Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-07-05

late today reversed its action in taking
from the commerce committee the AS
well resolution for government control
of telephone and telegraph lines, and
voted to permit that committee to con-
tinue its consideration.
I WASHINGTON. July 2.--Secretaries
/ Baker and Daniels. anc POSTMASTER Gen
eral Burleson appeared before the house
! interstate and foreign commerce COM
. mittec today in support of the bill APP
proved by President Wilson authorizing
government control and operation of
! telegraph, telephone, radio AMI cable
/ systems
In the meantime, the house military
committee met to consider a measure in
! troduced by Representative Lunn, of
New York, similar to the ASwelI bill
| discussed by the cabinet officers, but
1 specifically empowering the president to
/ operate the communication system sub
/ ject to those conditions of law, so far
/ applicable, which are enforced as to the
4 steam railroads while under federal
/ control"
Advocating permanent governmental
/ control of all communication systems,
! Secretary of War Baker today urged the
house commerce committee to report
/ quickly on the AsWelI resolution empow-
/ ering the president to take over tele-
/ graph, telephone, radio and cable sys-
/ TENS.
Military control is not necessary
/ this minute" said Baker, "but it may
| become so the next minute"
He urged the committee not to put
/ any time limit into the resolution, but
! to leave that for determination in lat
/ er legislation defining the terms of
! contracts, the amount of payments, and
| other features of government arrange
/ ment with companies taken over.
IF l had my way, l would not put
| any time limit either in. this resolution
| or in subsequent legislation, to the
! length of government control" said Mr.
| Baker. Every time congress does
something L don't approve of, L hope
! it will do better next time. I did not
! approve of the limit in the railroad
control bill. Hence, l hope no limit will
| be fixed in this measure"
Necessity Of Power
! He emphasized the importance Of
! giving the president, without delay, all
! the power he needs, pointing out that
later legislation to which all due de-
libsrations may be given, can take care
/ Of ths rights of individuals and corpora
! tons.
Replying to a direct question as to
/ permanent government ownership, Ba-
! ker declared he saw no necessity of ever
| turning back the companies if the gov
! eminent could operate them to better
public advantage than private corpora
| tions.
Baker particularly emphasized two
reasons why the government should
| take the wires
He said il was a war necessity and
that continuity of operation must be
! insured.
Even a brief interruption of service
/ would hamper shipment of troops and
| supplies to France and would be a most
| serious interference with the war op-
erations," Secretary Baker said, at the
same time stating that he knew of no
argument for taking over the companies
otherwise than that it was "a war meas
/ ure."
Owners Needn't BE Heard
He also said he saw no reason for
| hearing owners of telegraph and tele-
| phone lines at this time
No interest of the owner ought to
| be allowed TO operate against the pub
| lie interest" he said. THE war depart
| ment has on hand no adequate force
| to replace telegraphers if they go on
| strike" he said.
Referring 10 leakage in international
messages. Mr.. Baker said that present
methods of fighting this are very
]
! leakage. He declared that government
control would cut such leakage to the
minimum, because the operators would
/ then be government employees. The war
! department at one time had been threat
+ ned with discontinuance of service in
| section where there are great many
military camps and had to use doubt
! full powers" to see that service was
! kept up, Mr.. Baker said This incl
/ dent arose from a dispute between the
/ telegraph company and railroad.
/ Both Secretary Baker and Secretary
/ Of the Navy Daniels, who followed him,
/ were questioned closely as to the last
/ clause in the Aswell resolution, which
| empowers the president to take over the
/ lines subject to the same conditions of
| law applicable to railroads"
! Committee members insisted this
might lead telegraph companies to be-
/ lieve they would be compensated the
same railroads.
( Both Secretaries Baker and Daniels
( said they believed this referred to the
method of control and operation and
not to compensation.
Control a Necessity
! Secretary Daniels opened his state
ment with the assertion that taking over
wire and radio control had been a neces-
| sity from the day the war started and
! that this necessity was growing daily.
/ The presence OF submarines OIL our
coast make this particularly pressing"
he said THE radio, / do not believe,
ever should pass out Of government con-
/ troll and in war time all communication
system skoul dbe a government monop-
| oily.
Every operator should be a govern
| ment official. This is worth paying a
| great deal for and we can have it with
out paying anything.
! Naval kilograms of a very important
nature have been sent by valise and
! trunk
This IS the first time that charges
Of this nature against the Western
| Union were referred to in the hearing.
/ Mr.. Daniels went on to say that the
| government should take no chances that
such practices should ever be repeated.
Mr.. Daniels agreed with Mr.. Baker
that government control should be per-
manent.
Taken From Committee
/ While the cabinet ofncers were be-
fore the house committee advocating
the Aswell resolution the house took
jurisdiction over the measure from that