The New York herald., 1870-03-03
rae ANT!.MOSGP0LY TELEGRAPH SYSTEM
In EUROPE.

Its Practical Operations-Ra,es for Messages
in Various Parts OF Europe liner oAscd
InBiness from Low Prices.
AS early as the year 1921 Mr.. stephen Grey, OF
London made some experiments by which ne dis
covered that intelligence could be transmitted over
wires BY electricity. During the years 1882 DR..
Bishop, also OF London. made further experiments
and succeeded in operating through 10000 feet OF
wire. DR.. Franklin made similar experiments in
Philadelphia about the same time. In 1853 Mr..
Charles Marshall, OF Renfrew. Scotland, invented o
telegraph instrument differing very little principle
from the one invented and made q success some
eighty wears afterwards by Professor Morse. Mr..
Marshall's instrument Ii described at some length
In . communication dated Renfrew, February /,
1853, and published the Scots' Magazine OF that
year, vol. Nv, page 7a We read Of Spanish engl-
neer named Bertancourl, who, in 1856. had built
line twenty-five miles IN length connecting Madrid
with Aranluez. In 1896 Spanish doctor named
Saliva invented On electric telegraph apparatus.
A number OF Inventions. SAID TO be capa-
bic OF transmitting intelligence BY electricity,
were submitted to the Emperor Napoleon l., buL,
being In advance Of the age, rejected useless
and vslonary and 1t remained for Professor s. +. b.
Morse, OF New York. to invent the first instrument
capable OF writing legibe characters, at great dis
tancc from the operator. by means OF electro mag.
netlsn. The first successful electric telegraph was
established between Washington and Baltimore IN
July, 1874 In tve years We had built upwards OF
100 900 miles are In operation III the United States
Though we started far In advance Of Eur0peAn
countries, and were not hambered IN any respect,
our telegraph facilities are now far inferior to the
poorest III all Europe. Tho ruling principal held by
foreign governments has boen that telegrapnic
resD0ndencs IL analogous 10 the TRANSMISSION OF let
ters through tue post office. Indeed, the importance
OF possessing permanent ana reliable OF teie-
graphic communication - considered u greater than
vice. With few exceptions OF small import
ance and OF mere local interest Gin Italy and
" fhA tnln Vonh ualrAa
and exclusive control or tho respective governments
throughout the Continent OF Europe and In most OF
the States H. works hand In hand with the post
Ofice. England alone STOOD for long time IN Oppv
sitl0n to the postal system, cnGtng with character
istlc enacity 70 tho monopoly system OF the United
public service and the demands OF public opinion
wrought the desired change. The subject was
brought before the British Parliament; the Western
Unions OF Greas Britain had q fair sad impartial
hearing, the same "a they are now having here; and
s!sogs.nsr the mater was M sxnaustivsy argued BE-
press urgently petti0ned IN favor Of the change.
Nearly ali OF the Chambers Of commerce and kin
dred associations in Great Britain urgently recon-
mend ~ The experience OF Continental Europe
was cited ~ the strongest evidence in favor OF the
change, which, after most searching investigation,
was nnally made.
1t Is expected that the antLmonopoly system viii
be fairly inaugurated In Great Britain BY the rst Of
July next. Tnc old m0nop0lists die hard and may
be expected 10 give the peoples system trouble
before II gets iairy into operation. fair cOmpar
snx tno results Of the monoDosts Concern ~ the
United States side by side with those OF the antimo-
nopoiy system In Continental Europe. In Belgium
despatch Of twenty words can be sent rom any point
to another for ten cents and experience has proved
tnat each reduction IL certain to be accompanied
with increased revenue and profit. The Belgian 0ni-
argument that the cost Of conducting an increased
business cannot TO covered by an Increased
Ten cents pay the cost Of transmitting message of
twenty words from one part TO any 0tner OF Sw tier
land telegraph station being Attached 70 nearly
every post once
A despatch from BeYns to Paris costs sixty cents,
TO Marsslles sixty cents. to venna eighty cents to
81 40, and .Constantinope 81. In 1854 the number
Of messages sent IN Switzerland averaged nfty-four
for every 1000 Inhabitants. reduction OF eighty
per cent IN the cost OF transmitting increased the
number to 431 messages for each 1000 inhabitants.
SO much for Switzerland In France message OF
twenty words can be sent throughout tho empire, lr
respective OF distance. for twenty cents ana from
cents. In 1852 . message or twenty words from
Parls to Marseilles cost ~ IS. Two years ago the
ratio was reduced to twenty cents, and IL has been
found to WORK 30 satisfactorily thar further reduc-
ton II in contemplation. The increase or business
obtaned by the liberal course Of the French govern
has enabled IL to extend the telegraph into the
moat remote rural districts OF the empire
judged By any standard OF comparison the tolc-
graph service rendered by the western Union mon
Opoly Ia twenty years behind continental Europe.
To thoso who are acquainted with the working Of
the post once 1t has long been manifest that the
electric telegraph II subject to The samo gene
raj laws rs the working OF cheap postage, ana
antl-mon0poy telegraph systema should impart ad-
ditlona steength TO the argument IN Isvor OF Inc
immediate abolition Of the western UNION m0R'
opoly,