The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-12-31
The Postal Telegraph.

| We said the other day that Mr.. HrBBARD's
posta!-teegraph bill was only big job. Ii
proposed corpolators under the Government
who should own all the telegraph lines, while
the Government should pay the cost Of all
messages and kesp up its system of offices
and agents to assess charges and deliver
| messages. ..-.
The Washington Republican, the Admins
tration organ Of that city, takes ground
| against this bill, and we infer from this TACT
| that the President Is opposed to it. That
| paper denounces it rs not the plan recon-
| inendeu by Mr.. CEFswELL and indorsed by
the President, but iraud run by "a ring OF
SPECTATORS
This is pretty plain. but not whit too
much so. The Republican adds !:
"Ir we are to have postal-telegraph reform
at all, let it be the genuine article, anu not
| this hybrid, half public, half private. As we
| said, we are sincerely anxious for the success
of the system. The experience of all the
countries in Europe that have adopted it
shows that the telegraph can be administered
with greater efficiency and with more econo-
my by the Government than by private par
ties. If the Hubbard proposition is carried
out II will inevitably lend e trouble and di: ,
agreement between the Government ana INC
company-a divided authority WHICH will
make confusion worse contoundRd, aud make
the public wish for the return and reStorG.
ton Of the present order OF things. The
Government should have entire control or
none at all, aud for that reason, If for 40
other. we trust the Hubbard swindle viii! be
rejected By IN overwhelming vote. The
Thing is already t&iAtcd with the suspicion OF
fraud and corruption, and members of Con-
grcss who value their regulations cannot a.
ford to touch il. 10 speak of it as Il step TO
ward reform is to reverse the meaning ni
language, and call black white"
The argument o? The "rinG" will he that
their scheme resembles that OF tho system OF
carving the mails. The mail transportation
is done by private and corporate enterprise
The railway, the steamboat, the post coach
and-four, the two-horSe stage, the >ulky, and
mail.carrier Oh horseback transport the mail:
for specified compensation, and the Govern
ment maintains the Offices, appoints the Off
GERS, and controls the process Of distributor
and delivery of them. The ring, arguing
from this point, may say that the iEterien
| ton Of the agency OF transportation 10y telt
| graph would ne just AZ proper and as mucl
| needed by the Government,
The error in the comparison Is very great
| The two systems are entirely diSSimilar. The
| telegraph is medium without variety, anc
involving 30 economy that at all resemble:
the other. The matte: Of repairing lines /:
all that requires manual service in keepipz
up the medium Of transportation and that
slight service, it would be absurd TO say, i:
sufficient to require the intervention o
corpoators-a "ring" Of monopoiSts-to
own all the lines, and be sustained and pam
pered by Government. If the Government
muSt contro! the transmission aud delivery o.
messages, there IS no reason why 1t shoule
not own aud control the lines. The mere
labor OF repairing lines and keeping them In
order IL no ground for trusting the lines to
private control. The Republican is right
The Government should be the exclusive
proprietor aud controller Of the lines OF tee
graph, or it should have nothing to do with
|