The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-11-15
THE POSTAL TELEGRAPH.
A Plausible But Dangerous sshen

CEroa DE ChIssso Tribalsl n
The purchase b. the government Of all
the Telegraph lines Nof The county, and
their use as part Of the postal system win,
It Is understood, be vigorously urged upon
Congress al the coming session. It Ii one
Of those schemes which are sufficiently
plausible 10 impress unthinking peEsons
with favor, but will not stand investiga-
ton. Ours Is free government. A Tree
pres, free speech, and free expression Of
opinion are indispensable to the people,
They can never be surrendered. In Spain,
the government has control Of the tele-
graph and direct supervision Of all dis.
patches is considered essential 10 the se.
curiiy Of the monarchy. The same d held
true In Turkey, Russia, France and Aus.
triA In thesE countries there 4 no such
thing known asa free pres or free speech.
The government Is As absolute over the
one as over the other. The governmental
possession Of the telegraph, 10 amount TO
any thing, must BE- a. exclusive g ID its
possession Of the mails or the collection Of
revenue, and 10 administer the details oil
the telegraph service honestly and well Is
beyond the capacity Of our government.
The country Is loo large, and too scatter.
ed, and the Civil Service TOO rotten to
warrant 1t in undertaking any such task.
The machinery Of government like ours
Is not adapted 70 such 9 work. II the
government was the chief user Of The tele.
graph, it might employ It's own Officers
upon It's own work, using It's own wires
exclusively; but when Il undertakes 10
perform all the telegraphing for conmer.
ciAl, newspaper, and other business and
social matters, for the whole country, It
proposes something wholly inconsistent
with its duties, and something wholly in.
consistent with public and private liberty
l: would IN the first place, require the
transfer to the government Of the whole
force employed in the telegraph business,
and this including operators, .agents,
clerks, builders, and repAirers and ali,
others, Is not now less than 5000 per.
sons, II it require that many persons to
perform the work under private control,
It will require oHe.third more persons 10
do 1t under the government It viii be
throwing $1,000 TO 10000 additional of.
ces into the business OF politics. 1t will
be suhlecting The telegraph service to
the corruption OF partisan politics, and
making what Is and ought TO be duty Of
skill and intelligence matter Of political
machinery. Have We not enoug h Of this
slready! From the telegraph there Is
but one step to the seizure Of the express
business, and from that TO the ownership
Of the 10000 miles OF railway will be but
al easy transition. With the mails, the
telegraph, the express business, and the
railroads Of the country in its possession,
Al administration once in power could
not only dictate who should be Congress
men, who should govern each SiAIe and
each city, but could perpetuA!e itself in
office forever. Behind this scheme for
Selling the telegraph business Is closely
pressed the other Tor the purchase OF all
the railroads, and the success Of the one
will be The immediate precursor Of the
other.
Tne business o! telegsaphIng Is one Of
deep impoitsuce. Any inSccuracy, de.
lay, mistake, non delivery Of messages or
other want OF care Is punishable with
damages, 70 be recovered by the person
injured. No such responsibility can at
t4ch 10 the telegraph II made pact Of the
Government service. The Government
does not become responsible for the dis
honesty, iuc0npetency, or mistakes ofany
Of its officers. In the Postal Service,
Whatever loss takes place, either By the
mistake or robbing Of an officer, has 20 be
borne By the loser without remedy. Even
in the money order business, If the Post
master pays money to a which belongs
10 B, that is the end OF il, so far as B is
concerned. So will it be in the telegraph
business A mistake Of word or fiR.
ure in dispatch may work iucalculAb!e
injury. Under present circumstances, the
telegraph company IS responsible Tor all
the acts OF its servants; under the Gov.
eminent, there will be no responsibility
and no remedy. So long as the operator
belongs to the right political party, and
Is protected by his member OF Congress,
so long will the public be cursed with his
ineficlency or worse.
II should also be borne in mind that
under Government control there can be
no privacy IN telegraphing. So long as
the telegraph company Is responsible in
damages for the publicity Of any private
dispatch, 50 long there viii be confidence.
.Ot necessity, copies Of all dispatches are
kept for the protection OF the company.
Bot once surrendered 10 an irresponsible
agent, and there can be nothing sent over
the line which may not be instantly
known in all parts Of the country. Every
thing Is open 10 the men inside the Office.
There Cannot be word sent which may
not be drawn Of at 3 hundred different
points, and the Postmaster General, or
whAtever ofacer may have charge OF the
business, Can receive instantly in his Office
AZ Washington, and IN time 10 prevent its
delivery, 3 copy o; every dispstch sent
over me wires 10 any part Of the country.
Bow long would the people OF the United
States submit 70 having their letters open.
ed and read BY any officer clothed With
The power 10 prevent their delivery! And
yet that Is precisely Whist is proposed 70
be done in the matter Of telegrsphing.
Is the country willing to establish this
espionage upon it, business, social, and
confidential intercourse? This bill is too
important 10 be acted On hastily, and We
hope the press OF the country, and the
com nerciAl committees everywhere, will
not only protest against it, but make tia,
protest emphatic By frequent repetition.
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