Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1869-01-06
POSTAL. TELEGRApH.Y

POSTAL. TELEGRApH.A.
:;oine OF our seif-eonstituied ,iiret-
tors Of public opinion tell rs that it
would he anti-republican To trans fer
the management of our telegrdphs
from the private companies who
HOW nionopoiize them To the Gov
ernnent of the people
To our opinion, these prophets of
EVIL are egregioasiyn ynlistaken. l. the
Post Office for the conveyance of let
ters All anti-republican institution !?
Has ii ever been used in this free
country as an instrument of despot-
ism Then, we ASK, in the name of
common sense, v hy should t,e eans.
Post Office, if used for the convey
ance OF our telegrams, endanger our
liberties . The very idet is redicu-
lous.
III the theory OF our constitution be
not entirely faIlacious, postal teic-
gruIJkty may be safely established by
Congress as one the permanent i'm
stitutiOnS OF the country. Until
that Is done, the advantages OF this
wonderful invention must be limited
in their application. Could any
number OF incorporated companies
perform the work accomplished by
our Post Office in the conveyance OF
our letters, newspapers, business cir
culars, and all descriptions of print
ed matter ? Certainly not. That
" hich, in the hands of such associa-
tions, would become n gigantic mo
nopoiy is now as aDepaftment OF the
Government, one ot the greatest
boons that could be conferred upon
the public
-. ~ To. .1.t,...
That Il uniform rate of tele}sraphy. So
small as to place it within the reach
Of our telling millions, can never be
established in any nation where the
thoug ght-charged wires are under the
control of corporations whose chief
object is to secure the greatest possi-
bic return for the capital invested.
| The tclegraphy has become a com
mercial and social necessity, ana it
is time that it was rescued from the
grasp of money-making monopolists.
If large profits can be realized by
flashing along its wires the inter-
communications Of our citizens, it IL
clearly the duty of the peoples gov
eminent to cause such profits to flow
into the public treasury. We want
to see the cost of telegraphic CORES
pondence greatly reduced and a uni .
iablished, Il on our letters conveyed
by the Post Office. This however,
! can only he effected by the GroVern-
ment assuming the control OF all the
| teiegraphic lines, now managed byVa-
/ fIous Independent corporations, and
making the Post Office the general
custodian and distributor of all the
correspondence Of the people, wheth-
! er epIstolary or telegfaphic.
! 1t is bad enough that the railroads
/ which are now the great highways
! of all civilized nations. and espe-
/ cial'y of our Western world
should be lnonopolized by compa-
/ nies, the aVarice, mismanagement,
and gambling operations of whose
! directors are disgrace 10 our boast
/ ed civilization. Let us not leave the
| conveyance of our telegraphic cor
/ respondence any longer under SINH
/ lar control. If the conveyance of
+ our letters were left in such hands,
would i0r9c weekly newspaper,
! like our own, be conveyed To any
} part Of heUnion at the merely NOM
/ inal rate of five cents per quarter.
! Would aletterw eighing notmorethan
! half an ounce be conveyed from the
| banks of the St. Lawrence To the
shores of the Gulf of Mexico, and
! from the Atlantic 10 the Pacific sea-
| board, for ; cents > And are we not
! entitled to the same advantages III
| the conveyance of our kilograms !!
| Why should not this great instru-
ment OF modern civilization be made
to ease the fiscal burdens of the peo-
/ Pile? Why should not the telegraph
post Office, establish 4 uniform rate
of postage on Geographic commune
cation, and be, at the same time, .
source of national revenue These
are important questions, and must
soon command the attention Of ouI
legislators.
Has science caught, tanned, and
harneSsed to hef chariot of progrs -
"the fiery bird OF Heaven" for the
benefit OF the whole human family,
and shall soulles9 nonopollsts limit
its uSefulness, and lay such an EN-
| barge on its services az to enrich
themselves at the expense OF The
general public
This question has been asked il
| England, and answered iii the mega
tive by the peoples representatives.
aIidNe greatl ymistakethe signs oftht
times ii Il similar indignant response
do not shortly ring through the halls
oil Congress. Secondary in import
anee only 10 comparatiy ely few
gues tions !. is that Of Postal Teie
praphy - n y Nercau tile Hour
/ nal.
EATINo Ds.--Dr. Law inestone
relating his adventures ON Lake \
A