The New York herald., 1869-03-20
THE OCEAN rnRcalPn Monopoly NIL.

WAABIN0IOHy AWICu 1cs loO4s
did hope that the tboroush exposure Of the
EFFORTS made In the last Congress to prevent the
Franco-Amsrican Telegraph Company nom landing
their cable on American shores would be sufncient;
but the telegraph monopolists are not easily dscour-
aged, for find them at their old tricks again with
renewed vigor ana assurance. An attempt was
made on Thursday BY Senators Sumner and Chandler
to smuggle through Q bill that II passed viii give
the present cable company the monopoly OF the tele-
graph business between Great Britain and the United
States for twenty years, and perhaps prevent the
landing OF any other cable whatever.
The whole OF the ocean telegraph imbrogno
amounts to just this:-The Franco-American Tele-
graph Company has as is well known. Q cable nearly
ready which 1t proposes TO lay between the
shores OF France and the United States commencing
next May or June. The friends OF the "Pioneer
cable" are putting forth every possible EFFORT 10
strange the new enterprise. The first plan was the
introduction Of resolution declaring that COM
pany should land cable the shores OF the United
States without first obtaining the consent of Con-
gress. II the monopolists could have got this extra
ordinary resolution through there would have been
no trouble in preventing the Franco American Com
pany from getting the required permit this spring,
which would have postponed the laying OF the cable
q year and perhaps broken up the company. The
swindling resolution was, however, tomanawked by
the HERALD, and the monopoists resorted to scheme
number two, which was q bill to authorize the New
York and Newfoundland and London Telegraph
Company to land Its cable upon the shores or the
United States This right the company already en-
joys in common with the right TO engage In any other
honest business enterprise. They have the same
right to land their ca0e as they have TO land
steamer, and the same right to engage In the trans
mission OF news by telegraph as any other business
II the thimble-rig bill could be got through its
managers would be swift to assume that the French
company could not land Its cable without similar
permission. which they would take good care not to
have granted. -Sk
BILL very restrictive in its pr0vslons-Mr Fessenden
says-permittng the landing OF cables In the United
States by any foreign company, on c0ndition that
similar privileges are accorded to cable corporations
organized here. Az first sight this appears entirely
fair but 1t win be at once seen that It works great
injury to the French company; for while the two
governments are arranging for reciprocal privileges
the Great Eastern, chartered by the company to lay
Blowers: 80 ssse - .s .- 80 - -. - -
The monopolists have still another object in this
legislation. The existing telegraph company has
monopoly Of the business in Great Britain for twenty
years. The passage Of the reciprocal bill would break
up that unless the pending bill is previously passed.
Senator Fessenden thinks that the "P1oneer Com
pany" should be excepted from the law that ne pro-
poses to enforce against all others The people VIII
be apt to think otherwise.
Senator Stockton greatly disturbed the Sumner
Chandler scheme by an amenument extending the
proposed privileges to all cable corporations, with
out regard to race or color" The only thing to be
done Is to let well enough alone dozen cables
could find abundant employment at remunerative
prices All corporations that desire to do 80 should
shores as they can find money to pay for subject
OF course, to the ordinary laws OF the land.
No legislation whatever Is needed least OF all
such neiarous schemes that attempted by Senator
Sumner the nth inst. IL Is worse than his Mas
sachusetts war claim Job OF 1872.