Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-01-08

. recovery made, if the case is proven
Again, who will doubt but there ar
many men who would give q large sun
annually to be chief of the government
telegraph in our large Eastern cities
When we recolleet what fortunes mr.,
sometimes the result of few minute,
earliest possession Of news affecting
monetary values, none will ask WHY
such position would be worth intripI.
ing for and purchasing. All know The
liability of wires to get out of order. tc
oreak, to become entangled, and in other
ways rendered useless for a time. While
the telegraph service Of the country is in
the hands OF competing companies there
Is every inducement to their officers IN
shorten the time Of all such interrup-
tons. Prestige, business, dividends. all
depend upon uninterrupted lines. But
monopollzed in the hands Of government
employees. who will doubt who knows
anything Of delays in the postal service.
that the repairs Of interruptions would
be, to say the least, much slower opera
ton than 1t is under the spur of compe-
tition.
The sole good proposed to be gained is
q cheapening Of the cost Of telegraphinp
throughout the United States, because in
few closely populated and small counv
tries in Europe, telegraphing appears to
be cheaper than in this country. Is it
really cheaper? 1t must not be over.
looked that the distances in the United
States are greater between populous
towns than in Europe, and that the coun
try save IN few sections is more sparse
ly populated. The area of Belgium is
only about one-fourth the State of New
York, and it its greatest length Tx
miles, while three-fourths of its popula-
ton live within fifty miles of Brussels.
and of the four largest cities Antwerp is
reached by rail in thirty minutes. In
what section of our country is population
so condensed There the rate is ten
cents for an average distance of seye, tv-
five miles for an average message. In
the United States competition has
brought the rate to quite as low figures.
From Pittsburg to Baltimore and to
Philadelphia, distance of about three
hundred and fifty miles TO each
point the rate is only thirty cents
or about "a cents for each sew
enty-tiVe miles Of transmission. while
after night twice the number of words
can be sent for the same price. Between
New York and Pittsburgh, distance of
about five hundred miles as the wires
run, the rates are forty-five cents, or So
cents for each seVentyNfive miles of trans
mission. Between Louisville and New
York the rates are 81, and the distance
by wire is nine hundred and seventy
five miles, or ~ cents for each sew
entysfive miles. These rates have been
established through the force Of competi-
ton, not only where the distances are
fur, five and ten times greater than the
average distance Of transmission in
Europe, but where the population is on
many routes very sparse in comparison
with the dense population of Belgium,
in which nation the rates for telegraph
ing are the smallest in sum.
The rates of England, Switzerland and
France, when compared in the same mans
ner with those established by the COM
petition Of the Southern and Pacific and
Atlantic Telegraph Company of the
United States with other companies in
this country, show the same results.
In this encroachment of the govern
ment upon the avenues for the empIoy-
ment Of private capital and private enter
prise, we are but following the lead of
monarchies. In England the gov
eminent has lately monopolized the teIe~
graph by the purchase of all the telegraph
lines in Great Britain. And upon these
terms. The price paid is, first, twenty
years purchase of the net profits of the
companies, based upon the profits of each
company for the year previous to the
purchase. Secondly, payment for the
estimated aggregate value of their capi.
tai. Thirdly, compensation for the loss
Of the prospective profits of the CONS
pany on its ordinary shares. Fourthlv,
each and every officer and clerk
who has been five years in the
service Of a telegraph company will, if he
has no offer appointment from the Post
master General of equal value to that
held by him under the companies. receiye
during his life an annuity, graduated acs
cording to the number of years he has
been in the telegraph service, but eoual
to two thirds of his previous emoluments
Should the United States absorb into its
postal service the telegraph lines of this
country, it is not unlikely that the plan
of purchase would be more or less
tinctured or formed upon this ENGLISH
| method Be that as it may, it cannot
but be evident from this statement that
there is in the scheme to have the gov
eminent do the telegraphing of the
country as well as the letter carving.
sufficient opportunity for profit to make
it to the interest of telegraph officers to
favsr rather than oppose the plan. feel
free to say that as stakeholder and as
an officer representing body of stock
holders, that any absorption by the
United States government of the tele>
graphic lines OF this country under a re D..
compenSe one fourth as liberal. ought TO
on purely selfish grounds meet nv sup
port but, as a tax payer, as a com
mercial man, as a good citizen, and as one
who would see the patronage Of the gov
eminent decreased instead of enlarged.
view the proposition with apprehension,
and oppose it from principle
1t would seem to me that the whole
aspect Of the question as to the incorpo-
ration by the government of the tele>
graph with the postal service of the ra-
ton is most unfortunate. The tendency
oisuch movement would seem to be
to lessen its value for reasons stated. TIC
increase the government patronage, tC
create expenditures OF money or increase
of debt and consequent taxation there.
for, and threaten taxation to supply de
ticiencles If the lines are purchased by
the government, and if placed upon thu
contract system to eventuate in the SUD
, preston OF competition and the establish
r ment through the influence of govern
, ment of a monopoly. Left, as now. [,
competition, the result in the future will
, be in the same direction as at present. 1
a continuous reduction in rates 10 as low
point as is consistent with reasonable re
q turns for capital inveSted-and such ha
y been and is the policy Of the Souther
= and Pacific and Atlantic Telegraph Com
4 pany Of the United States.
C Paris is said to be too much crowded
l. In spite Of the increased amounts oflres