The Coconino sun., 1918-12-13
PINCHING THE CABLES.

That the Wilson administration is using the war as Q pretext rather than reason for extending govern, ment control over industry and public utilities was very clearly shown by Senator James E. Watson of Indiana, the day before congress adjourned for the long session. Owing to the rush of work incident to the close of the session, the speech was not printed in the Record at the time but has been published since. The particular sub ject to which the senator directed his remarks was the order of the presi- dent taking over the cable lines, which order was dated November ?, but not made public until November IS. Pre- liminary to discussion of that act the senator commented upon the taking over of the express companies about the time. the armistice was signed. Said Senator Watson:
 'It is passing strange that dur
 ing all the time of storm and
 stress, during the period of un-
 paralled congestion of the rail roads of the United States, dur ing the time when we were
 transporting millions of soldiers
 from one portion of the Repub-
 lie to another, to the camp, to the
 cantonment, to the training sta
 tions and to points of embarka-
 tion, while an incalculable quan-
 tity of munitions and of food and
 equipment were being transport
 ed by the railroads, and while
 this congestion was unprecedent-
 ed in the history of this or any
 other country, it was not thought
 essential by the president to take
 over the express companies in
 order to relieve that congestion
 or to carry on the transportation
 of the country. Now, when the
 Hun is at our mercy, when Ger
 many lies prostrate at our feet,
 when the last cloud of war is
 sinking below the horizon and the
 sun of peace fills all our skies,
 he has taken over the express
 companies of the country for op-
 eration by the general govern
 ment."
 Senator Watson recalled the state ments of democratic senators when the control bill was under considera- tion that there would probably be no need to take over the telephone and telegraph systems and certainly not the cable lines. He then said:
 Now, after all this declara- tion, and after every hour of emergency has passed, and after peace has come upon us, and af- ter war has taken its wrinkled front from the presence of the world, we have the president of the United States violating, as l believe, the letter and the spirit of that law by taking over the cables for governmental opera tion. ..u.
 "It is exceedingly significant, that this action comes just at the time when the president is about to visit a foreign counry. I am not going to quarrel with the de- cision of the president about go- ing abroad But it is singularly significant that just 1t the time he is about to go abroad, he takes over the cables, after having de- clined to take them over during all the years of war and all the time of storm and peril, and when every necessity for his having a taken them over has ceased if, E indeed, any necessity for such ac- r tion ever existed" 8@a D.
 Senator Watson challenged any sen ator to give reason for the taking F over of the cables but not even a dem- r ,crat would rise to defend the pres dents action. Senator Watson con- ;inued:
 "It is quite significant that the president is taking with him on this trip George Greet, master of the Republics instruction. With George Greet at that end controll- ing all the messages and Burle- son at this end controlling all the sources of information, the coun- try may well be warned that they take at least with grain of salt whatever is published as to what happens at the peace conference"