the history of the telephone-第36章

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he　very　newsboys　in　the　streets　are　crying　it。　And　while　there　is；　of　course；　no　exact　blueprint　of　a　best　possible　telephone　system；　we　can　now　see　the　general　outlines　of　Vail's　plan。

There　is　nothing　mysterious　or　ominous　in　this　plan。　It　has　nothing　to　do　with　the　pools　and　conspiracies　of　Wall　Street。　No　one　will　be　squeezed　out　except　the　promoters　of　paper　companies。　The　simple　fact　is　that　Vail　is　organizing　a　complete　Bell　System　for　the　same　reason　that　he　built　one　big　comfortable　barn　for　his　Swiss　cattle　and　his　Welsh　ponies；　instead　of　half　a　dozen　small　uncomfortable　sheds。　He　has　never　been　a　〃high　financier〃　to　juggle　profits　out　of　other　men's　losses。　He　is　merely　applying　to　the　telephone　business　the　same　hard　sense　that　any　farmer　uses　in　the　management　of　his　farm。　He　is　building　a　Big　Barn；　metaphorically；　for　the　telephone　and　telegraph。

Plainly；　the　telephone　system　of　the　future　will　be　national；　so　that　any　two　people　in　the　same　country　will　be　able　to　talk　to　one　another。　It　will　not　be　competitive；　for　the　reason　that　no　farmer　would　think　for　a　moment　of　running　his　farm　on　competitive　lines。　It　will　have　a　staff…　and…line　organization；　to　use　a　military　phrase。　Each　local　company　will　continue　to　handle　its　own　local　affairs；　and　exercise　to　the　full　the　basic　virtue　of　self…help。　But　there　will　also　be；　as　now；　a　central　body　of　experts　to　handle　the　larger　affairs　that　are　common　to　all　companies。　No　separateness　or　secession　on　the　one　side；　nor　bureaucracy　on　the　otherthat　is　the　typically　American　idea　that　underlies　the　ideal　telephone　system。

The　line　of　authority；　in　such　a　system；　will　begin　with　the　local　manager。　From　him　it　will　rise　to　the　directors　of　the　State　company；　then　higher　still　to　the　directors　of　the　national　company；　and　finally；　above　all　corporate　leaders　to　the　Federal　Government　itself。　The　failure　of　government　ownership　of　the　telephone　in　so　many　foreign　countries　does　not　mean　that　the　private　companies　will　have　absolute　power。　Quite　the　reverse。　The　lesson　of　thirty　years'　experience　shows　that　a　private　telephone　company　is　apt　to　be　much　more　obedient　to　the　will　of　the　people　than　if　it　were　a　Government　de…　partment。　But　it　is　an　axiom　of　democracy　that　no　company；　however　well　conducted；　will　be　permitted　to　control　a　public　convenience　without　being　held　strictly　responsible　for　its　own　acts。　As　politics　becomes　less　of　a　game　and　more　of　a　responsibility；　the　telephone　of　the　future　will　doubtless　be　supervised　by　some　sort　of　public　committee；　which　will　have　power　to　pass　upon　complaints；　and　to　prevent　the　nuisance　of　duplication　and　the　swindle　of　watering　stock。

As　this　Federal　supervision　becomes　more　and　more　efficient；　the　present　fear　of　monopoly　will　decrease；　just　as　it　did　in　the　case　of　the　railways。　It　is　a　fact；　although　now　generally　forgotten；　that　the　first　railways　of　the　United　States　were　run　for　ten　years　or　more　on　an　anti…monopoly　plan。　The　tracks　were　free　to　all。　Any　one　who　owned　a　cart　with　flanged　wheels　could　drive　it　on　the　rails　and　compete　with　the　locomotives。　There　was　a　happy…go…lucky　jumble　of　trains　and　wagons；　all　held　back　by　the　slowest　team；　and　this　continued　on　some　railways　until　as　late　as　1857。　By　that　time　the　people　saw　that　com…　petition　on　a　railway　track　was　absurd。　They　allowed　each　track　to　be　monopolized　by　one　company；　and　the　era　of　expansion　began。

No　one；　certainly；　at　the　present　time；　regrets　the　passing　of　the　independent　teamster。　He　was　much　more　arbitrary　and　expensive　than　any　railroad　has　ever　dared　to　be；　and　as　the　country　grew；　he　became　impossible。　He　was　not　the　fittest　to　survive。　For　the　general　good；　he　was　held　back　from　competing　with　the　railroad；　and　taught　to　cooperate　with　it　by　hauling　freight　to　and　from　the　depots。　This；　to　his　surprise；　he　found　much　more　profitable　and　pleasant。　He　had　been　squeezed　out　of　a　bad　job　into　a　good　one。　And　by　a　similar　process　of　evolution；　the　United　States　is　rapidly　outgrowing　the　small　independent　telephone　companies。　These　will　eventually；　one　by　one；　rise　as　the　teamster　did　to　a　higher　social　value；　by　clasping　wires　with　the　main　system　of　telephony。

Until　1881　the　Bell　System　was　in　the　hands　of　a　family　group。　It　was　a　strictly　private　enterprise。　The　public　had　been　asked　to　help　in　its　launching；　and　had　refused。　But　after　1881　it　passed　into　the　control　of　the　small　stock…holders；　and　has　remained　there　without　a　break。　It　is　now　one　of　our　most　democratized　businesses；　scattering　either　wages　or　dividends　into　more　than　a　hundred　thousand　homes。　It　has　at　times　been　exclusive；　but　never　sordid。　It　has　never　been　dollar…mad；　nor　frenzied　by　the　virus　of　stock…gambling。　There　has　always　been　a　vein　of　sentiment　in　it　that　kept　it　in　touch　with　human　nature。　Even　at　the　present　time；　each　check　of　the　American　Telephone　and　Telegraph　Company　carries　on　it　a　picture　of　a　pretty　Cupid；　sitting　on　a　chair　upon　which　he　has　placed　a　thick　book；　and　gayly　prattling　into　a　telephone。

Several　sweeping　changes　may　be　expected　in　the　near　future；　now　that　there　is　team…play　between　the　Bell　System　and　the　Western　Union。　Already；　by　a　stroke　of　the　pen；　five　million　users　of　telephones　have　been　put　on　the　credit　books　of　the　Western　Union；　and　every　Bell　telephone　office　is　now　a　telegraph　office。　Three　telephone　messages　and　eight　telegrams　may　be　sent　AT　THE　SAME　TIME　over　two　pairs　of　wires：　that　is　one　of　the　recent　miracles　of　science；　and　is　now　to　be　tried　out　upon　a　gigantic　scale。　Most　of　the　long…distance　telephone　wires；　fully　two　million　miles；　can　be　used　for　telegraphic　purposes；　and　a　third　of　the　Western　Union　wires；　five　hundred　thousand　miles；　may　with　a　few　changes　be　used　for　talking。

The　Western　Union　is　paying　rent　for　twenty…　two　thousand；　five　hundred　offices；　all　of　which　helps　to　make　telegraphy　a　luxury　of　the　few。　It　is　employing　as　large　a　force　of　messenger…　boys　as　the　army　that　marched　with　General　Sherman　from　Atlanta　to　the　sea。　Both　of　these　items　of　expense　will　dwindle　when　a　Bell　wire　and　a　Morse　wire　can　be　brought　to　a　common　terminal；　and　when　a　telegram　can　be　received　or　delivered　by　telephone。　There　will　also　be　a　gain；　perhaps　the　largest　of　all；　in　removing　the　trudging　little　messenger…boy　from　the　streets　and　sending　him　either　to　school　or　to　learn　some　useful　trade。

The　fact　is　that　the　United　States　is　the　first　country　that　has　succeeded　in　putting　both　telephone　and　telegraph　upon　the　proper　basis。

Elsewhere　either　the　two　are　widely　apart；　or　the　telephone　is　a　mere　adjunct　of　a　telegraphic　department。　According　to　the　new　American　plan；　the　two　are　not　competitive；　but　complementary。　The　one　is　a　supplement　to　the　other。　The　post　office　sends　a　package；　the　telegraph　sends　the　contents　of　the　package；　but　the　telephone　sends　nothing。　It　is　an　apparatus　that　makes　conversation　possible　between　two　separated　people。　Each　of　the　three　has　a　distinct　field　of　its　own；　so　that　there　has　never　been　any　cause　for　jealousy　among　them。

To　make　the　telephone　an　annex　of　the　post　office　or　the　telegraph　has　become　absurd。　There　are　now　in　the　whole　world　very　nearly　as　many　messages　sent　by　telephone　as　by　letter；　and　there　are　THIRT…TWO　TIMES　as　many　telephone　calls　as　telegrams。　In　the　United　States；　the　telephone　has　grown　to　be　the　big　brother　of　the　telegraph。　It　has　six　times　the　net　earnings　and　eight　times　the　wire。　And　it　transmits　as　many　messages　as　the　combined　total　of　telegrams；　letters；　and　railroad　passengers。

This　universal　trend　toward　consolidation　has　introduced　a　variety　of　problems　that　will　engage　the　ablest　brains　in　the　telephone　world　for　many　years　to　come。　How　to　get　the　benefits　of　organization　without　its　losses；　to　become　strong　without　losing　quickness；　to　become　systematic　without　losing　the　dash　and　dare　of　earlier　days；　to　develop　the　working　force　into　an　army　of　high…speed　specialists　without　losing　the　bird's…　eye　view　of　the　whole　situation；these　are　the　riddles　of　the　new　type；　for　which　the　telephonists　of　the　next　generation　must　find　the　answers。　They　illustrate　the　nature　of　the　big　jobs　that　the　telephone　has　to　offer　to