Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1872-12-19
THE OTTUMWA COURTEF
r. n. WARDEN. Editors.
THE POSTAL. TELEGRAPH.

THE POSTAL. TEI.EGKAPA.
The question Of making use Of the
telegraph under the management of
the Government, the same rs we
make use OF our railroads for the
transmission of the mails, and which
has been enthusiastically and ably
presented by The Postmaster General.
is waking up deal of discussion
We frankly confess that while we
claim to have fair share of know
ledge among our fellow men, still we
do not like TO conclusively take a
position upon a question so important,
without being more clear in our
minds upon the subject. II is great
question and deserves careful and dis
passionate investigation.l
One thing we notice, that the major
portion Of the great newspapers of the
country are taking ground against the
measure, and we notice further that
some of them oppose it in a manner
indicating that in the absence of re-
spectful argument in opposition, they
use ridicule and slang. For instance
the Mo. Democrat, speaking of this
matter as accomplished, says:
After that we shall have govern
ment railroads, government omnibus
cs. government hotels, government
tailor shops and government peanut
stands. Ii the parental system once
gets a fair start, there is no telling where
it will stop, and we may all find out
after it has got into operation that, in
stead of the government being made
for the people, the people are made for
the government"
The use Of such arguments shows
lameness in the Democrats position, or
inability to logically argue the ques-
ton. Ii has been sometime since the
Democrat used the language Of demo-
crazy, in decrying the government on
the score of centralization, and has
really said too much Of late in support
of the administration, in this regard,
10 so soon set its voice to another key,
unless there be some selfish reason at
the bottom of it. We shall be largely
inclined to think, if the metropolitan
papers ,follow such line Of argument
in opposition, that they do so because
they want to retain monopoly of the
telegraph news and prevent the rural
press from obtaining advantages equal
with them. 1t will not do to attempt
to ridicule this question out of exis-
tence, such course viii only add fuel
to the flame.
1t is very old saying that the big
fish are death on the little ones, and
this Associated Press business Is be-
You'd question, well lcavened with the
same principle.
a wounded bird always hutters, and
our big friends should not make haste
and rufile their feathers over this
project.
Sunator Sumner is preparing an ex-
haustive speech in defense Of his reso-
luton to expunge the battles of the re-
bcllion from our regimental colors and
the army register. After he gets
through, and while he has the sponge
in hand wouldn't it be well enough fol-
him to rub out his own irrepressibls
conflict speeches from the records o.
Congress which greatly tended to thu
precipitation Of that conhict! If i
was wrong to fight tor the suppression
of the rebellion, and ii Vicksburg, Get
tysburg and Appamattox are cxasper
ating to fellows who fought on thu
other side, how much more exasperat
ing it must be to them in the hereafter
when in their country's history they
peruse the speeches which made Vicks.
burg, Gettysburg and Appamattox
possible. Mr. Sumner is getting the
cart before the horse; he is getting his
stream higher than its source: he is
arguing from effect TO cause, speaking
metaphorically, or else what is more
probable, he has let his hostility to
Grant and the soldiers who nearly SUBJ
dued the rebellion get away with his
brains.
In the meantime it is creditable to
American patriotism that no public
man or journalist has as yet spoken
one favorable word of the infamous
proposition.
The buildings OF the college OF Will
liam and Mary, in Virginia, a very
ancient institution of learning, were
burned during the rebellion. A bill
was introduced into Congress to have
this college reimbursed for its loss by
the general government The bill was
based upon the theory that the build
ings were wantonly burned by Union
troops, and the sum asked for $685.
900. The proof, however, was strong
that the buildings were burned by reb
q troops, out Of pure cussedness
However, it is probable that the bill
might have passed, had not Mr.. Shanks
of Indiana, punctured the Democrat
side of the House. upon the question
Of their having accepted the situation
in good faith, by moving an amend
ment, that when the college should b.
opened, no student should be eXclud
ed on account of color Or previous
condition OF servitude. This brough
the democracy to their feet in violen
opposition to the amendment, never
theless it passed, and these democrat
without single exception, votet
against the bill, and sufficient mum
Der Of Republicans, opposed to the bill
upon general principles voted will
them and it was defeated.
The New York Tribune.
Our last nights dispatches contai
the following, which seems to unerl
ingly indicate that Orion and Cola
are to run the machine and that il is t
return to its Republican bearings:
IL, A. -.