Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1872-12-06
THE POSTAL TELEGRAPH.

THE POSTAL TELEGRAPH.
The recommendation of the Postmaster
General looking to the purchase and con-
troll Of all the telegraph lines in the coun-
try by the government, is measure OF
the first importance, demanding careful
consideration and prudent action by Con-
gress That the telegraph under its pres
ent management is monopoly, that there
are abuses connected with its use, and
that the public are not served so cheaply
or so well as they should and might be,
are facts which cannot successfully be de-
MED. That improvement is needed in the
present telegraph system, so that its bene-
fits shall be extended as widely and i'm
partially us possible, and the price of use
to the public reduced to the actual cost,
including Of course u fair percentage for
the capital invested, is very desirable as
all will admit The telegraph is a pub
lie servant. 1t works for all All, there
fore. are interested in its management,
and the better it is managed SO much the
better for every body.
But will it be better conducted if it
passes into the hands of the government
than if it remain in private hands P
Will it he better for the people of this
country to place the sole control Of such
4 vast power in the hands of the admins
tration at Washington than to leave it as
it is2 VIII the advantages to be gained
outweigh the disadvantages ofthe change?
1t is said that the plan has worked well in
England, where it has been tried, but so
has constitutional monarchy, if we take
the British government rs authority, and
yet we are not willing to try the latter ex-
pertinent upon such recommendation.
What may answer for despotic govern
ment may not be healthy for arepublic.
The danger to be feared in the govern
nent control Of the telegraph, is the
exclusive manipulation of the wires
by the administration which may be
in power, bringing private business and
all political movements under the espio-
mage of party officials, and the creation
of a host of officials bound to the central
authority that can make or unmake, APP
point or remove them at its pleasure. In
England the government thinks it no harm
to establish a system of surveillance over
its subjects, but do the people of this
country, who are the sovereigns, think it
will be well to put into the hands of their
servants at Washington the power to over
look all their private transactions, and use
it to promote their own selfish interests |?
Then have we not sufficient scramble
for office in this country without charging
the field as must necessarily be done if
we adopt this plan? Tens of thousands
OF dependents upon the power of the adj
ministration would be created at once.
The evils of office seeking and Office hold
ing would be vastly increased. The quad
rennial struggle for President would be
greatly intensified The power as well as
the number of those bound to the admin
istration would be enlarged by the faeili-
ties in their hands to gain intelligence,
and the contest between parties would be
more embittered by the holding of such
power on the one side TO the exclusion
and detriment of the other. Experience
warns the people of this country TO be
careful how they put power into the hands
OF their public servants, or unnecessarily
increase the number OF ofliceholders. III
our Presidential elections sometimes de-
generate into mere struggles for spoils,
campaigns 'to beat Grant" only that and
nothing more, with our present number
of offices, they would sink lower in pro-
portion to the mercenary element added
by this new scheme, and the danger OF
turbulence and revolution would be cor
respondingly increased.
There would be no safety in the adoption
of the postal telegraph system, except by
removing the dependence of the employ
ees upon the administration or the changes
Of parties, and this could not very well
be. If the government is to control the
telegraph 1t must control the employees
or II cannot be held responsible for their
acts. They might be appointed under