Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-07-10
WAITING TO BE SHOWN
What Can the Government Do With Control
Of the Electric Lines That 1t
Cannot Do Now?

Sohhot Do ANo"'
DEFORE the Senate passes the resolu-
u luton explicitly empowering the
President to take over the telegraph and
telephone lines it is expected to insist
that adequate reasons be submitted to
Justify such action.
The burden of proof is upon those who
propose that the thing be done.
The resolution states that its purpose
is to insure the continuous operation of
electrical communicating systems, to
guard the secrecy of war dispatches and
to prevent communications between
public enemies. The assumption is that
public enemies have been communicate
ing with one another by means of the
telephone and the telegraph and that
there has been a violation of the secrecy
of war messages.
Proof of these things ought to be
forthcoming in the first place. What
specifc war dispatches have leaked out
and what public enemies have commu-
nicated with one another? If the Sen
ate can learn these things it will have
made good beginning.
Then it will be ready to ask how the
Government can prevent the use of the
wires by public enemies and can pre-
serve the secrecy of war dispatches more
effectively than the companies now
operating the telegraph and telephone
lines can do it. If the supporters of the
.hnyy leGnitnlv how
this can be done then the reasons
offered for the seizure of the lines be-
come mere pretexts for the advocates
of Government ownership who wish to
take advantage of war conditions to
upset our present system of private own
ership.
The same force would operate the
lines as operates them now. The Secret
Service agents would have no greater
right to inspect suspected messages
than they now exercise. They would
have no freer privilege of putting their
men in an Office to lie in wait for per-
sons who wished to communicate with
public enemies than they now enjoy.
terial would be effected save a transfer
of the direction of the telephone system
from the hands of Theodore N. Vail, one
of the most efficient business executives
in the world, to the hands of Postmaster
General Burleson and the superseding of
capable telegraph company executives
by this same cabinet member, who after
five years at the head of the postal sys-
tenn has yet to demonstrate extraordi-
nary executive ability through improve
ment of that service to the public.
If this be all there is behind the reso-
luton the Senate does well to pause
before adopting it.
But that resolution refers to insuring
continuous operation of the electrical
lines, which must refer to the preven-
ton of strikes. The strike that was to
have taken place on Monday has been
abandoned. And when the resolution
was introduced in the House we were
told that it had been planned long before
there was any thought of strike. When
Senator Smith was asked whether the
passage of the resolution was asked to
prevent a strike or as war measure he
replied that it was a war measure, pure
and simple. So we can dismiss from
consideration the talk about insuring
continuous operation.
The excuse for taking over the rail-
roads does not exist in the case of the
electrical lines. There are scores of rail-
road companies, many of them serving
the same territory. Some Of them were
doing more business than they could ac-
commodate and others less. Terminals
were not properly utilized for handling
freight. The arrangements for the use
of cars and locomotives were not adapted
to a time when every transportation
resource of the country should be en-
ployed to the best advantage. The rail-
roads have become under the present
arrangement single unified system
The country accepts the situation be-
cause it appreciates the gravity of the
crisis.
But it has not yet been shown what
Denent Woulu accrue from taxing over
the electrical lines. 1t is satisfied with
the service which it is getting and it is
confident that the Government cannot
improve the service to business. 1t
would like to know just in what way the
Government can help itself by ousting
the men who are now in charge and
putting political appointees in their
places.