The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-05-13
TIE CABLE CONTROVERSY.
Grave Accusation Against the Atlantic Tele.
graph Company. .
ASSOCIATED PRESS OFFICE,
NEW YORK, May IL, 1871,


F "a ASSOCIATED PRESS OFYIoE,(
~ ~ NEW YORK. May H. 1871, /
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:-
see that Mr.. Field has caused the publication of
o part Of the correspondence growing out Of my
efforts to obtain from him Mr.. Weaver letter about
our complaints Of illegal and dishonest dspacemens
Of cable business from Its proper order on file. II
you shall see t to use what he has thus furnished
please fnd herewith some further extracts which
should appear In their proper order the case Is TO-
be fairly UNDERSTOOD
AssooIATED PRESS OFrIoR
NEW ioEx, April 20. ls7i.}
Of sa !r Sas On s
~ nsa Tf1 e 70 1 Of
is e Whistler sss Ss;s
20 o ss9~ On Ass
sec that we have been ever since aboa. h:
ha. hes may y0SS b w no %
asS a s s pes u: in Of Mr. "saver state
J. ". siM0NTON, General Agent.
Here follow several letters that passed between
Mr. ]. w. simonton, Agent or the Associated Press,
and Mr.. Cyrus W. Field. OF the directors or the
Cable Company. in which the former persistently
asks for Mr.. Weaver's explanation which Mr.. Field,
however. rs perslstently refuseA Tue following
the most important part Of the correspondence
- NEW YORK, May H. 1871.
p Cs that
exactly requested By him Am 70 Understand from this
discretion statement Of facts which he had verbally given
10 e in ss Il
90 ne ha: ADDED stu more 70 ing injury we have suffered At
Respectfully prote. agans. your persistent failure
ssS sm w . sSs
VS. heretofore sugsescd we are well aware that Mr.
sppsss.,s rslsssaes g disclose VIA.
81 pss arc sd 70
have, wriinS The facts. Informally presented By
for them until after Mr. Weavsr arrival here u
delay had no other purpose than Sa to W
n she Sa Wit be- o.
to criticism only because less frank and full ~,
4 i
action H case pn alter Viewers
% ad @ hs srss to ANY
will be acceptable s HsIy sS.ys AGENT
Mr.. Field having declined to furnish the Weaver
letter, and having Jailed to answer this letter. MIR.
Simonton deemed 1t proper to publish the facts:-
NEW y NHW 4 Assso, n.V p f,ssHss
TO the EnIToE OF THE HEEALD:-
and dapey cable management BY causing the paO
osrIon Of TnE NEW YORK y AssocIArrn rss,Esss
The Hon. WILLIAM oRros, President, and tYaUs W.
GEsTLExESI beg leave respectfully to suggest tina. the
cable companies would in he prssen. CONDITION Of affairs
object in view in doubling the u.s. reduction
ps the cable A. s.ssa y
bEaa siH:-wu you please refer the enclosed to Mr.
j. W. sIMoNToN General gent.
Mr.. Field Is quite welcome TO any advantage which
he can lind In publishing the above The public Will
ocy WhS at
as TO something which would have been great &C
At that time the two Ango-American cables had sud
denly ceased working, and the remaining tFrench)
small amount OF business could be transmitted over
It. AS consequence 1t became so badly blocked that
or three days alter dae In In this block were IN
cluded our messages giving quotations Of European
as Mr. FIELD knows we distribute instantly on re-
cept 10 every commercial centre in the land.
SPECTATORS offered by this state OF affairs was TOO
great for the public interest," II they could procure
aed 81 inc Of
private advices IN lions Of dollars might be made
parties os o. tine VINO m9 woSa be
TO whether, ID this exceptional case, the cable
authorities would not ieel Justified in bringing for.
the whole country In possession OF the quotations
constituting basis Of commercial transactions. AS
both Mr. orion and Mr. Field could have known the
hour and minute OF our receipt OF these messages
they could have mad the means OF detecting tile fact
had they not been Instantly difilsed everywhere,
not for the beneft OF the press but for the infora
| ton and protection OF the commercial puolic.
My suggestion thus openly and frankly Dteferred
on good grounds was meet by Mr.. Fields statements
| in writing that 'all messages must, by law and
! agreement between the companies, be forwarded
| IN The exact order In which they are received"
What 10 the RESULT In tue lace or this positive de-
clarati0n by Mr.. Field as to the duty of himself and
his associate cable managers at least one CONNER
| cial despatch was withheld-for what reason
Messrs. Weaver and Field best know-and O mes
sage to private party was put seventeen hours
ahead OF It, SO much Is proved; so much Is ad-
mited. This violation or the law and OF commercial
pose, and you TAIL 10 give us your formal statement
Us to what such purpose was ,
submit tnat those who counselled US to take
measures with a view to preventing such practice
did not 0verestma ate the danger. II such VIOLA
ton Of law and duty TO pass unrebuked there Is
danger that the cable, under present managt ment,
Will become the mere instrument OF few spccula-
tors, who will reap the profit through Illegal and
dish0nst preference, while the business and the
money Of the great bouy OF the patrons vii! be &C
cepted as means OF maintaining the line We have
never taken exception the declaration that oil
messages must be sent III the order OF reception:
but we complain that while presenting that just law
as one the letter OF which could not be iniracted
even when the puDic interest would be subserved
thereby the cable authorities themselves set IL at
naught TO the advantage OF some patrons and dis.
advantage OF Others that they do II surreptiri0usly
and that when we seek to ascertain the facts they
interpOse possible obstacle to their disclosure
and try 10 wear us out by vexatious delays under
j. ". siMONT0N General Agent