The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-12-11
The Power of Congress over Railroads
and Te1egraphs-The Duty of ur
Representatives.

The Power of Congress over Railroads
and Telegraphs-The Duty of ur
Representatives..
From the Herald.
When the Constitution Of the United States
was framed and adopted, science had not ami
hilated time and space, and brought places
thousands of miles apart into close and imme-
diate neiehborhood. There were no great lines
of canal, no railroads, no telegraphs. A travel
Ter could not be whirled away from one ex-
tlemity of the United States TO the other in a
few hours, and the people of two continents,
divide by mighty ocean, could not converse
on the instant with each other. At that time
the trainers of the Constitution deemed it wise
and proper 10 place in the hands of Congress
the power "to establish post offices and post
roads, "to provide for the common defense
and general welfare of the United States," to
regulate commerce among the several States
ard to make all laws necessary and proper for
carrying into execution these and other dele
gated powers.
Thus the whole control of the transmission of
intelligence and correspondence was placed in
the bands OF the general Government, so far
as The facilities of the age extended in order
that it might become a source OF revenue TO
the country; and stringent laws were enacted
from time TO time to prevent the evasion OF the
Post Office regulations. The construction of
raill Dads worked an entire revolution in the
mode of transmitting mail matter, and the
telegraph came into existence, and In q great
measure supplanted the Post Office altogether
Had these great improvements been known to
the world at the time the Constitution was
adopted, there is no doubt they would have
been regarded by Congress as within the scope
OF the meaning of the clauses to which we
have referred, and would have been held under
the control of the general Government as a
part and parcel of the Post Office system. But
coming into being at subsequent date, as
science pressed onward, and winning public
confidence by slow degrees, they were appro-
priated by individuals, and have since been
regarded as the legitimate objects of private
enterprise.
1t Scarcely needs an argument to show the
constitutional power of the general Govern
meIt over railroads and telegraph lines under
The provision in relations to post roads, inter-
| State commerce, and the4general welale, or the
| proprlety OF exercising that power. Every
| person leels the great public blessing OF the
! Post.Ofice system, which not only affords
means of written communication to and IRON
any part OF the world at merely nominal cost,
but insures the public that their private CORES
| pondence shall be held sacred. No person will
| deny the wlsdom and justice OF making the
transmission of mail matter source OF revenue
| to the country. This being the case, the revenue
| should not be crippled by the opposition OF the
| telegraph, nor should the facilities for the
| speedy transmission OF mails be interiered with
by the private interests of railroad corporations.
The telegraph, IN especial, should be taken out
OF the hands of individuals and made Govern
ment institution, not only because ii is rival
to the Post Office, and seriously interferes with
extravagant charges are an imposition upon the
citizens, and no private communication iu-
trusted TO ii is safe from violation. Every day
gives evidence of the treachery of telegraph
companies OF operators, and no person can no W
transmit confidential message over the wires
without feeling assured that ii the intelligence
it conveys is worth stealing, it Will be purloined
and dishonesty used before 1t reaches its desti-
nation.
1t is time for Congress to take broad and
statesmanlike views of all subjects relating to
the public veal. We are entering upon a ne W
epoch, and should cast aside all narrow W, TEN.
polizing policy, and all crippled and timid ideas
This is the age OF grand movements Of the ex
pansion OF new aud vigorous nations, and of the
annihilation and sweeping away OF once mighty
powers that venture TO stand in the way of the
great progress of mankind These are not the
days when Congress can afford to waste it,
hours in spiteful abuse OF the President or silly
and frivolous contentious over personal opinions
, The people have decided all the main issues
that now interest the country, and their verdic
! is fDal. They have swept opposition and rem0n
STRANGE alike out OF their path. The sooner Con
Press can be made to understand this, the bette
t will il be for them and for the nation. Let th
representatives OF the people take broad anC