The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-12-21
Tae Goveraucnr and tue Te,egrupr,.

and unite it with the Postal Department is
composed wholly of the officers, employees
and agents of the Western Union Com
pany, which at present enjoys monopoly of
the telegraph business over great portion of
the United States. In England the opposition
to the government plan came from similar
source. The Board Of Trade and Chambers
of Commerce, as commercial bodies, the great
bulk Of merchants and traders who were most
in the habit OF using the telegraph, the press
and the people generally favored the govern
ment system, while the presidents, managers,
tractors and inside rings of the private COM
panies were loud in its denunciaton. The
principal legitimate arguments of the oppo-
siion are the same here as they were there
that the management of telegraph business
for the entire country would be so expensive
that it would swamp the government and prove
a great burden on the people; that it is unde-
srable to put SO great power as the control
OF the telegraph lines in the hands of the gov
eminent, which is always held by one or other
of the political parties that our government
ought not to become monopoiist to the exclu-
sion Of private enterprise, and that it is unjust
to those who have put their money, time and
intellect in the perfection of telegraphing to
take the business now out OF their hands.
1t might be sufficient answer to all these
objections in body that they have been en-
countered before in other countries and that
practical experience has shown them to be
wholly unsubstantial. But the additional
argument is used by the monop oly's lobby that
inasmuch as in the United States we have
much larger territory to cover, as our lines
and stations are more numerous and our dis
tances greater, the case of the English tele-
graph cannot be accepted as fair comparison
with that Of our own. There is, how
ever, no novelty in this objection.
1t is precisely the same as was taken
by the English opposition, who argued, in
reply to the successful experience of other
countries, that in no essential particular was
there any analogy between the telegraphing
of England and that of Belgium, Switzerland
and other Continental governments for the
reason that in Switzerland there were only
about one-tenth as many telegraphic stations
as those of single company in Great Britain
and that the Swiss had not as many thousand
miles of wire as Great Britain had millions.
England, now no longer an experiment, is
certain to prove more remunerative, as well as
more advantageous, to the people than that of
any other European country. The same re-
suits would follow the adoption of the govern.
ment system in the United States. There are,
indeed, obvious reasons why it should prove
far more beneficial here than in Europe. In
England the private companies were con-
Quoted on a more popular basis than are
those of our own country and afforded far
Parliament had taken the most jealous pre-
cautions against the establishment of mo-
nopoly Of the telegraph business, had pro-
NOTED competition by friendly legislation and
positively prohibited the federation Of the sew
eral companies. The most effective argument
had uniformly dealt with the tclegraphic COM
munication as a thing which, in the interest of
the nation, would be best promoted by compe-
tition, and had absolutely enacted laws to pre-
vent the possibility of the companies uniting
and establishing the monopoly which it was
claimed the government desired to obtain I'M
der the new system. The tariffs were regu-
lated and the dividends limited by law, and
the interests Of competing companies COM
PEELED them to afford good facilities to the
order to command business. In the construc-
ton of lines, in insulation and in the adoption
Of improved processes or instruments the Eng
lish corporations were far more liberal and en-
terprsing than are our own. It followed as
consequence that the use of the telegraph was
comparatively well extended throughout Great
Britain and that there was not believed to be a
particularly wide field for the increase of bust
ness by means OF reduced rates and improved
facilities. In the United States single com
pany has laid its grasp upon the tele-
graphic business Of the country and the
monster monopoly already exists which
is nothing better than chartered lib
ertine. The interests of the people are dis
regarded; exorbitant rates are extorted to
meet the demands Of fictitious capital and ex-
travagant management; the voice of the press
is stilcd insufficient facilities are afforded and
the wires are VIGOROUSLY used for purposes OF
private speculation to the injury of the public.
Through the existence of these abuses the
general use of our telegraph is limited to men
Of large capital, and the great engine of
commerce, which should be public
blessing, becomes public evil. The
advant ages of the government system
would therefore be enhanced q hundred
fold in this country, where the great
distances render telegraphc communication Of
far more necessity and value than in Europe,
and xvhera tho sunesior enternr;so o.J,cat;or