The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1870-01-12
The western Union telegraph



The great telegraph monopoly has received
q severe blow In the strike Of the operators
II Is In vain for the monopoly In It's own in-
terest 10 suppress the news In regard TO tho
extent Of the movements for the grains that
sin through Its fingers are enough TO show
that the strike Il moi only almost IS extern
slve AZ the wires OF the company, but that
It ID bitter and persistent Those OPERATOR
who returned 70 work In several Southern
clties have gone TO the ranks OF Che strikers
again on finding that the Information on
which they resumed work had been made
up by the monopoly Itself. From all parts
Of the country the Telegraphers' League Is
receiving encouraging reports. The other
| great trade unions have given them hearty
support, both In sympathy and money. We
publish elsewhere In our columns this morn
| Ing q card from the teleRraphers 10 the pub
Tic, which sets forth their case fairly and
squarely. .e'r.E al.
The managers of the Western Union Com.
pany have only themselves to blame. They
have always been dlctatorial and overbear-
Ing. The frat cause Of the strike is not
merely the discharge Of few operators in
San Francisco. The managers Of the com
| pany claim so, but they know better. II Is
the elimination OF long eerios Of tyrannies
and oppresslons practiced toward their en-
| ployees. They have been grinding their
faces too hard. They have sirlveu to drive
the Associated Press as they please, aud
they have partly succeeded. They have CO.
creed small country newspapers BY threat
| oning to deprive them, through the Asso-
elated Press, oftheir news. They have tried
to coerce numbers Of influential papers In
the interior by this means. They have
bought out or crushed out numbers OF rival
lines, aud are steadily aiming to get under
their own control all the wires and all the
newspapers In the country. But they have
been too grasplng and avarlcious 10 view
OF little gain, and too blind and unob-
servant Of future results. They have gone
the length Of their tether. DO fs7f0fHT Cd
The strike Of the operators 10 their death
blow, backed as It Is by thu trade unions,
the Independent press, the sympathy OF the
people and tho power Of Congress. For
| Congress is bound to tako the matter In
hand. The people, for whose benefit Con-
| gress legislates, cannot have their business
affairs deranged, their credit Impaired and
their commercial transactions stopped at the
whim Of a dlctatorial monopoly any longer.
Tho Government business itself Is not sGfe.
Our diplomatic machinery Ia liable TO Injury.
The failure TO transmit some Important dis
patch through the Atlantic or Cuba cable
might involve us in diplomatic mnddle or
foreign war. As long as the monopoly
holds this unlimited power and Is 20 tyran-
meal and boorish abJnt using Il the people
and the Gotonmsnt arc Liable to fatal mis-
haps at any moment. r-.r.. ..re-T
The postal telegraph system In the hands
Of Goycrnnent would be safe from strikes
Of this Kind, and not until tho Government
takes the wires under Its own control can We
be wholly Independent of the huge monopoly
thst now owns them, or wholly secure from
ihe repetition OF the present middle. Con-
gross has The remedy In Its own hands, and
II Is 10 be- hoped It will use 10 firmly. Cen
eral Washburn's bill covers the ground, and
he shows that ho understands the man0u-
vera OF the monopoly when he proposes TO
hear tho testimony Of tho operators them
selves. They can give him tho information
be wants, and they arc not interested In
giving him the wrong kind OF Information.
By all means let tho bill be pushed II is n
blow for the people against monopoly.-N.
Y. Herald, January IL. :.