the history of the telephone-第26章

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In　thirty　years；　the　Western　Electric　has　sold　sixty…seven　million　dollars'　worth　of　telephonic　apparatus　to　foreign　countries。　But　this　is　no　more　than　a　fair　beginning。　To　put　one　telephone　in　China　to　every　hundred　people　will　mean　an　outlay　of　three　hundred　million　dollars。　To　give　Europe　as　fit　an　equipment　as　the　United　States　now　has；　will　mean　thirty　million　telephones；　with　proper　wire　and　switchboards　to　match。　And　while　telephony　for　the　masses　is　not　yet　a　live　question　in　many　countries；　sooner　or　later；　in　the　relentless　push　of　civilization；　it　must　come。

Possibly；　in　that　far　future　of　peace　and　goodwill　among　nations；　when　each　country　does　for　all　the　others　what　it　can　do　best；　the　United　States　may　be　generally　recognized　as　the　source　of　skill　and　authority　on　telephony。　It　may　be　called　in　to　rebuild　or　operate　the　telephone　systems　of　other　countries；　in　the　same　way　that　it　is　now　supplying　oil　and　steel　rails　and　farm　machinery。　Just　as　the　wise　buyer　of　to…day　asks　France　for　champagne；　Germany　for　toys；　England　for　cottons；　and　the　Orient　for　rugs；　so　he　will　learn　to　look　upon　the　United　States　as　the　natural　home　and　headquarters　of　the　telephone。



CHAPTER　IX

THE　FUTURE　OF　THE　TELEPHONE

In　the　Spring　of　1907　Theodore　N。　Vail；　a　rugged；　ruddy；　white…haired　man；　was　superintending　the　building　of　a　big　barn　in　northern　Vermont。　His　house　stood　near…by；　on　a　balcony　of　rolling　land　that　overlooked　the　town　of　Lyndon　and　far　beyond；　across　evergreen　forests　to　the　massive　bulk　of　Burke　Mountain。　His　farm；　very　nearly　ten　square　miles　in　area；　lay　back　of　the　house　in　a　great　oval　of　field　and　woodland；　with　several　dozen　cottages　in　the　clearings。　His　Welsh　ponies　and　Swiss　cattle　were　grazing　on　the　May　grass；　and　the　men　were　busy　with　the　ploughs　and　harrows　and　seeders。　It　was　almost　thirty　years　since　he　had　been　called　in　to　create　the　business　structure　of　telephony；　and　to　shape　the　general　plan　of　its　development。　Since　then　he　had　done　many　other　things。　The　one　city　of　Buenos　Ayres　had　paid　him　more；　merely　for　giving　it　a　system　of　trolleys　and　electric　lights；　than　the　United　States　had　paid　him　for　putting　the　telephone　on　a　business　basis。　He　was　now　rich　and　retired；　free　to　enjoy　his　play…work　of　the　farm　and　to　forget　the　troubles　of　the　city　and　the　telephone

But；　as　he　stood　among　his　barn…builders；　there　arrived　from　Boston　and　New　York　a　delegation　of　telephone　directors。　Most　of　them　belonged　to　the　〃Old　Guard〃　of　telephony。　They　had　fought　under　Vail　in　the　pioneer　days；　and　now　they　had　come　to　ask　him　to　return　to　the　telephone　business；　after　twenty　years　of　absence。　Vail　laughed　at　the　suggestion。

〃Nonsense；〃　he　said；　〃I'm　too　old。　I'm　sixty…　two　years　of　age。〃　The　directors　persisted。　They　spoke　of　the　approaching　storm…cloud　of　panic　and　the　need　of　another　strong　hand　at　the　wheel　until　the　crisis　was　over；　but　Vail　still　refused。　They　spoke　of　old　times　and　old　memories；　but　he　shook　his　head。　〃All　my　life；〃　he　said；　〃I　have　wanted　to　be　a　farmer。〃

Then　they　drew　a　picture　of　the　telephone　situation。　They　showed　him　that　the　〃grand　telephonic　system〃　which　he　had　planned　was　unfinished。　He　was　its　architect；　and　it　was　undone。　The　telephone　business　was　energetic　and　prosperous。　Under　the　brilliant　leadership　of　Frederick　P。　Fish；　it　had　grown　by　leaps　and　bounds。　But　it　was　still　far　from　being　the　SYSTEM　that　Vail　had　dreamed　of　in　his　younger　days；　and　so；　when　the　directors　put　before　him　his　unfinished　plan；　he　surrendered。　The　instinct　for　completeness；　which　is　one　of　the　dominating　characteristics　of　his　mind；　compelled　him　to　consent。　It　was　the　call　of　the　telephone。

Since　that　May　morning；　1907；　great　things　have　been　done　by　the　men　of　the　telephone　and　telegraph　world。　The　Bell　System　was　brought　through　the　panic　without　a　scratch。　When　the　doubt　and　confusion　were　at　their　worst；　Vail　wrote　an　open　letter　to　his　stock…holders；　in　his　practical；　farmer…like　way。　He　said：

〃Our　net　earnings　for　the　last　ten　months　were　13；715；000；　as　against　11；579；000　for　the　same　period　in　1906。　We　have　now　in　the　banks　over　18；000；000；　and　we　will　not　need　to　borrow　any　money　for　two　years。〃

Soon　afterwards；　the　work　of　consolidation　began。　Companies　that　overlapped　were　united。　Small　local　wire…clusters；　several　thousands　of　them；　were　linked　to　the　national　lines。　A　policy　of　publicity　superseded　the　secrecy　which　had　naturally　grown　to　be　a　habit　in　the　days　of　patent　litigation。　Visitors　and　reporters　found　an　open　door。　Educational　advertisements　were　published　in　the　most　popular　magazines。　The　corps　of　inventors　was　spurred　up　to　conquer　the　long…distance　problems。　And　in　return　for　a　thirty　million　check；　the　control　of　the　historic　Western　Union　was　transferred　from　the　children　of　Jay　Gould　to　the　thirty　thousand　stock…holders　of　the　American　Telephone　and　Telegraph　Company。

From　what　has　been　done；　therefore；　we　may　venture　a　guess　as　to　the　future　of　the　telephone。　This　〃grand　telephonic　system〃　which　had　no　existence　thirty　years　ago；　except　in　the　imagination　of　Vail；　seems　to　be　at　hand。　The　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