Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-01-23

The New York Tribune and World
each published on Saturday morning
thirty columns Of matter on this subject,
comprising most elaborate arguments by
David A. Wells, Joseph Medill and Will
liam Orion.
The letter of Mr. Wells states that
there are at present 100000, 900 invested
in the business, $4,000 miles of line and
1870, 900 miles of wire. The return made
upon this investment may be estimated
from the fact that the gross receipts of
the Western Union company, for the
year ending June Both, 1872, were So
457, 900. Besides the Western Union
there are about ten other companies, all
more or less prosperous, commanding
about $40, 100000 of capital. This
valuable and increasing property it is
now proposed to transfer to the national
government.
Mr.. Wells is of the opinion that, by
virtue of the act of Congress of 1866,
the government has a right to take pos
session of all the telegraph lines in the
country, but the entire weight of the au-
thority is thrown against the scheme.
He regards Mr.. Hubbard's estimate of
1858, 900, 600 as the entire cost of pur-
chasing the existing lines, building new
boxes and establishing additional sta
tIons, as inadequate, and CharacteriZes
his assertion that the government could
build a system equal in extent to the
present one for 81, 800, 900 as utterly
absurd" The cost of the British lines
We $40, 900, 900, and not less than $780,
ooo, ooG woeA1 he needed to buy the lines
IN the United States. To meet this ok
pense new national loan Womu houn to
be issued The charge for transmission
of messages, which is fixed at twenty
five cents for twenty words in the Wash
burn bill, and at one cent word in the
Hubbard proposition, would be entirely
insufficient to meet expenses. More
over, as the cheap telegraphing must be
counterbalanced by an additional tax
upon the people, it is difficult to see
where the advantage lies.
In Europe, the government system
has been unsuccessful. In 1870 North
Germany, Bavaria, Denmark, Spain and
Austria all had deficits, while the ex-
penses in Great Britain were about
SO, 900, 900 in excess of the receipts.
With regard to government efficiency
Mr. Wells calls attention to the fact that
the post Office of the United States is
very much inferior to those of foreign
nations. We have neither cheap post
age nor strictly honest service, and it
is not supposable that any change would
be made in these respects when the
postal department was charged with the
care of the telegraph. In addition, he
repeats the arguments which have been
SO often advanced to show that all steps
of this kind are inconsistent with the
theory of republican institutions, be-
cause they tend toward imperialism.
Statistics are given showing the relation
between the volume of business and the
expense of telegraphing in Europe, by
no means favorable to the government
system.
Mr.. Medill's argument is that the gov
eminent has as good right to control
the telegraph as it has to control the
mails. Cheap telegraphy is essential to
the education of the people and the gov
eminent could make telegraphy cheap.
as it did the rates of postage. s'Make
desirable thing cheap enough and there
IS no limit to the demand for it," The
Western Union is vast monopoly and
should not be allowed to stand in the
way of low rates of telegraphy. If the
government had control of the wires it
would not dare to misuse its knowledge
of private affairs. The patronage it