The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1871-12-16
NO. 40.
From the Louisville Ledger.
The Postal Telegraph Question

teH IN lDe OulteQ OlaL6S, abu us mOuOp-
oily by the government as an adjunct of
the postal department. has been recon-
mended by the President, and most con
clusively advocated by the Postmaster.
General. 1t is seldom that anything
emanatPs from this source which Demo
Gratis can or should approve; but we are
sorry 10 see that some OF our friends in
Congress are led by the principle of
" TiBleo DonooS ct doHa ferentes to op
pose this measure. On what other prin
cipe they can oppose il. we are unable
TO conceive. They are thus not only
sacrificing the interests of the people at
large to the greed Of bloated monopo-
ly. from whose grip nothing less than
the power of the government can relieve
US, but they are absolutely erucifyiug he
interests Of the Democratic party at the
behest of the most powerful and the
most partisan Radical corporation in all
/ this country.
Before We abandon This subject. we
propose to show that there is not an ar
eument nor the ghost Of an objection,
/ that can be urged to the government :
monopoly of the telegraph that is not
stronger and more valid as against the
governments monopoly of the mails.
/ We confidently lay down the proposition
that there is no abuse possible in govern
ment telegraph system that is no more
/ imminent in the present postal depart
ment Nay. we will go further, aud
show that the union of the two will in
evitably correct fragrant abuses now in
corrigible in both, and that every con
sideration which is held to forbid the
/ governments monopoly Of the telegraph
demands that it shall abandon its monop
oily of the mails, leave their transmission
to private enterprise, and thus turn the
whole social and commercial world up
side down and a thousand years bach
ward
When our fathers framed the Consti-
tuition and, wisely for the public veal
reserved to the general government a
monopoly Of the transportation of news
and messages, all Of which was then iu-
cluded under the head of mail matter,
/ they made no exception as to different
means of transportation, whether by
/ land or water, by steamer, or mail coach
or courier. Does any one believe, if the
telegraph had been in existence then,
} the trainers of our Constitution would
have made an exception in its favor, re
serving the right to transport news and
messages by horse or steam power, but
I leaving the transmission by electric wires
/ free to private enterprise?
! The telegraph has come into existence
since that day, and now note the conse-
quence Of leaving it 10 become an engine
OF private moneyed combinations. The
/ Western Union Telegraph Company,
upon an original Investment of $500,
7 600, now pay handsome dividends Oh
about forty or fifty millions Of stock /;
I own about nine out Of every ten miles OF
wire in the United States; will soon own
it all it let alone by the government
and control all, as it now controls nearly
! Eii-vs Iisv 'voetu= s's<us pa pSts ~ risS
( Union, besides exercising fearful power
over the business operations of the peo
pie Breaking down, and buying out
/ first one telegraph company aud then
another, aud paying for their lines IN
watered stock. it eventually monopolized
the business, formed and subsidized With
its facilities a powerful newspaper ring
and by its power over Congress and the
press. has even made the government aid
IN the extension Of its lines to the Pacific
Talk about Tom Scott, and danger from
the aggregation OF power in the hands
Of great corporations-the rest are mere
pigmies in capacity for evil by the side
OF the Western Union telegraph monop-
! oily. 1t does not offer its facilities on
equal terms to all citizens, but discrimi
nates-sells exclusive privileges and pre-
cedence in dispatches to business rings,
and in pursuance of this plan, has made
a contract against public policy with the
New York Associated Press, whereby
the latter controls the news dispatches
and sells to local rings in different Sec
tions of the country the power to break
down newspaper competition. But few
Democratic papers are admitted to these
rings; the news is sorted aud eolored to
suit the majority of the papers taking it.;
and those papers outside the ring that
propose to collect their own news must
wait till the other dispatches are sent,
and then pay enormous prices-from four
to eight or ten times as much per word
for telegraph service IS their rivals. In
this way the attempt to establish con-
servative paper IN San Francisco was
broken down by charging it fifteen cents
per word for dispatches, while the Radi
cal papers paio but two cents. In return
for such benefits the papers enjoying
them are bound by contract to prescribe
and discountenanee the establishment Of
rival lines, and withhold their patronage
from them.
When it is proposed to break the pow
er of these rings, by making the tele-
graph government monopoly, cheapen-
ing and extending its service, and open
ing its facilities on equal terms to all
citizens, and especially to all collectors
and publishers of news, there comes
from the minions Of the telegraph and
Associated Press monopoly torrent Of
dd captandun1 objections and puerile
forebodings. They tell US that in the
purchase and transfer of the lines aud
franchises the apprasements will be cor
rupt aud somebody will make money.
Then why not abolish the post office be
cause there is corruption in the letting
Of contracts They tell US that it will
increase the overgrown patronage OF the
government We say it will purity the
patronage of the government. and prove
one of the best measures of civil service
reform. In probably three iourths OF
the postal stations, the postmaster will
have to be a telegraph operator, an ex
pert who holds Office during good beha
yior and competency man who can
not be turned out of place at every
change of administration, TO nuke room
for some scrub politician.
They say that government will have
access to our business aud family secrets
Does not government invade the privacy
of the dispatches and seize them now
whenever it can urge the plea Of public