Arizona republican., 1919-06-07
Partial Surrender


 The return of the wires to their private with the reins still in the hands of the singularly stubborn and inefficient Mr. Burleson, or, should say, administration will not help much. Rather may imagine the confusion will be increased. Bur leson is carrying his flounderng the last and far thest end He did know how to take hold of the wires. he did not know how to handle them he had them and he is equally nept in the matter of letting go of them. There was never a thorough, comprehensive and miserable failure than the government has made in nine short months of the management of the telephone telegraph lines. They were taken over last August at time when it was definitely known that the power of the Germans was broken There was then less need the lines war purposes than there had been at any time since April G. 19l7 The cables were taken over after the armistce signed after the president had decided that he going Paris to assist in openly arriving at open covenant, to the end may suppose. that the people of America might be kept informed day by day and hour by hour to the progress of events at Versailles.
 It was not the necessities of war that threw the wires into the hands of the government It the second attempt at government ownership The first was made in November of the previous year, when the railroads were taken over By August of last year eaiure had become evident but the experiment was to be fatuously continued. Congress was to be asked extend it for five years and the administration believed that it had reason to hope that he would continue to have a subservent congress.
 Even the administration, by that time, though began 10 realize the enOmty of the task it had undertaken and cast about for something easier the telegraph and telephone systems had been believed by many who would have baked at the government ownership of railroads, genarally at government paternalsm to be properly systems of communication which might successfully be incorporated into the postoffice department. Perhaps a majority of felt that way about it. It never occurred to us the other way around, that the postoffices themselves might be more economically and efficiently conducted by a great private corporation.
 Nobody in authority had believed that government administration of the railroads might be a step to government ownership; that government ownership desirable. But Bureson, taking over the wires, ait began talking about government ownership of them. We may now believe that that was a premedi- lated step (which any sensible man now perceives was forced by the exgencies Of war) toward govern ment ownership If it could be demonstrated that telegraph and telephone lines could be success 'uly managed by the government the growing senu- which the collapse of the railroad administration lad aroused would be arrested.
 If there had been a man in the administration of sufficient capacity, such thing might have hap pened but it was imbecility to suppose that man who had broken down the postal service was the man conduct such experiment But Bureson was a who would not hesitate to administer an earth quake cyclone. He took hold with confidence. He had haucnation from the outset that the lines were not only government owned but Burleson owned There in this country such display of autocracy. such running wild of bureaucracy. News matter in criticism of Bureson the admins .lation rejected by his underngs. At he became involved in disputes with employees of the Sysems, and strikes broke across the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Rates were raised to unheard of figures, and at the time the service deteriorated until it became consistent with that of the postoffice.
 To what extent Burleson and the administration would have gone in the direction of government
 rship do not know, but it has been brought to end by the pressure of outraged public cinion and party needs.