Evening star., 1919-01-26
BY EDWARD MARSHALL.
Special Correspondence Of The Star.


or business associate is very
largely because you have mad
as countryman Theodore Vail. Bell
invented the telephone, Vail made it
practical thing, business sue
cess; and there is this also to be
remembered about Theodore n. Vail
he has been one Of the nations big
gest business men, but he never has
been touched BY those tremendous
and epochal scandals which have
touched SO many of Americas big
business men.
The nation now is at crucial mo-
ment in the history of it's means of
communication, and on it's means OF
communication will depend its pros
perity, even its very life, In the ru-
ture as in the past. Mr.. Vail, long
at the head of private interests con-
trolling telephones, has come boldly
and unselfshiy to the forefront OF
those who advocate governmental
control In the interview which fol-
lows he explains his reasons for so
doing. This makes the interview a
most important contribution to the
economic literature OF the time. And
this interview goes far beyond this
In its scope, explaining why III Mr.
Wallis opinion, this is also the time
transatlantic cables as 1t can pro-
vide; for the laying new ones If this
be a necessity of policy which Will
give America It's rightful pace among
the commercial nations OF the world.
X X
While this, he thinks, cannot best
be done by the United States govern
ment acting directly, he believes it
can be done by one of the companies
or new one acting in some way
under the aegis of the government.
/ talked with MIR. Vail at his resi-
dence in New York city. where he
sits industriously every day for many
hours, at a window which commands
q splendid prospect of Central PARK:
working at his plans--a sort or
genius of the electrically spoken
word--although he long since passed
the age at which most rich men feel
that they have the full right 10 re-
tirement. Theodore n Vail is beyoha
doubt communica tion's grand old
man. His first reference was to the
necessity for some system OF inter-
national communication controlled on
this eide of the ocean.
There can be no question:, he de-
clared, "of the right of the United
States to build up a commercial in
ternational wire system, of which the
United States shall be the center. AT
present we, here in America, are
merely at one side Of an international
system which centers in the British
channel.
"If the United States Is to take the
commercial position in the world to
which 1t Is entitled, and If we are
to meet the other countries of the
world in the markets of the world
our nation must possess facilities OF
communi cation, not only within It's
own boundaries, but connecting 1T
with other nations, which shall be
under the aegis of American author
ity
For what is the United States
spending thousands of millions of
dollars on means Of transportation of
American commerce, IL the ships
which carry that commerce and the
agents who spread 1t are not to have
abundant facilities of communication
and information which Shall not be
subject to the guardianship, to the
3yea or the nay of any foreign ma
swion?
under the accepted friendship be-
tween civilized nations in times of
peace, citizens, mail carriers of all
kinds. including ships, have, subject
to reasonable regulation, the right
to land upon and cross the territory
Of friendly nations; otherwise COM
munication with those countries and
.
situate beyond them would be i'm
possible These rights include the un-
restricted passage of mails, which
are facilities for the distribution of
intelligence. Unquestionably they
should include the transoceanic cable
and Its connecting land lines, which
surely are facilities of intercourse and
unicaticn---carriers of in
telligence.
*
y Commerce depends on facilities of
communication and Intercourse. With
out these subsidiary agencies mere
carriers of cargoes would be few, far
between and ineffective. 1t was less
the Improvement in the worlds ship
speed that built up the international
commerce Of today than it was the
improvement in those avenues OF
communication which enabled the
transmission and retransmission of
the wishes and ideas Of men in
/ separated countries with regard to
| the movements of ships and the
/ cargoes which they were to carry.
with poor facilities of intercourse
| commerce becomes uncertain and
/ therefore speculative Quick, cheap,
ABUNDANT, dependable facilities for the
| transmission of ideas are as essential
as transportation of goods to the