The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-02-04

Tho Telegraph-Freo Trade or Monopoly.
The first electric telegraph operated in the
United States was opened between Baltimore
and Washington in lS44-tyelve years after
Professor Morse had perfected and practically
applied the electromagnetic agency-and
since that time the wires that now play so
prominent part ia the progress of the world
have been extending over the whole country,
stretching along thousands and tens of thou
sands of miles, until at the present moment
there is scarcely village or hamlet from tho
Penobscot to tho Golden Gate that is without
its little clicking oracle and its operator yersed
in the mysterious language of electricity, to
convey to the wondering population instanta.
neous Information of the exciting political
events In our own land, or of the troubles,
changes andconvnlsions In the far-off countries
OF Europe. The changes which have been
wrought in every pursuit of life, and especially
in the newspaper press, through the agency OF
the electric telegraph, are very great, and can
only be properly appreciated by those who
can remember and recall the days when we
were without the aid of this swift messenger
over the length and breadth of the land. Still
the business Of telegraphing in the United
States is not yet out Of its infancy, and our peo
pie have yet to experience its full benefit when
properly controlled and effectively applied.
The character Of our government has
been one difficulty in the way of thor
ough telegraphio system. Lines have been
chartered by States and built piecemeal
iIot al
under single company at prices largely
above their actual value. A monopoly
has thus been secured only at heavy expense,
and the necessity OF charging correspondingly
high rates for messages has induced the parties
controlling it to continue to buy up all oppo-
| sition lines as fast as they have been started
in order to prevent any competition in tariffs.
The knowledge that the monopoly must get rid
of rivals at any cost has melted Spectators to
start all manner of wildcat lines for the pur-
pose of selling thom out at their own figures !;
and thus the original stockholders in good pay
ing companies have seen their stock watered
| by means of these constant cons olidations and
blackmail operations until their once valua-
BILE interest has dwindled away to nothing.
Nearly the whole telegraphic business Ct the
country was concentrated some time since by
| such means as we have described ia the hands
OF the Western Union, and business men were
for while entirely at the mercy of that COM
| pany. The cost Of construction of the Western
Union lines being thus about four or five times
as much as they are actually worth, in conse-
| quence OF repeated OUTLAWS to get rid Of oppo-
the managers Of the monopoly have extorted
from the business public tariff about three
or four times as high as the legitimate cost of
telegraphng' ought to be. They have also
made repeated efforts to control the daily
press of the country, and tho association of
newspapers for telcgraphic news was originally
designed for mutual protection against the
attempted extortiOns and abuses of the te!e-
| graph companies.
The public will be glad to learn that there
are now successful opposition lines in working
| order to nearly every point Of consequence
reached by the extravayant Western Union
monopoly, and that there Is good
prospect that telegraphic messages will
soon be sent from one end Of tho United
and with far more reliability and despatch
than at the present time. Two or three excel
lent opposition lines, including the Frank
lin Union and Bankers and Brokers', are
working to Washington. Tho Franklin Union
is rapidly extending lis communications east
and west; The Atlantic aud Pacific company
stretches away 10 Cleveland and Chicago,
touching every point of consequence in this
and other intervening States; the Pacific and
Atlantic reaches Cincinnati and Louisville
from Philadelphia and connects with an indie
pendent Southern line, forming in conjunction
with the Franklin Union an admirable line
from this city all over the South and South
west There are, therefore, now but few points
that cannot be reached by The opposition COM
panies. and all who use them speak in good
terms of their reliability, accommodation and
despatch There 10 no doubt that we shall
soon have consolidated opposition lines oil
over the United States, and a corresponding
reduction in prices that will render telegraph
| ing no longer an expensive luxury and an
undue advantage AZ the command Of capital
| only, but a general method Of transaciing
| business such as all men can avail themselves
| Of The press will also feel tho great advnn-
tage Of a healthy competition and under Its
influence will realize the full benefit Of sys.
| tenn which il destined 10 work Ia the future
| still greater wonders than it has accomplished
! in the past
The Famine In Northern Africn.
| The latest appeal Of the United States Con.