The Washington herald., 1918-03-20
VAIL REPORT
SHOWS ABILITY
President Of Bell Telephone
Past Master Of Writing,
Says Holland.

Theodore ". Vail completed. a few
days ago. the annual report which,
since he became president Of the Bell
Telephone Company, he has taken
great pleasure in preparing.
II Is safe to say that there Is no
other president of a great corporation
or Of any railroad company, who
spends the time and labor in prepar-
ing an annual report which President
VAN deyotes to his annual report
1t Is done as though he were absorb
ed in the composition Of . literary
work for which the author entertain
ed hopes Of securing and maintaining
high reputation. Those who are
familiar with President vail's meth
ods, say that when the time ap-
breaches for the preparation of the
annual report. he withdraws to some
secluded place. well fortified by all
OF the statistics. figures and details
oe which he has need, and then occu-
pies himself for many hours each day
IN whipping these details and figures
into attractive shape, so written as to
be understandable by all men. and so
prepared as to have a peculiar literary
charm.
1t was said at the time Gladstone
was chancellor of the exchequer of
Great Britain, that although he was
no ftnancier and had never been be-
hind the counters of a bank, never
theless. he was able 50 to present a
budget to the house OF commons as
10 cause 1t to be listened to as though
the great statesman were telling a
story that contained all the elements
Of real romance.
He knew how to, touch with the
magic Of his genius statistics and
hsures which ordinarily furnished the
dryest kind Of reading. so that they
seemed to be infused with an un-
expected charm
President Vail possesses a gift of
this kind. When after weeks of
study and preparation, he puts forth
his annual report, he knows that
II IS as well done as 1t is possible for
any man to do 1t, and that it will be
attentively read. not only for the
information which 1t contains. but
Tor a certain subtle charm of COM
position of which he has the secret
Having completed this work, it is
President Wallis custom TO sojourn for
few weeks at that delightful and
healthful resort of the South which
Is the exclusive possession of wealthy
men. whose name is Jeky1 Island.
what Might Have Been.
shortly before the war in Europe
began President Vail received a com
muntcation from the Department of
Justice at Washington. 1t contained
admonition. There was an implied,
IL not openly avowed, purpose to
bring the American Telephone and
Telegraph Company into the courts,
for the purpose of securing a man
date which would compel the dismem-
bering Of the corporation, the tear
ing OF it apart. and severinS from
It one or two OF its subordinate COM
panies.
Preferring not to fly in the face of
the government, or to seem to be In
any way disposed to antagonize the
Department of Justice in its view,
President Vail put himself into COM
munication with the department. He
was anxious to learn what could be
done to meet, without litigation, the
purpose of the department. He was
told that II certain of the subordinate
companies were torn away, made alb
soluteIy independent, then the De-
partment Of Justice would be con-
tent and would not begin the prosecu-
ton Of the corporation.
President Vail heard, with some
dismay, this statement but he bowed
his head regretfulIy to the ultimatum
OF the Department of Justice and
tore the corporation into pieces, SO to
speak. In doing that he was Obliged
to give up vast and far-reaching
plans which he had in mind for the
expansion Of plants and methods
whereby swift communication by
means Of the telephone and the tele-
graph could be made to all parts of
the country. The Department of JUS
tice said no and it was necessary to
obey the Attorney General.
II there had been no interference on
the part Of the Department of Jus
tice, the entire system over which
President Vail was executive chief,
by the time the United States began
as one of the bellgerents to take part
in the war with Germany would have
been able to give service of the high
est value to the government.
Works With Government.
As it was, President Vail was
able to give great service, cordially
cooperating with the government.
partly by establishing precedence
over the entire system for govern
mRnt service. 1t was necessary in
order adequately to do this. to make
Washington the great central sta
tion for telephone service.
It was also necessary greatly to
increase the toll service. Futher-
more. President VAN authorized the
construction of a new underground
cable connecting New York and
Washington. This cable represents
the latest designs and Improvement
OF inventors, and contains 10000
miles OF wire. No blizzard nor any
electric storm or cyclone can in
terfere with this service since the
wires are laid underground.
The story Of the relation Of Presi-
dent Wallis company to the govern
ment at Washington at this time of
the war is one OF the most interest
ing of all the records made by any
of the great industries which have
been assisting the government.
President Vail tells this story not as
though he were writing the report
simply for the information of the
stockholders and the public, but al
most as though he were sketching for
a magazine or for a periodical which
had secured high literary rank what
the company has done as co-partner
with the government in facilitating
war preparation and war work.
In an earlier report, President Vail