, 1872-11-09

The purchase by the Government of all the
telegraph lines Of the country, and their use as
part Of the postal system, will, it is understood,
be vigorously urged upon Congress At the COM
ing session. It is one Of those schemes which
are sufficiently plausible to Impress unthinking
persons With favor, but will not stand inveBtiga-
ton. Ours ia frae Government. 4 free press,
free speech, and q free expression OF opinion
are Indispensable to the people. They can never
be surrendered. In Spain, the Government con-
troll Of the telegraph and direct supervision Of
all despatches is considered essential to the
security Of the monarchy. The same is held
true in Turkey, Russia, France, aud Austria-
In these countries there is no such thing
known as free press or free speech. The Gov
ernment is as absolute over the one as over the
other. The Governmental possession OF the tel
egraph, to amount to anything, must be as e1-
elusive as is it's possession Of the mails or the
collection of revenue, and to administer the de-
tails OF the telegraph service honestly and well is
beyond the capacity Of our Government. The
country is too large, and too scattered, and the
Civil Service too rotten to warrant it in undertake
ing any such task. The machinery Of Govern
ment like ours is not adapted to such a work.
II the Government was the chief user of the tel
egraph, it might employ it's own officers upon it's
own work, using it's OWL wires exclusively; but
when it undertakes to perform all the telegraph
mesa and social matters, for the whole country,
it proposes something wholly inconsistent with
it's duties, and something wholly inconsistent
with public and private liberty.
It would, in the first place, require the trans
fer to the Government service Of the whole force
employed in the telegraph business, and this,
including operators, agents, clerks, builders,
and repairers, and all others, is not now less
Sons to perform the work under private control,
it will require one-thlrd more persons to do it
under the Government It will be throwing
$4,000 to 10000 additional Offices into the busi-
ness Of politics. It will be subjecting the tele-
graph service to the corruptions OF partisan pol
itics, and making what is and ought to be q duty
Of skill and intelligence matter Of political
chinery. Have re not enough Of this already?
From the telegraph there is but one step to the
seizure of the express business, and from thatto
the ownership of tue GO, 600 miles of railway will
be but an easy transition. With the mails the
telegraph, the express business, and the rail-
roads Of the country in its possession, an Ad-
ministration once IN power could not only dc
| l.l. II, ~ r.
govern each State and each city, but could per-
petuate itself in office forever. Behind this
scheme for seizlng the telegraph business is
closely pressed the other for the purchase Of all
the railroads, and the success Of the one will be
the immediate precursor Of the other.
The business of telegraphing is one of deep
Importance. ANY inaccuracy, delay, mistake,
non-delivery OF messages or other want Of care is
punishable with damages, to be recovered by the
person injured. No such responsibility can
attach to the telegraph if made part OF the
Government service. The Government does
not become responsible for the dishonesty, in
competency. or mistakes Of any OF it's officers.
In the Postal Service, whateyer loss takes
officer, has to be borne BY the loser without
remedy. Even in the money-order business,
If the Postmaster pays money to a which be-
longs to B, that is the end Of it, 80 far as B is
concerned. So will it be in the telegraph busi-
ness. mistake Of q word or q figure in q
despatch may work inca1cu1able injury. Under
present circumstances, the telegraph company
is responsible for all the acts Of it's servants;
under the Government, there will be no raspon-
sibility and no remedy. So long as the operator
belongs to the right political party, and is pro-
tected by his member Of Congress-, 30 long will
the public be cursed with his inefheiency or
worse.
It should also be borne in mind that under