New-York tribune., 1873-01-18

onenee or transmitting messages without
official permission. Now, when consider that within
the circles q reputation and business which employ the
familiar that, besides the public offices for the trans
mission Of messages from town 70 town and from city TO
Sns 1 SSns ~ syerT poce aon sis M
stock and produce exchange and anderwrters' agency
hand OF railway officials 1t regulates the movement OF
every train. and in those OF merchants and manufae-
and places of productions that It is already sold
as a toy for children TO play with II, and ina, @
the improvements OF every year tend more ana
to simplify and extend It's operation and agency
@eet eoStroI Of such an observation-disclosures embraces
great many more interests than those Y tne
Postocef and further, that 10 keep that control ex
elusive wil require system OF law and esnonsge G 50
iOTslg y ogr Re2Pe thai Ss can q the GOV
sn@e ne lRSeeS Sl % 1sadn = @nsn sa ihf ss@ ea;a to S
Of stas for the exclusive transmission OF the mails,
should make its use for s otSr purposes matter sub
ject 10 Official permission. 1t is possible tna no IlY9S
might actually result therefrom 70 ne puslnes " ene
sender eompcatons aud spirit entirely foreign to the
atmosphere of this last half OF the century
the socalled gold and stock" telegraph of the City
Of .Iao HfSo oees receive uniHteTrnpted
messages during business hours relative 70 prices and
sales the telegraph company furnishing the operators
and instruments, and the GtlleeTs OF the stock @
Exchange" the information. The Government, now
ever under the new systemS would furnish both the
information and the instrumentality, interpose Its
cial representative into the center Of the financial
formation transmitted dependent other cOnsidera-
ons the business interest Immediately interested
Ifit said that in Europe, where the telegraph is
Government monopoly none Of these complications and
embarrassments TO business have been experienced II
may be replied that London the first eneet OF the
Government possession OF the wires was 10 break up the
furthermore nowhere in Europe and not even in Lon
don Is there such use made OF the Telegraph s mas
come 70 prevail in the United States.
A GOVERNMENT SYSTEM OF TELEGRAPH PROVOCATIVE oF
ESPIONAGE AND INTERFERENCE WITH TIE RIGHTS OF
CITIZENS.
The probability II not necessity Of q system Of espi-
onaee in order TO make the proposed exclusive control
hV effective. has been
touched upon but the subject important TO be dis
missed with an auson Necessarily the possession OF
the telegraph brings those who manage and operate
into very close connection with the finances, the COM
eroe the press the politics and the relations of
the country Under the present system the pecunag
interests OF the companies imperatyely RESTRAIN
them from favOring any party or interest In ADDITION
this there always TIE impending peril aud threat OF
heavy money penalties, recoverable at law, Tor any
breach of trust neglect of duty and how often udg
ment IS rendered for errors aeknoTieugee tS ny
cords Of the courts abundantly testify. How
so9ora tSee nst to i6e pa6Rc IS
proved by circumstance that among all the reasons
not been speciacay cited in single instance Gov
ernmental system the contrary, which, as IN the
esty Incompetence and mistakes Of It's agents, ana one
moreover, in which its agents know that their staton
and salary, their permanence in Office, IS more
dependent the favor Of superlors than on Soo1 pe
hayior can but De pIOyoeatlNe OI oSteeSsSss ,U Ill ~
there ibe secrets, except through the use OF
resnonsibilty Is lessened the temptation violate
pTvacy will most assuredly be increased. Are the
American people ready TO accept the idea that all that
passes over the wires both at the time of transmission
and ever thereafter, Is liable 10 be inspected ana
used by the changing ofhclals VINO may MI I the
departments at WashingtOn-for paragraph IN the
Government bill reads = mGt ne ortg"ats V az mes,
sa0es shall be transmitted 70 bdShgto' 70 oe PsSgpea P
FOR reference" Are the public willing TO place further
facilities in the way OF the exercise of the prerogative
already claimed TO be possessed by committees OF Con-
Cress of taking possession and using such reeOrds-a
and reading of letters intrnsted to Post Oceand
for the resistance TO which the maniness ana integrity
y, ed ee fhe only eecuai obstacle on the Continent
OF Europe there is not government which does not re-
does claim and. probably exercise the power OF in
terering with the TRANSMISSION OF any mesaee wlcn IL
10 England, liberal her government is IN comparison
thhod teleerams for the press has been claimed ana
by her officials within very recent period
II should not be forgotten, furthermore that IN The pc
nod Of anti-savery agitation the action of United
States officials Is wsS ReS Of SIs the saed Abolition
Documents by the mall and that tins action was 11sti,
ed and defended by those who were then IN conto %
tbe Post-OfFce Department and also that within the
last month we had the curious spectacle OF the
Postmaster-G GeDeral-an American ldWyei-asKhg lne
Acknowledgement OF the United States-anOther lawyer
whether it be permissible 1or posnssteIs 10 open open
contents made up of something o1lecuona5e. one
is almost tempted 10 ask whether tne olneia % Hg ~ @ te
nineteenth century and that the form OF government ne
baI,s ~ sdminster rs a Republic and not despOtsml
H. an excifing political contest, like that which the
nounry has Just passed through can " be doubted that
he tesgraph II in possession Of the Government would
b se6 Tor political purpOsesfor the perpetuauOn OF
ts own power for the assistance OF l lflehus Ahu
even N this should not be the case, and the government
shonld keen itself immaculate the very TACT that very
great facilities the Of the telegraph ior partisan
purposes existed. and that detection was an9st lnPo
ibe would OF itself be provocative OF such dsrust as
d it the use of the wires for political correspond
snee almost exclusively 70 those in sympathy Win the
then existing administrator. l. .N.. .o.o..tov s-ou
There is stll another pUtS ~ snnose in tbe heat
and excitement Of national political contest IN Wich
@ snsnieon should be excited-groundless or other
Sise-that the telegraph had been or was key 10 De
tage would not from that very moment the 4tty nay
even the continuance OF ths system d. M 80 &c
ried from the line down crack OF the telegraph pore 10
the ground efectuay interrupts S tne Ioca
1ies: and although there are Instruments Whch VIII
ena6le bow sitting central office 70 determine with
G hif nile the location Of break in line OF tele-
gapbc wire stretching over distance OF from tWo 10
three hundred miles and upward there can oe hte IN
formatiop cot out such instruments when nothing re-
mans OF circuit but numerous oencheu @ h
All The outbreak Of the war IN 1861 u VIII 9e
that the telegraph and express continued 10 ~
the hostile districts 81 1ne sCgs1 s nUcoS and simply
h1sue was understood that the agency IN one case
was Federal and Official and in the other private anu i
fereDtially neutral
YFnRRAI TELEGRAPH OWNERSHIP AND CIVIL SERVICE
REFORM.
afsvr seryice reform" and the restraint OF great
amoneyed monopolies things much talked OF OF
It, 90 among the necessities of national situation
INT what civil service reform any other oenencla re-
form 70 be expected national affairs II the Govern
ent Is 10 be invested with the reach Of power over the
,h Scheme contemplated Or what the restraining ID
uence on monopoes, when the eoverhineht % l.se Las
toTe be monopolist and has added 10 the patronage
heh IL now possesses all that pertains 70 ne eorp1ra
,ions which IL proposes digest and assunl et Is u
zoo Tnuch 10 affirm administration once IN power
with such influences at its control aud dlsposon i
nake fts tenure existence COMMENSURATE only "l IUs
fnclinatiOnf . 80, ,,osouro tho onir nm
which win ever prove truly eectye-ls 10 De Ouh1 IN
carrying out the original theory that the federa Gov
nlnent should restricted TO the most hnited spnere
of action with ts own safety ana .
and In reducing the patronage at ts cislosd W ns
and Annf In frat