The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-01-30
GEaqntelligetrfer.
Tho Postal Telegraph
WHEELING, January w.


s,r..,,o NJ the IrsellIGencer:
TO wn,icipp SfS your correspondent Spir.!4. ,,a;
,5U NO9CtT, "T1,cIe in this mornings 1nIs!st-
AT,S .. 4 occurs s, TO me that his knoWl I,
9fneF, u NO U Postal Telegraph bill, and o.
gdge O,anSrIeS o. snS now conducting the tele
Srsph business, is very llm'sT, sny TNE nsTsor n
g,ISt certainly be obvious 10 any pStSTI ppS,on,
that has used the telegraph 70 any y,;rjI,,' o3sSu
Snribr The past two years thSt 2 s2pHnc. ;nno,
3gllDS E.'s Syritps T Of that Of which he IS lgno'
MuL~ .a1t A few pertinent replies may pF9Da,
tSnL s;sSbT"s g N.Y. bis mind Of the error into
which It has lallen: r,or,or,, Com-
T. the Western Union IelegTspn SUnI Sco,t
nsnv a greater monopoly than ION RaiIso"S Tcost'
RwitS RiS SIs Pennsylvania Central M Kalit9Su 9S
TonnanyP T1Sn 1 II 50, does Spiritu' MORSE ., ae.
Sipe tSe National Government 10 taSe
sI,o ohe,se spy N and conduct, all the railroads
cnatSeT tLS lifted NJ States, cut down fares to
nns- %sgS s-Sonrtb OF ono.half a cent per mile Ior
T tbs benefit Of the privileged ones VINO @
,,Svej s1T 9Dd by taxation, place tue ioss
Inns occasioned upon those VINO seldom
"To To any unpreIudiccd mind it is GER
,.,nIv appsrent that at the rates as pro-
Nosed mae bV the Postal Telegraph scheme, 1t
Tould never deiray its expenses by tnous'
sndS Of dollars per annum. YET II Is
HF+sGnently HTST remarked that the increase Of
hSsiness under the Postal Telegraph
Scbeme, U would be so great that it would
49, ,Lor ,nnPt the deficiency caused by
,HC TcdnCtion in tho tariffs. This would
he @ well enough could the increased
amount Of business be transmitted by
merely Swapping another mail bag or two
m he wire and let it slide along to It's
Tes,inStlon. % But until Prot. LOOMS
shows us how to develop and employ the
NOW idlo stratas Of air, no great increase
Of business can be transacted without 8
corresponding increase In the expenses.
AS The science Of telegraphing Is devel'
oDed thus far, there can be but certain
Smoupt Of business transmitted on GER
tsln number Of wires, and at a certain
amount Of expense. ANY increase IN the
business beyond that certain amount re:
0uires additional wires at an additional
Cost Ito the tax payers,) and an addition.
Al force Of operators and other employees
10 work them, at an additional expense.
SpfutuS h0rS6'S claim for exorbitant
charges for telegraphiDg isso only through
his inCOuectness, He says the average
charge per message IS % cents. Yet the
Western Union Company's official report
for fiscal year ending June 80, 1872, says
The average charge per message for that
wear was but G5 cents. SpirituS HORSE
makes q slight error OF but 80 per- cant.
Since tho date above mentioned the West
ern Union Company have reduced their
tariffs to majority Of their stations from
Is to 25 per cent, and in some cases, yet
more. While your telegraph columns
this morning inform us that on and after
February /, 1878, the charge for ten
words between any two points shall not
exceed 50 50-irom tho Atlantic TO the
Pacific Itor 25 cents q word. Can the
strongest friends OF the Postal Telegraph
scheme claim for 1t more ample return
Tor the money expended than this
Whether It Is better and cheaper in the
end for municipal authorities to control
and operate Water Works, Gas Works,
&C., Is an open question, and one that
cannot be decided by the opinions ot any
one Individual in any one locality. In
evidence, while SpirituS Morse claims 1t
Is advantageous, the citizens Of Louis
vile, where the Water Works Is con-
trolled by q corporated company, claim
they have better supply OF water at
Chaper rate than. their sister, Cincin'
natl. Would not New York have been
supplied with water cheaper by private
company than under the administration
Of Tweed Connolly & Co O-But IS there
not great difference between a city as
suming control ofa water works OF gas
works, where everything Is under the
immediate supervision Of one person, and
tho Government taking charges OF the
Telegraph lines which at the present time,
extend over thousandsiof miles, embra-
bracing over six thousand offices and em-
plOyiug,t ten thousand skilled laborers. Un.
der the preseet regime these lines are ably
and economically managed for the reason,
that II Is to the advantage OF all employees
70 give their earnest assistance to the
economical reliable and prompt conduct
Of the business and thereby, securing
their grsual promotion according to their
capabilities; but would this be the case if
the lines were under control OF the
ernment?-What chance would any
employee, no matter how great his merits,
stand for promotion, itan adverse political
party were to gain the ascendenCys Po-
lltlCal influence would be the power, and
not merit.
Under tho present management Of the
telegrSphiC system, any sender OF tele-
gram can, II he has sustained any loss
through the negligence or inattenlion of
the employees OF the respective companies,
receive ample remuneration for the same.
Can SpTitHS Morse receive any Compensa-
ton from the Postal Department Tor the
loss Of letter containing money or any
valuables, even though It be registered
50 much for the claim of responsibility rs
between the lines as now conducted, and
the Postal Telegraph scheme.
Having trespassed on your columns
nus far ] will close by simply informing
SprtRS Morse that the adoption Of the
Postal Telegraph scheme, with It's reduced
rates, would be q GLORIOUS thing for the
business men, who use the telegraph
Isiiy, land are able to pay for it,) but it
Will be DEATH to the poor taxpayer who
rarely II ever uses that means Of com.
muniCatlon,