New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-02-18
TELEGEApRIYG BY TIE GOVERNMENT
A CARD FROM MR.. ORION.
FJifor of The Tribune.

To the Editor of The Tribune
SIR: Mr.. Gardiner G. Hubbard, In his letter
10 TIE TRIBUNE Of this morning In which nc seeks 10
oscane from the ng fragments Of his miscaed Postal
1ooah system which you recently exploded, takes a
ar,ing eing at my He calls attention to your omission
20 t,t the fact that the President of the United States
Telegraph Company. during the last four months OF us
separate operation now the President OF the western
Union Company Such being the fact permit me to ask
Mr. Uubbard-what of Does he wish 1t understood
,bat this constitutes his opinion sufficient explana-
ton OF the inability Of the United States Company TO sue
coed as separate and competing organization and that
II he had had the management OF that corporation
he could have turned its losses into protsi Or does he
that my present connection with the Western Union
Company makes 1t impossible for him to get into the
business Of telegraphng except through the Intervention
OF COngress He accepts correct my statement before
the House Committee on Post Offices that all the tee
graph companies competing with this "are losing money
and that their failure is certain shutdown" He also
ndOrses THE TRIBUNEs statement that sit is utterly I'm
possible to place telegraph stock on the market"
These important admissions naturally prompt the in.
qulry II private companies managed with skill and
economy unable to realize profits from the telegraph
business tho present rates. how does he expect to do
so by charging half these raesi Tho inevita
be The Government expected to pay from the Treas
ury the Expenses which existing companies are COM
PEELED to defray from their receipts IT, therefore, tele
graphing only be cheapened to the few by imposing
additional taxes upon the many, the inquiry becomes
pertinent whether 1t is advisable TO increase those taxes
beyond the actual Of the service so as to enable Mr.
Hubbard pet corporation to make 10 per cent dividends
Mr.. Hubbardisays his system" is the only which
has received the approval Of the PostO6ce Department
1t true that PostmasterGener Randall af xed his
official signature to letter to Congress- which letter is
presumed TO have been written by Mr.. Hubbard, and
transmits herewith another letter over Mr. Hubbards
signature and that these literary samese Twins do
that tho charitable and conhdng disposition of the
Postmaster General imposed upon, otherwise no
could have indorsed and made his OF the
egregous plumbers OF the Hubbard report And
here LET me remark that since the report to Congress OF
Postmaster General DENIM in 1906 against tho
practcabty Of connecting the telegraph with the Postal
service does not appear that Congress has requested
any opinion from the PosOice Department the sub
ject.
And 1t is lstle singular that It did not occur TO Mr.
Randall that possibly some information concerning the
telegraph business might DO obtained from those
gagged in It, 1t is a curousifact however that such
sources OF information carefully avoided and his
application addressed exclusively TO Mr. Hubbard who
had neither experience practical knowledge OF the
business and who is unable to give information touching
its statistics.
In Mr.. Hubbards letter to Gen. Randall, transmitted by
the latter 10 Congress- he states the number OF letters
passing through the postoices since the transmission
by rail commenced has increased in this country" from
4OOO00 to 100 100000" 1t is reasonable to assume that
the number Of letters passing through the mails during
given period will not exceed the whole number Of
stamps and stamped envelopes OF all denominations
issued during the same period Tile number Of these
issued for the year ending June 80 1896 was 2329i0O
For the year ending June So 1861 S3l5sOOO being an
average OF 3ls00OO00 per annum instead OF 720O0O0
But the actual number OF letters transmitted is undoubt
eddy much below this average, the consumption Of
stamps in payment Of postage upon books parcels and
letters OF unusual weight, is very considerable
This is sample brick Of tho plumbers with which the
letterreport is filled.
Mr.. Hubbard says his bill authorizes the Postmaster
General TO establish postal telegraph offices under his
system" lin addition to the places having five thousand
Inhabitants and over at such other places the lines
wires the business of the country may from time
TO time demand" He omits to state, however, that
his componyts Obliged deray any part Of the expenses
of the Offices ereept at places harin9 The re 9housdnd in
habiantS, and that at all other places the WhoIe eTpense
,coud be betrayed by the Post Ogfee Department. Vhte all
0e telegraph receipts WOuld accrue 10 Mr.. HUBBARD,
Under this system" of "penty to get and nothing to
give" he is justified expectation Of fair dridends
10 me contracting company" although not so clear
the small net TO the Posonice Depart
ment," except that IL would certainly be small
The scheme of Mr Hubbard stripped Of hs verbiage is
simply this The telegraph service IN the United States
is being done as cheaply aud well private enter
tition can do it, and 1t is therefore idle for
him TO embark in the business rs an additional
competitor with any expectation OF profit. IL.
however. he can induce the Government TO give
him right of way for lines through all the States
and defray large portion OF the heavy expenses Of
and operating them he can make money
But order to conceal such purely selfish motives IL IL
necessary TO give the scheme veneering OF pausiby
and Of pblanhropyby promising large reductions III the
charges the public BY cOnniDg these reductions TO
the small volume Of business which, for the sake Of
cheapness, 10 willing TO be delayed, full rates may be
realized from the larger portion
Perhaps Congress can be wheedled into partnership
in such job but shall not believe 1t until it ia fact
accomplished Tho avocations which men choose for
livelihood usually selected either matter Of taste
or OF necessity The right Of citizen TO stand at tho
OF Congress- with PALM asking for aid to start
IN business cannot be questioned whatever may be said
the taste which chooses such occupation.
But suggest whether II decorous the petitioner
TO endeayor to conceal his true character and pur
poses under the cloak Of philanthropy and TO become
the assaant Of private character and interests under
the assumption Of desire to redress alleged public
grievances which have applied for no relief am, very
respectfully &C. WILLIAM ORION.
OGee Of he Western Union Telegraph Company No. 1l5
Broadpap, Eeb- York. Feb. 10. 1869.
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THE ONO STEAMBOAT DISASTER.