The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-02-05

the penniless and perhaps bruised and robbed
stranger from the ready benedsence or friends.
sSantal aid could go quite as swiftly.
The movement In favor OF connecting q telegraph
line with our post Office and money order system
must gain the attention and confidence OF our people
Its adoption cannot DO long delayed.
The Western Religious Community ON the
From the Chicago Christian Freeman western
Free Baptist Organ) Feb. Al
m mace the tele1ranh 1,naa "ar nc con' ro ~ the
general government. There are some c0nveniences,
that generation or two in the future will look upon
as necessities which private enterprise will not fur
nish, either because the dividends too far or or
the capital required Is SO large that it is nearly and
practically impossible to collect it, That we can
lawfully enter upon such enterprises may be
assumed from the TACT that we have already done
so In prominent instance, and the control of the
government meets with the universal approval Of
the citizens; we refer to the postal arrangements
This Is essentially different thing from q govern
ment mandatory OF pms and needles; the people ap-
precate the difference, no one finds any fault every
one comedies that 1t Is one OF the greatest OF
blessings; and yet the literal Interpretation
OF the rule that the government must not en-
gage in any business which private enterprise
win enter, and that trade should be LETT to
the regulation of the universal law OF supply and
demand, would shut up every post office in the land
The express companies viii carry our letters, and II
the government will leave the field we are very GER
tain that within fOur-and-twenty hours as many
companies will be formed to do the work which the
government has abandoned. II Is true that we
on each letter Instead Of three but this BY tie same
law, could be left to the regulation OF competition.
II the American made great thing out OF the traffic,
the Merchants Union would be formed and the price
reduced.
There are two or three things about this question
that make the difference between any such enter
prise OF national advantage and one that has in
view merely the accumulation OF profits Capital
VIII not often anticipate demand; the supply win
itself create demand. That Is to say, although II
the Territories were out OF the postal system the
revenue would exceed the expenses. and
found found to accept the management 81 the
mails, yet they would not have done
the sss or the Z q tbs r
ducton OF the postage and the opportunity OF send
ing mail matter over non-payfng lines that has
II the should desert the iighshouses IL
New York harbor there Is no question but that o
drawing its revenue from tax upon the shipping.
but no one would think OF entrusting this duty to
private hands,
There are some things that are so ~ iversal in
their benefits that 1t Is perfectly Legitimate for the
government to furnish tlem and IL is often the case
that for the rapid development OF the country
il Is necessary to anticipate the paying demand for
railroads. mail facilities, steamboat lines, &c. The
government Is the only corporation That can afford
TO wait for Its dividends. This theory has been re-
peatedly reduced TO practice, in giving large tracts
or land 10 railroads, subsidies to steamboats,, and
more lately, IN furnishing securities in aid OF the
Pacific roads.
Now the question Is. can we safely assume the
transmission OF the telcgraphic messages OF the ma
ton we do The transmission OF Its lettersS For
unately, the answer to this question does not rest
on any theory but the fact that we can do so and
ought to do 80 has been demonstrated by the ex-
perience OF Belgium. perhaps the best governed
State In Europe. Seventeen years since that coun-
~ constructed about 1000 miles OF lines, and con-
The charges were twenty cents for twenty words not
including the address, and at this rate the lines soon
10 furnish revenue to the government. IN 1875 the
price reduced to ten cents OF course there was
great falling on IN receipts, and private company
would not have dared TO FISK It, but II already begins
TO pay profit again. In two years under the ten
cent rule, the number OF inland messages grew from
94 TO $4,000 IL precisely ike the reduction
OF postage and the increase OF letters In Switzcr-
Nland the government control OF the lines has been
equally profitable and satisfactory.
What are the telegraph facilities OF the United
States, as furnished by the companies-or company,
for the western Union owns six-sevenths OF the
companies are paying dividends upon s6o,ooo,ooo
OF stock this stock Is seventy per cent above par.
There are only 10000 miles OF wire. and II
ought, according to the stock, to have cost $500
a mile; but the Western Union offered to construct
good lines for $3.50. SO 1t is seen what an
enormous profit they are reaping from their actual
investment, wnen stock that Is sxty-sIx per cent
fictitious Is seventy per cent above par. Why does
not the law OF trade step In here and furnish us
competing linef Simply because there are no COM
panies with s30000,0D0 Idle capital, and none that
can command capital enough, so that the western
points Of the law as the Merchants Express
with s20,000.000 OF stock, and backed by the
sympathy or the public was obliged 10 con-
electrician In the country Mr.. varey that the work
could be done with onehalf the number OF wires II
they were properly constructed and vt one-half the
cost With Az this poor management the net income
for the last two years II ss,20343 and the expenses
only $l5967,202. In England the cost or messages
has fallen within ten years from eighty -four cents TO
lorty-six, while In TINS country the price, averaging
then forty cents has materially advanced the result
OF consolidation Of the lines In the latter case and
special subsidy to . shilling line IN tie former. =,
u the telegraph, undu such management, VIII
yield such dividends. the government can certainly
assume II without danger OF adding 70 our current
As TO ts rish. 10 90 80 ssre can s pc e
to ocean, and finding It's way INTO every state and
Territory In the land Is every whit as much OF
NATIONAL advantage as me government mail or
We could at once reduce the expenses more than
onehalf by using the lines up TO their null capacity.
employing the posi- Office clerks Tor the tceRraphlc
business and the post once buildings for Offices, SO
that, the number Of messages remaining the same,
the government could carry them for less than one
postal arrangement, the government can safely an
ucipate the demand and reduce the tarin TO
such point that IL VIII require nearly constant
use OF the lines TO pay expenses The people Will
rapidly take advantage OF the convenience ana In
year or two IL will be a Ource OF revenue even &C
the Belgian rates OF ten cents FOR twenty words.
pated besides the important one OF cneapness. The
Atlantic, 10 nm article upon this subject TO which
we are also indebted lor some sn. q tme STA
ter carriers, now universally supcrseding the
box systcm IN our large Cities might also be en-
ployed to collect and distribute messages, as they
now collect and distribute letters. In Chicago
this would give us ak chances o day 10 send our
messages and receive them. Iy connecting the tele-
graph and the post once, the one could be made 10
assist tie oher and under the same tarir the mails
would forward the messages to points which the
telegraph did not reach rendering the line OF great
irving no be. at from H. In switzerland there
~ specs. messenger charge Of twenty