Слике страница
PDF
ePub

have roused forces they knew little of-forces which, once roused, can never be crushed to earth again; for they have at their heart an inspiration and a purpose which are deathless and of the very stuff of triumph!

GOVERNMENT CONTROL OF TELEGRAPH, TELEPHONE AND CABLE SYSTEMS

In the summer of 1918, the Government decided that for the more effective prosecution of the war against the Central Powers the telephone and telegraph systems of the country, like the railroad systems, should be placed in the possession and control of the Government. To that end, President Wilson issued on July 22, 1918, the following proclamation:

Whereas the Congress of the United States, in the exercise of the constitutional authority vested in them, by joint resolution of the Senate and House of Representatives, bearing date July 16, 1918, resolved:

That the President during the continuance of the present war is authorized and empowered, whenever he shall deem it necessary for the national security or defense, to supervise or to take possession and assume control of any telegraph, telephone, marine cable, or radio system or systems, or any part thereof, and to operate the same in such manner as may be needful or desirable for the duration of the war, which supervision, possession, control, or operation shall not extend beyond the date of the proclamation by the President of the exchange of ratifications of the treaty of peace: Provided, That just compensation shall be made for such supervision, possession, control, or operation, to be determined by the President; and if the amount thereof, so determined by the President, is unsatisfactory to the person entitled to receive the same, such person shall be paid seventy-five per centum of the amount so determined by the President and shall be entitled to sue the United States to recover such further sum as, added to said seventyfive per centum, will make up such amount as will be just compensation therefor, in the manner provided for by section twenty-four, paragraph twenty, and section one hundred and forty-five of the Judicial Code: Provided further, That nothing in this Act shall be construed to amend, repeal, impair, or affect existing laws or powers of the States in relation to taxation or the lawful police regulations of the several States, except wherein such laws, powers, or regulations may affect the transmission of Government communications, or the issue of stocks and bonds by such system or systems.

And whereas it is deemed necessary for the national security and defense to supervise and to take possession and assume con

[graphic][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed]

Upper Left-Hand Corner-Edward M. House, Personal Representative of President Wilson in Europe, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917; United States Representative, Inter-Allied Conference of Premiers and Foreign Ministers and Supreme War Council at Versailles, 1917-18; United States Delegate, Paris Peace Conference, 1919.

Upper Right-Hand Corner-Thomas A. Edison, President, Naval Consulting Board, July, 1915-.

Center-Carter Glass, Chairman, Banking and Currency Committee, House of Representatives, Sixty-Fifth Congress; Secretary of the Treasury, December 17, 1918-.

Lower Left-Hand Corner-Anna Howard Shaw, Chairman Women's Committee, Council of National Defense, 1917-1919.

Lower Right-Hand Corner-Joseph P. Tumulty, Secretary to the President of the United States, March 4, 1913-.

Government Telephone, Telegraph, Cables

429

trol of all telegraph and telephone systems and to operate the same in such manner as may be needful or desirable;

Now, Therefore, I, Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States, under and by virtue of the powers vested in me by the foregoing resolution, and by virtue of all other powers thereto me enabling, do hereby take possesion and assume control and supervision of each and every telegraph and telephone system, and every part thereof, within the jurisdiction of the United States, including all equipment thereof and appurtenances thereto whatsoever and all materials and supplies.

It is hereby directed that the supervision, possession, control, and operation of such telegraph and telephone systems hereby by me undertaken shall be exercised by and through the Postmaster General, Albert S. Burleson. Said Postmaster General may perform the duties hereby and hereunder imposed upon him, so long and to such extent and in such manner as he shall determine, through the owners, managers, boards of directors, receivers, officers, and employees of said telegraph and telephone systems.

Until and except so far as said Postmaster General shall from time to time by general or special orders otherwise provide, the owners, managers, boards of directors, receivers, officers, and employees of the various telegraph and telephone systems shall continue the operation thereof in the usual and ordinary course of the business of said systems, in the names of their respective companies, associations, organizations, owners, or managers, as the case may be.

Regular dividends hitherto declared, and maturing interest upon bonds, debentures, and other obligations, may be paid in due course; and such regular dividends and interest may continue to be paid until and unless the said Postmaster General shall from time to time, otherwise by general or special orders determine; and, subject to the approval of said Postmaster General, the various telegraph and telephone systems may determine upon and arrange for the renewal and extension of maturing obligations.

By subsequent order of said Postmaster General supervision, possession, control, or operation, may be relinquished in whole or in part to the owners thereof of any telegraph or telephone system or any, part thereof supervision, possession, control, or operation of which is hereby assumed or which may be subsequently assumed in whole or in part hereunder.

« ПретходнаНастави »