Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-08-31

]
A PORTION of the Northern press,
not under the influence of the great
telegraph monopoly, is earnestly
urging the Importance of government |
c0ntrOl.s A reason of no little import
ance is that the prices charged by it
are three times too high. Another
reason is that it is controlled by parti-
FANS in the interest of party, and ex-
erts a very great and almost controls
ing effect on elections, enabling the
"wire workers" to control events,
where there is anything like a balance
of parties, to suit their own schemes
and purposes. a third reason is that
it is in the hands of the Northern
bondholders and capitalists, and is
used for speculative purposes, and to
enrich the propFietOrs and their
friends, at the expense of the meT-
chants, capitalists and masses of the
people of the country. As these
significant facts are more and
more developed, influences are
beginning, more and more,
to augment and concentrate
against the injurious monopoly. A
cry is raised in answer that govern
ment control Will be stiIl more per-
nicious and even dangerous to liberty,
But the answer is ready enough, that
nothing can exceed the evils of the
present system. and that there is no
difficulty about guarding by law to all
theextent necessary to prevent abuses.
It is the duty of the Government to
put down all injurious ~monopOlies, to
all the extent of its power.
The telegraph is only useful for the
communication of that which has too
much importance to wait the ordinary
course of the mails. The matter sent
to the Southern press is trash in that
sense, and to so large an extent, that
if faithfully winnowed, the wheat
which would remain might be
sent by special kilograms, at
the exOrbitant rates Of private
dispatches, and the press would save
money by it. This is a burden to the
whole people, who must return the
outlay. The people, as well as the
public journals, would be benefited by
the destruction of this monopoly at
some rate or other. If the Govern
ment at Washington intends to deal
with useful reforms instead of parti-
IAN politics, and the maintenance Of
usurpations having no fruit but the
continuance of strife, ii will take this
matter in hand at an early period after
the meeting of Congress.
The New York Herald mentions, as
a new and remarkable invention, an
automic system Of self-telegraphing
power, which will multiply eight or
ten times the facilities of telegraphic
communication 1t also adds that
I" the Government will be asked to
test this invention and to take control
of and use it for the public good"
Welcome the day. The Herald says:
Congress never did a better thing than
when 1t appropriated thirty Thousand dol
lars for putting NJ and testing hemagne-
tic telegraph line between Washington
and Baltimore. What wOndeful results
have followed Yet the opposition was so
great that il took five years-that is, from
1888, when the Committee on Commerce
| first reported the bill, till 1913, when it
/ was finallypassed and signed by the Pres
ident-to get this Insignificant sum for try
my the greatest invention then of the age.
Let us hope our present Congress will
prove itself more enlightened. II shOnld
pass at once on reassembIing Mr.. Wash
burne's bill apprOpriating sixty thousand
| dollars for IN experimental postal tefe-
graph line between New York and Wash
ingtOn, with an addition of any other sum,
if necessary, to test on such line the new
automatic system.
The object of the new p~roprietors is
to place the whole telegraphic system
of the country under Government con-
troll. The inventor proposes to con-
meet it with the general postal system.
No man will now contend that the
postotiice should be in private hands.
Yet, the change to Government con-
troll met the same opposition when it
was made that this new scheme is
likely to do now. The telegraph is
now used almost as commonly as the
mails, and the same reasons which
have induced Governments to take
charge of communications by letter,
exist and grow more and more strong
daily why the telegraph should be
under the same control. Experience
has proved that the control of one is
harmless, and it will equally do so
with that of the other. The Herald
concludes a labored discussion of this
matter as follows:
But there is another and very impor-
tant view to be taken of the use and pow
er of the teiegEaAk and the necessity Of
its being under4 DYernment control. II
must becOmethe great regulator of COM
merce, of financial operations and of ex-
change Esu-wlL take. the trouble to
write letters and wait the slow process OF
the mails when the facilitieso of telegraph
ing are increased eight or ten fold. The
-