The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-06-09
OUR TELEGRAPHIC LINES-THE GREAT OCEAN
TELEGRAPH

OUR TELEGRAPHIC LINES-THE GREAT OCEAN
TELEGRAPH
The public at large are not familiar as the news
paper press with the abuses, favoritism and unfair
that may be practised by managers of the tele
graph These telegraphic enterprises of our modern
day present all the odious features of monopoly and
in our country. where there is free trade and free
competition in almost everything, the public are
little acquainted with the odious nature of monopoly.
From the very nature of the case nearly all the ele-
graphic lines Of the country are close monopolies,
and those who have to deal with them must needs
do the character of patrons which they bear to all
other enterprises, and assume the character of
dependents for favors.
We publish in another column, from the Phladel
phia Ledger, a timely rebuke and exposure OF some
of the tricks of the telegraphic managers not
account Of any peculiar gravity in the particular
abuses thus exposed, but rather as showing the
nature of the annoyance and injury which the pub
lie may be made to suffer by the practices Of these
managers. Our own experience, too confirms the
statements Of the Ledger; for when effort was
made by this Office on Friday night last to obtain
some intelligence from New Orleans, our messenger
was informed that the line Of communication was
broken and this was tho statement given out in
this city throughout Saturday and Sunday although
it now appears that there were at least Two lines
open during all that time. 1t is easy to see what
great injury and loss may be inflicted upon the pub
lie by the agency Of the telegraph. When any event
happens that would materially affect prices, for in
stance, dishonest operator may sell the information
for handsome price to favored individual, and
tho public at largo BIO made to pay the loss or lose
the advance in prices which the dissemination of
the intelligence would produce. OF all monopolies
which we can conceive, there none more odious
and that can be made more generally injurious to
the public, than the monopoly of intelligence
Apropos of tclegrsphs, it may be well to advert
to the new features that have been given to the
great Atlantic telegrsphic enterprise by recent British
legislation Our own Congress had appropriated a
stipend Of seventy thousand dollars year to the
company which had undertaken this great enter
prise. in the thought that the company was cosmo-
politan, and not merely British. II added to this
liberal munfcence to an enterprise that would
not touch our own jurisdiction, and had both Of its
termin British SOIL by sending two Of our finest
vessels ofwar to aid in laying down the telegraphc
cable Since these acts of hberaity on the part of
our Congress, the British Parliament has most mate
rally changed the whole character Of the enterprise
thus favored. Whichis to be managed not by an in
dependent company Of capitalists, even of British
capitalists but to be exclusively under the control
Of tho British Crown. There 10 the semblance of
company, and the automaton Of board Of directors
appointed by it, but these directors arc not to re-
ceive commissions except by the assent Of Lords
Commissioners of the Grown, and when commissioned
are to DO allowed to perform no act except by per-
mission Of Crown director armed with an arbitrary
veto. We publish from tho Boston Courier some
timely and just reflections on these features Of
the great ocean Geographic enterprise.
The facts recited by the Courier have probably