Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1918-07-19
U. S. TAKES over
ALL WIRE LINES
Senate Adopts Measure Giving
President Control of Telc
graph and Telephone.
VOTE ON BILL, 46 TO IS
Attempts Made to Except Phones an0
Press Lines Defeated-Senate TO
Meet Mondays and Thurs
days.

| Washington, July 15.-By vote OF
| As to is, the aenate adopted the reso-
luton, already passed by the house.
empowering the president to take over
The telegraph and telephone wires.
All attempts to limit the power OF
the president were defeated and the
bill passed in the form demanded py
| Mr.. Wilson and his cabinet.
Although the statements of the cabi~
net officers indicated that the powers
might be used as soon as granted
| there has been no announcement as
| to just what the president intends TO
| do or when. During debate on the res
| olution it was said the government
would take over only trunk lines ana
connecting systems, leaving to their
| own arrangements the thousands or
| local and rural independent telephone
systems throughout the country.
Adopt Three Day Notice Rule.
Under this construction it is pos
sible that the president will seize the
telephone systems in Chicago, New
York and other large cities, although
some cabinet officials indicated that
The telephone lines will not be taken
over for some time, if at all.
Immediately after this action the
senate entered into q unanimous con-
sent agreement to recess three days at
q time until August &c and during that
time to transact nothing but routine
morning business. In it's frantic haste
to ring the recess gong the senate mar
rowly escaped tying itself up In an un"
breakable agreement by which all leg
lslation, no matter how great the emer-
gency, would have been suspended for
two months.
Refuse to Exempt Phones.
The adoption of the wire resolution
came after q week of stubborn debate
and involved parliamentary maneuver~
Ing. Before final action was taken the
senate voted down amendment after
amendment in rapid order.
Senator Watson of Indiana proposed
an amendment to exempt telephone
wires from public control. The amend
ment was rejected by vote Of Al to-
20. Another amendment by Senator
Watson to exempt press wires was
voted down, 80 to 81. Senator Reed of
Missouri offered an amendment to pre-
vent any interference with press or
private messages unless they contained
disloyal language or the government
business demanded precedence. This
was also rejected by vote of 33 to %.
Form of the Grant
The resolution follows:
"Resolved, That the president, dur
ing the continuance of the present
war, is authorized and empowered,
whenever he shall deem it neces-
sary for the national security or de-.
Tense, to supervise or to take posses
sion and assume control of any tele-
graph, telephone, marine cable or ra-
do system or systems, or any part,
thereof, and to operate the same in
such manner as may be needful or de-
sirable for the duration of the war,
which supervision, possession, control,
or operation shall not extend beyond
the date of the proclamation by the
president of the exchange Of ratiflca-
tons of the treaty of peace.
provided, That just compensation
shall be made for such supervision,
possession, control or operation, to be-
determined by the president; and If
the amount thereof, so determined by
the president, is unsatisfactory to the
person entitled to receive the same.
such person shall be paid rs per cent
Of the amount so determined by the
president and shall be entitled to sue
the United States to recover such fur.
Their sum as, added to said 70 per cent,
will make up such amount as will be-
just compensation therefor in the.
manner provided for by section TWEEN
ty-four, paragraph twenty, and section
one hundred and forty-fve of the judi
cial code.
provided further, That nothing in
this act shall be construed to amend,
repeal, impair, or affect existing laws;
or powers of the states in relation to.
taxation or the lawful police regula-
ton Of the several states, except
wherein such laws, powers or regula-
lions may affect the transmission Of
government communications or the use.
of stocks and bonds by such system
or systems"