Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 40 Part 2.djvu/482

 PROCLAMATIONS, 1918. 1807 BY THE PRESIDENT or THE Umrnn STATES or Amnmoa. my 22, ““8· A PROCLAMATION. lVhereas the Congress of the United States, in the exercise of the pxiiiii%iii1r¤ii1d mi} constitutional authorit vested in them, by joint resolution of the P"”‘“‘b1°‘ Senate and House of ltepresentatives, bearing date July 16, 1918, Smumy wmomg resolved I · tion. That the President during the continuance of the present war “m°’P' M 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, tele hone, marine cable, or radio system or systems, or any part tliiereof, and to operate the same in such manner as may be needful or desirable for the duration of the war, which supervision, ossession, control, or operation shall not extend beyond the gate 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 su ervision, possession, control, or operation, to be determined gy the President; and if the amount thereof, so determined by the President, is unsatisfacto to the person entitled to receive the same, such person shallrlbe paid seventy-five per centum of the amounf so determined by the President and shall be entitled to sue the United States to recover such further sum as, added to said seventy-five per centum, will make up such amount as will be just compensation therefor, in the manner provided for by section twenty-four, para- ` a h twenty, and section one hundred and forty-five o the giidlicial 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 re ation to taxation or the law ul 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 control 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 ,t§f"§g°{Z‘§”5; Si" United States, under and by virtue of the 1-powers vested in me by the g*g{·_§*m8°{*,;*,h°f'{}’,{*,*,“?$ foregoing resolution, and by virtue of a other powers thereto me Sycamenabling, do hereby take possession and assume control and supervision of each and every telegraph and telergione system, and every part thereof, within the jurisdiction of the nited States, including all equi ment thereof and appurtenances thereto whatsoever and all materials and supplies. Admmismmm by It is hereby directed that the supervision, possession, control, and me reeumsm emeoperation of such telegraph and telephone systems hereby by me °“· undertaken shall be exercised by and throu h the Postmaster General, Albert S. Burleson. Said Postmaster (general may perform the duties hereby and hereunder imposed upon him, so longland to such extent and in such manner as he shall determine, throug the owners, macnagers, board of direictors, receivers, officers, and employees of sai te evra h and tele Ane svstems. . Until slndpexcept so fir as said Postmaster General shall from time to time by general or special orders otherwise provide, the owners, °m° *°°°' 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