Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-05-06

Vail was educated at tho old academy at
Morristown, and studied medicine for
time. but biography and electricity lured
him West. and he became telegraph op-
orator for the Union Pacific railroad at
pine Bluff Wyoming. lie received an ap-
pontmcnt to the railway mail service.
and his genius for organization brought
him by rapid steps to the superinten-
dency when he became general mana e
ger of the American Bell Telephone COM
pany he had developed executive genius
and nationwide viewpoint. with these
qualities he succeeded in doing what Is
best expressed on medal presented him
in 1917 on the 10th anniversary of his cleo.
ton TO the presidency of the American
| Telephone & Telegraph company. "He
made neighbors Of a hundred million peo-
pie.
lie fought against competition and legal
opposition from the mighty Western Union
Telegraph company, and. after many
years. won out BclI's patent was sus-
tanned by the courts. and after years.
the American Bell Telephone COMPANY
took over the Western Union telephone
system This victory marked the first
success Of a combination of foresight and
pertnacity which visualized great posi-
bilites and st"ovc INCREASINGLY toward
them. lie foresaw the great nation wide
telephone service, and against great ridi-
culo and opposition. re built line from
New York to Boston. This was made Of
double copucr wire. required 10000 poles.
and cost $4,000 1t WAS thought wildly
extravagaut. but IL carried messages from
the first day and the prejudice against
long distance tclephoning was swept away.
The time hpd come for the great tcl-
cphonic system TO become a reality. VAN
undertook 1t by organizing the American
Telegraph a. Telephone company. Every
town and 'ty in the United States and
Canada was TO be intcr-connccted with
every other. and by cable and other ap-
propriate means with the rest OF the
known world. Mr. Vail organized tho
telephone system on tho staff limo
plan as Won Moltlic did with the German
army. The same vision carried the sys-
tenn 20 South America. and with the aid
of English capitalists. 20 Europe
In 1904, Mr.. Vail settled in T.yndonvil,e.
and there his work was chiefly in the In
terestS Of education. At Lyndonvllle Cen
ter, he constructed the Lyndonville In
stitutc and tho Theodore y. Vail School
OF Agriculture designed to be a trade
school for farm boys. "Stick to the
farm said Mr. Vail. Back to the farm
is futile. because only failures come
back. stick" He built up the Speedwell
Farms. which were designed to- go to
tho state of Vermont, as a very large
educational enterprise. and they are now
in the hands of the state.
Although his preference was with the
farm. Mr.. Vail was not allowed to re-
main there. In the spring of 1907. he was,
called back to take the great telephone
system through the imminent panic,
which he accomplished safely. His cher
iShed dreams came true. when in 1902 the
American Telephone 4 Telegraph COM
pany and Western Union Telegraph COM
pany merged He served as president of
both companies until 1911 Then tho West
ern Union stock in the possession of the
American Telephone & Telegraph COM
pany was sold. and he remained presi-
dent of the latter company until June.
1919. extending the system, and inCrea sing
the annual revenue of the company nearly
four times
But about this time his health began
TO fail He went South. but grew rapidly
worse. His death occurred on Apr! IT,
1920, in Baltimore. and he now lies buried
in the family vault at Parsippany n. j.
At the time of his death he was recog
nized as one Of the worlds great financial
genuses and held in great respect by
other great financial figures He was a
director of 30 different corporations.
The conclusion of the speech dealt with
Mr.. Wallis connection with the tniver-
sity of Vermont and his ideas on educa-
ton.