Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-02-03
MACKAY DECLARES
BURL[S0N REASON
WITHOUT SUPPORT
President Of Postal Company
Says No Real Reasons for
Wire Seizure Has Been Yet.
Made Public,

ESPECIAL coRRgsronoEncn 10 ~oRnlNo JOURNAL,
New York, Feb 2.-Mr Clarence
ii. Mackay, president of the Postal,
Ielegraph-Cable company, gave out
tonight copy Of letter which he
has addressed to all members of con-
gress in which he urges that there
has been no reason advanced for the
government retaining control of the
teegraphs and cable lines, and urging
congress to vote their immediate re-
turn to the companies:
New York, Jan. 80, 1919.
-"All Members of,Congress:
Il realize and respect the response
blIity of the members of congress Of
the United States, and as an American
citizen, as president of the Postal Tel
egraph Gable company and the Com
mercial Gable company, l would ear
nestly request that You consider care
fully the proposed joint resolution
which has been reported to the house
of representatives by the committee on
postoffice and post roads extending to
December 81. 1919 the control of the
postmaster general of the telegraphs
and telephones. From the statements,
made, written or orally, by Theodore
+. Vail, of the American Telephone
anu a.- ltlSSIdpn company, 4NtNlOl
Carleton of the Western Union Tele-
graph company, and Postmaster Gen
eral Rurleson, at the hearing of the
so-called Moon resolution, they have
apparently determined in their minds
that the postmaster general shall keep
control as long as possible, of the tel
eGraph and telephone lines, especially
the latter, in order to give those COM
panies guaranteed government COM
penSatiOn and to finance them and
most important of all increase tele-
phone rates which increase has been
ordered throughout the country. |,
therefore, respectfully submit the fol-
lowing:
No Reason Given.
81, Not the slightest reason is given
for Mr. Burleson continuing contro.
cf the telegraph lines to December g.
1919. They do not need any financing.
The service is steadily growing worse
under his mana cement There is no
war necessity for such continued con-
troll Nothing has been done by the
postmaster general since he took con-
troll August l last, except to give a
high compensation to the Western
Union Telegraph company. and dis
turb the morale of the staff of the
oSAdi dpli COAIIdliN anu at
tempt to raise telegraph rates The
public does not agree with Mr.. Burle-
son in his remarks before the house
committee on January 81, that com
petition should be eliminated: the pc
Rod for competition is past The
Western Union wishes to advance tel
egraph rates under the shield of Mr..
JiurleSon's control, but the Postal re-
fuses. Meantime, the government is
losing money daily on it's guaranteed
compensation to the Western Union
and that should be stopped summarily
The extension of time fro mthe proc
lamation of peace to December 81 un-
der these circumstances, would be UNI
constitutional There is no excuse for
the telegraph lines not being returned
at once to the two companies.
"2, The above reasons. and stll
more powerful reasons, pertain to the
cables. International complications
have arisen. The record of the house
committee on the postoffice. of Janu-
AIRY 81, shows that the British govern
ment has issued an order containing
the following: His majesty's gcE-
eminent does not agree to either COM
pany allowing control of its stations,
staff or working in the United King
dom, by the other company. or by
any person acting directly or indi-
recty on behalf of the United States
government" The cables should be
turned back at once. especially as
nothing has been done in regard to
them by the postmaster general ex-
cept to remove officers of the Com
mercal Gable company.
Argument Not Convincing.
3. Mr.. Burleson's argument as to
the telephones is not convincing. He
is raising telephone rates through the
country to an enormous extent against
storm of protest and injunction
suits lie does not claim that there
is any war necessity involved. The
purposes are clear namely, to raise
telephone rates, finance crippled tele-
phone companies and enable the Bell
company to gather in the competing
telephone companies. How this can
be justified under the war power we
fail to see. Meantime. telephone
service is deteriorating rapidly and
the losses to the government in guar
anteed compensation, especially to the
Eel company. will be enormous. The
companies of which / am president
are fully capable of conducting their
business and financing their present
needs and future extensions without
any increase in rates. If the postof-
flee department should order an in
crease in rates (and we believe an in
crease in rates is unjustifiable at this
time) We shall put those rates into
effect under protest and shall allow