The Portland daily press., 1866-01-03
The Proposed New Telegraph Company.

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= nication in the Bangor Wing, in opposition te
chartering the new Telegraph Company, tc
construct line from this city eastward to tn
State line. That communication was sigree
ga. w. P," "a. W. Paine,) and, as we sup
posed, was written by gentleman largely in
terested in the existing line, and is, we think
a Director in that company also. sas -'
The argument against new line is not
new one 1t is the, same old story, that a sin
gle line can do the business cheaper than two
lines; that two lines will make double the es
pense, and the I" dear people will have *
pay this extra expense in the shape of in
creased tollsl In this year of grace sensible
man ought to blush for very shame to pu
forth such an argument. 1t is based on th.
> assumption that the people are fools an,
don't know good from evil. ''.'''- -saas1
Mr.. Paine endeavors to bolster-up his prop
.ositions by appealing to facts, and says, in sub
stance, that with the multiplied lines be
tween New York and Boston have come IN
creased rates, and that even from this city t
Boston, with competing line, the tolls have
increased fifty per cent. But Mr.. P. CAREFUL
keeps out Of sight the fact that from here east
ward, with decomposition, the increase of toll
has kept pace with the increase on the line
to which he SO triumphantly refers. The in
crease in the expenses of transmitting MESA
ges may be explained upon much more rea
sonable hypothesis than that put forth by Mr.
u Paine, but it is no part Of the present artich
to 60 into that matter. We may do so at
future time, and show, as we think can b,
concusively done, that because different. Hnes
stretch across a country, nominally under thu
control Of rival companies, there may never
theless be no freedom from monopoly. VS.
may state here that when the existing lint
was built through this state, large per cent
age of the first cost was for patent right, ani
that cost now enters into the investment
on which dividends and interest have to be
paid, if paid at all. That monopoly is now
done away with, and in putting up a new line
no tribute has to be paid for patent right
We are told that 100000 will, at present pri
ces, put up line with five wires, between
two OF our metropolitan cities, where the in
vestment Of the present company, for reasons
not necessary to explain, amounts to nearly
$1,0oo,000 1t is plain that while the new line
would coin money at low rates oftoll, the 9th
er company, with its gigantic investments and
large salaries, at the same rates, would sink
money. But we will not discuss this point
Z In Mr.. Paine's article in the Wing he uses
81 the following language:i tiaa1inilsa
40 Between Portland and Bostt 4 The compe-
L +, Al n
"a per cent above the price before. These lines
extend through a populous country and be-
tween large cities. What can be expected Of
a new line extending over SO long distance
sa and Through SO thinly settled country as lies
I'D between Portland and Calais?
s9ti The idea is here conveyed that the proposed
new line is to extend from this city to Calair,
and there to stop, to find no connections, to
70 find nothing to hook on to. It was to correct
q this false implication that we commenced this
article, There has been prevailing impress
sion, that the colonial lines, from Calais to
Halifax, and to Newfoundland. are monopo-
70 lies, made so by their char tiers, having ex-
elusive privilege for long term Of years. The
original bill chartering these lines, did CON
tain such provisions, but when they were sent
home to England for Royal approval, this en-
elusive feature acas auisely stricken out, SO that
the Provincial legislatures are at full liberty to
charter new and competing companies, and
y steps are now being taken, by men of iiriAu-
ence in the lower Provinces, to secure the re-
quisite charters, and to build lines from Calais
eastward, not only to Halifax, but to any
other point at which the European news may
be first received This will, mo doubt, be &C
complished, and the business, men of the
'a country will have an opportunity to get the
igoreign markets without that secret and ques-
u tionable mode in which they are now trans
mitted in cypher to New York, and then
sent to Boston, Portland aud elsewhere at the
IS convenience or parties In the first-named c;tv.
B Let the Legislature of Maine remember
this; that they arc asked to forge CONNECTING
link between the competing lines west of this
city and competing lines soon to be establish
ed in the Provinces, and thus redeem the tele-
graphic business of the State and New Eng
land from monopoly that has not always
been freefrom suspicious of oppression. % '1'
.Ilz va The ate Semmes was arrested at his