The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-12-24
Tho Postal Observation-Disclosures u
American Eagle.

The words of Mr. Washburn, of Wisconsin,
on the postal telegraph are apt and excellent.
They have in them a downright common
sense and a respect for facts that will not
commend them to tho class Of hifalutin
patriots; but they will furnish an excellent
basis for the practical legislation that is
aimed to secure the welfare of the people and
not to make the fortunes Of jobbers. Mr..
Washburn made these cogent statements
81 claim to have shown that the United
States is the only enlightened nation on the
globe that has not taken charge of the tele-
graph system, and nearly all have made it
an appendage to the Post Office; that in the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
despatch of twenty words can be sent at q
uniform rate of one shilling to any part Of
the kingdom, distance of over seven hun
dred miles; from one extreme of France to
another, about six hundred miles, for one
franc, or twenty cents; all over Belgium and
Switzerland for half franc, or ten cents
Denmark, twelve and half cents Prussia,
from twelve and a half to thirty-seven and
half cents Sweden and Norway, any distance
for thirty cents for message of twenty words,
and one cent for each additional word that
a message may be made to contain; from
Marseilles, in the south Of France, to the north
of Scotland, distance of fourteen hundred
miles, traversing two kingdoms aud crossing
the Straits of Dover by submarine cable, for
ffty-fve cents. Yet in the face of these facts
the Chairman Of the Committee on Post Offices
and Post Roads has told this House and the
country, in solemn report, that telegraphing
in this country is the cheapest and most reli-
able in the world. Yet he could not have
failed to know that if he desired to send
despatch of twenty words to his home in ILL
nois, and was not favored with ID. H.
pass, he would have to pay So; for similar
message to the home Of the Missouri member
of that committee "a would be charged the
Michigan member, ~ 80; the New Jersey
member, 81 % the Massachusetts, member,
81 %; the Indiana member, So 90; the
Kentucky member, So 30; the Nevada men,
Der, so %, and the Oregon member, $l5 80,
or So 20 more than it would cost to send a
message Of ten words from Washington to
Constantinoplc by the Atlantic Gable and Con-
tinental lines"
Now, the worst of all this is that it is true.
We are behind the age in the use of this great
agency of modern civilization, at the very mo-
ment that we are pumng ourselves on our
progressive spirit and on the way in which we
are leading the nations, as we suppose. We
~
political advantages Of our American system
that we have well nigh deafened ourselves to
all monition and intimation that there may be
something else important as well as mans
inalienable right to vote for his alderman.
This is common consequence Of preoccupa-
tion-of the too great concentration Of attention
upon point that, after all, may not be the
vital point with regard to the happiness Of the
people. The result is that while here man is
politically free he is socially the slave of
every monopoly and in such 'downtrodden"
countries as France though individuals are
politically Of small account, they have social
freedom and Importance of which our people
do not dream The use of the telegraph is one
illustration of il. Telegraphs there are ope-
rated with view to public con-
venience; here only with view to ex-
torting the largest amount Of money
for the smallest possible service. But it is
the same in the whole circle of the arts of
life--we are behind, and far behind, the nations
over which we sometimes assume an imper-
tinent superiority because of our political inst-
tutions, which would be excellent if they were
not rottenly corrupt. In their railroads, de-
spite our furry Of magnifcence in sleeping
cars in their hotels, in their markets, in the
general administration of justice, in the gov
eminent Of our cities, the people Of Western
Europe have everything to teach us, and little
but chicanery and greedy extortion to learn
from our example.
We hope the facts that Mr.. Washburn has
SO clearly set forth may awaken the attention
of the country to this most important subject
of bringing our Geographic system up to the
spirit Of the age the more especially that
just now the great monopoly, whose hold on
the telegraph must be loosened, is manGu-
wiring in the purlieus Of Congress for con-
tinuance and extension of its power. Indeed
great care is necessary to prevent the legisla-
ton now in progress touching Atlantic cables
from resulting in that way. Mr.. Summers
bill, though satisfactory in its general spirit, is
open to the charge Of being aimed especially
at the case Of the French cable, and when it
becomes law it may be found some day that
while it binds very closely the French COM
pany yet that it is carefully worded with rela-
ton to correlative legislation to except from
its position the other cables. II Congressional
action thus dscriminates against the French
cable it is because the French company has
not yet surrendered to the Western Union