, 1872-12-02

will be reported at the coming session, not by
the Appropriation Committee itself, but by one
Of it's members, and backed by it's influence.
The bill seems to be sort Of compromise be-
tween letting tho telegraph business OF the coun-
try alone and the absolute Governmental ab-
gorp:ion Of it. 1t creates O joint~stock CORPORA
ton, to be known as the Postal Telegraph Com
pany, with capital stock of $40, ,000, 900, divided
into 200, 600 shares Of 800 each. The Company
may construct new lines md buy the old ones,
and must establish stations at al Post Offices
where the groes annual receipts amount to $500.
There is to be uniform charge Of one cent per
word for each circuit,--250 miles to constitute q
circuit for distances less than 500 miles, and 500
miles to be circuit in messages sent for 3
greater distance than this except at night, when
the circuit is to be 1000 miles. No message can
be sent for less than 25 CENTS all messages to be
prepaid by stamps furnished by the Post Office
Department. Tie monopoly Of the telegraph
business is secured indirectly by declaring that
all telegraph messages not received or de-
Gvered through the Post Offices must
have fye-cent stamp affixed. The Post Otilce
Department is to retain five cents On every mes
sagetaken by the Postal Telegraph Company, and
pay over to the Company the remainder Of the re-
ceipts. In addition, there are provisions for re-
duced rates to the press, for priority OF Govern
nent business, and for such regulations as will
place the Company thoroughly under the con-
troll Of the Post Office Department., besides atip-
utating that the Government may buy the lines
and property Of the Company at any time it may
choose. Of course, such a bill is open to all the
objections that can be made to direct assump
ton Of the telegraph business Of tho country by
the Government, and to still other objections.
It contemplates q co-partnership between the
Government and private individuals it creates
q gigantic corporation and monopoly it a1ds to
dangerous Government power still more danger
GUS power in the hands Of the individuals who,
in company with the Government, shall control
the corporation. Tho introduction OF such q
bill will be sufficient evidence Of powerful and
well~organized lobby behind it.
Among the other features Of legislation which
Threaten the danger Of lobby influence, If postal
telegraphy shall not absorb the entire attention
Of Congress, are the following: The division Of
tho moneys received from the British Govern
mont in settlement Of the Alabama claims; the
application OF steamship companies for subsidy,
based upon the SUCCESS OF the Pacific Mail at
the last session; and, perhaps, an attempt to re-
vivo the movement for refunding the cotton tax.
The latter involves the SUM Of 970,000,0 900, and
any effort to take this amount out.of the Treas
my will be too glaring fraud to admit Of Huc-
cess. The Alabama moneys amount to S15, 500,
600, and Claims will be entered BY the Govern
ment for its expenses in settling the difficulty;
and by private individuals and insurance com-
panies for the ea1no losses. AL of these claims
will be represented BY their respective 1obbies.
With these various schemes ahead, there ia, per-
haps, reason to rejoice that the coming session
must necessarily be short one.