is understood, has practically
formulated the plan under which
the innovation will be begun. After
the resolution is formally signed and
becomes a law, the plan will be
made public.
The wire control resolution was
passed by vote of 46 to Is. exactly
as it was passed by the House. 1t
was precisely the resolution urged
by the President. In its broad pro-
visions it gives the President au-
thority, whenever he may deem 1t
necessary for the national defense
to supervise or take possession of all
telegraph, telephone, cable and
radio systems for the period of the
war. Not one Democrat voted against
it.
Railroad Administration Assailed
Senator Harding. of Ohio, assailed
the railroad administration as an
evidence of what the public utilities
of the country would come to in
the event of government control.
The railroads, he said. were being
put upon a political rather than
war basis.
This wartime, when we are max
ing failures of many undertakings.
is no time to initiate a half-digested
plan which will ultimately lead to
government ownership" he said.
Senator Reed. of Missouri, char
acterized the railroad situation since
Di: ector McAdoo took control as
badly mixed"
We shall never be able to un-
scramble the railroads" he said.
They are now in government con-
troll, and let us not delude ourselves
into thinking they will ever go back
to private ownership. They will not.
Exactly the same thing applies to
the wire control. Once II passes to
the government ii will permanently
leave private ownership. We are
voting for this control for all time.
"Out of all this, I hope. may be
evolved a system of control of pub
lie utilities that will be. of advantage
TO the people, but I am afraid that
the working out of that problem is
a long way off. | hope that this gov
ernment control of railroads, wires,
and all the rest of it will be remov-
ed as far as possible from politics.
There is coming a day when another
party will be in power. Tbs admin
istration must make sure that 1t
does not allow the early control of
all these great public utilities to be
governed by any political eXpedi-
ency. 1t must set up high stand
ard of control"
No Reason For 1t. Says WadSworth
Senator Wadsworth, of New York,
deplored the fact that, as he put 1t,
the administration had failed to give
Congress the slightest reason why
wire communication ought to be put
in the hands of the government"
I'VE have passed war Legislation
here" said Mr. Wadsworth. that
the President wanted. and have been
content to do it when the reason
was explained TO us. This is the only
measure put bfeore us in which we
have been asked merely to pass 1t,
without knowing the reason why.
The Secretary of War. the SeCre-
tary of the Navy, and the Postmas-
ter General appeared before the
House Committee and failed TO give
airy reason why the resolution should
be passed. They assumed the atti-
tude that Congress did not need to
know. that it was unnecessary for
Congress to try to inform itself.
/
ing the genesis of this resolution for
gov ernment control of the wire COM
munication. No man in Congress has
heen able to point out an emergency
1ha7 exists for it or that may con-
front the country in the future.
What, then. is the motive behind
it? l want to say to the Senate that
] believe there are men In high
nlaces in our governmNnt who are
determined that the railroads, taken
over IN wartime. shall be conducted
after the war as government prop
ertv and who are bound that they
shall be politically controlled. They
intend that they shall never go back
to the private owners.
THE three cabinet officers who
appeared before the House Commit
tee are avowed proponents of gov
ernment ownership of public utili-
ties. Mr.. Baker. Mr.. Daniels and Mr..
Burleson all believe in it. The Post
HELP WANTED-MALE