New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-02-08

would not push our inference one whit beyond
what the premises will justify: yet we trust
The Times will admit that Free Trade has not
arrested, nor even modified, the "frighttul "
increase of British Crime and Pauperism.
| A NEW TELEGRAPH STOCK FOR WHILST.
The last annual Report of the Postmaster
| General included and adopted a communication
| from Gardiner G.. Hubbard, on the subject of a
, Postal Telegraph, in which he gives the history
| of the Telegraph in the United States. He says,
among other things: Between so and 80 COM
"panies were in operation in 1850 These lines
"were constructed by parties interested in the
different patents of Morse, House, and Balm;
"competition between them was the rule. They
"were built without any comprehensive plan or
| knowledge OF the wants of the community,
wherever subscriptions for stock could be Sc
"cured or stock sold by entcrprising contrac-
"tors. The owners of the patents received
"from one-thiId to One-half of the stock issued,
| the contractor the remainder. The lines we're
| "poorly constructed. of poor materials, poorly
Operated and maintained, and were. generally
worth no more than the stock paid for
"building them. Every new enterprise has
"been projected and carried out by n set of
unprincipled sharpers whose prime object has
"been to gil their own pockets at the expense
:" of crcdulous stockholders"
The last "new enterprise of note, whose
ruin Mr.. Hubbard mentions, was the United
States Telegraph Company, whose expenses for
1866 were s7;i ,7G3 and whose earnings We're
1868 1922 Its losses that year of $lO3,3l broke
it. The line was sold. ... ,...-...-.
Our readers can now understand why it is
utterly impossible TO place new telegraph stock
on the market But Mr. Gardiner @. Hubbard
has Lit upon n scheme which he thinks will
sell half million of such stuff, and, perhaps,
many millions. He has persuaded the Post
master General TO submit to Congress "bill
"to Incorporate the United States Postal Tel
"e3raph Company, and TO establish postal
telegraph system" which is to make Hubbard
and his associates a body polite and corporate,
with perpetual succession, having power to
build and operate lines over all post roads and
routes within tho United States. There's n
chartcrl That's what the wise Mr.. Wemmyck
calls portable property The bill authorizes
the Postmaster-G General to establish postal
telegraph system, with certain provisions. The
last of these provisions Qthe cat is to be looked
for at the bottom of the mealtub) enacts, with
words of nexorabeness, thatif the Postmaster
General shall, within six months after Hub
bard gets himself and his friends chartered,
offer to make o contract with them for the
transmission of messages at prices named, "they
"shaH, on their part, make such contract" Our
sympathy for these victims of arbitrary power
eliminates in horrid doubt if we live under
free government, when we read further on
-, Al ~ NJ 4 la n
"such contract the Postmaster General shall
"have the right to require the corporation
"hereby chartered to ronew the said contract
"for another term of ten years" The section
imposes the dreadful penalty on Hubbard and
friends as body corporate of being knocked
into two DISTINGUISHED cooked hats successfully,
first for refusing to contract with the Post
master General; second, for refusing to renew
the contract for ten years When our readers
get through laughing, they will begin to feel
that Hubbard has a genius for selling tele-
graph stock. But they don't know Hubbard.
Sec. of the bin establishes his postal tele-
graph system. The first provision Of it frees
Hubbard FROM all telegrapbic service save the
very cream of the business. His postal tele-
graph is TO be set up only at railroad stations
and in cities and villages containing 5000 ill.,
habitants and upward! Surely Hubbard's
telegraph stock will sell. .-l...
The second provision brings Hubbard and
his telegraph to all mems hearts and doors by
requiring messages to be received, among
other places, ut every street letter-box. That's
accommodation! and it is simple malice to say
that commercial or financial order, or mes
sage of sickness or death, of appointment or
response, would never be thrown into lamp
post box TO wait the tardy coming of carrier
And none but. q base emissary of the Western
Union monopoly would Indignantly hint tho
immaterial quere; how many cities are there
in the. United States which possess street
lettcr-boxesf lo--l i.-- --L1 b ..l.
The 4th provision insires Especial and inn
mediate free delivery" of messages by carriers
within the limits of free delivery of letters
from post offices, &C., &c. There are 20,8S7
posto1ices in the United States. How few
people know that there are only 40 free deliv-
cry Offices Hubbard you are charming! .
1t is in the sixth provision, that with three
words, priority of transmission" Hubbard's
genius to sell q new telegraph stock flashes
for an instant with the power Of q calcium
light, The Western Union monopoly Is vul-
gar. 1t has always refused special privileges.
1t is governed by, Q couple Of mean maxims-
"eQual rights to all" aud "frst come. first