Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-09-26
TELEGRAPHY.
American and European Teiegraphs
Compared. Mo. d.

To Col. James Coleman. Superintendent
W, L, Telegraph Co., Memphis:
Dear SIR l have heretofore chiefly
considered the comparative advan-
tages of the telegraph, as conducted
by private enterprise, aud the evils
that must necessarily result from a
Government monopoly and manage
ment Of the same. This a led into
the examination of the systems, as
thew exist i'm Europe and America, the
former having absorbed to itself the
absolute disposition, management
and regulation of this great interest,
as it has every other important and
vital matter, while the latter has
wisely deyOlYed its control upon indi-
vidual and associated effort, both act
ing in accordance with the genius of
its institutions. 1t is difficult to sever
the principle of controlling one inter-
est from that Of controlling any other.
The same reasons which would rem
der it expedient to place the owner
ship of telegraphs in the Government
would surrender the railroads into the
same hands. In Europe those e
sons probably are the jealousy of every
power which exercises the least indie
pendence Of the Government, and the
apprehension that it may become an
instrument or an auxiliary in spread
ing too liberal and enlightened a spirit
among the masses. The telegraph is
a power-the railroad is a power.
Modern civilization demands that they
be fOstered. But the daspQtism of Eu-
D political institutions requiers
that they be so fostered as to increase
the power of the Government, as in
Belgium. Hence Belgium owns and
manages them both.
But no such reasons exist in the
United States, A Constitutional Re-
public extends the freedom of its citi-
zens as far as may be done without
restricting the general welfare. Indi-
vidual enterprise, competition, energy,
talent and capital, are encouraged to
achieve the highest possible results.
In the light of these known and car
dinal points of the two systems, it
may be profitable to inquire what has
been the comparative progressive de-
veIopment Of the telegraph under each
ofthem, considering this development
in respect to the number of persons en-
ioying its adyantages-the tariff or
rates of telegraphing-the extent OF
territory covered by their lines, and
the equal opportunities afforded to all
classes to communicate by their wires.
/ think ] have already clearly shown
that the portion of the people who.
depend upon the public press for their
information enjoy superior adVanta-
ges, under our existing system, since
the cheapness ofthe press dispatches
being only db0m ElUO mills q UOrd-
enables the proprietOrs of newspapers
in the United States TO furn-
ish two millions more of mes
sages than the Continental or Euro
pean telegraph furnishes to every des-
cription of its patrons.
1t only remains, therefore, TO deter.
mine how far this tendency of the
American system of telegraphing to
cheaper its tariff and extend its bene-
fits, with regard to press dispatches,
bears an analogy to the messages
which are received by individuals; OF,
dispatches stand ON the same footing
of newspaper messages.
Before, however, proceeding to this
inquiry we may remark that the bill
of Mr.. WashburDe, initiating the
movement OF a postal telegraph, pro-
vides for a tariff OfOne cent a word for
each dispatch, adding three cents for
postage and two cents for delivery,
and making a reduction of only fifty
per cent, for press reports. This rate
would increase the average cost of
news mOret than three hundred per cent,
as any n can see by estimating the
difference between the present rates of
reports 1.-TWO mills a word) and
those proposed by Mr.. w. am told
by telegraph men that this new rate
would levy an extra tax upon the
newspapers Of a million of dollars ev-
cry year. From its operation, we
probably see the number of
reports diminish to the scanty
portion doled out to the press of Eu-
Returning to the question of private
kilograms, and beginning with the
tarif, it is asserted by the Western