New-York tribune., 1873-01-18

might be made up TO worked synohronously across
the messages transmitted that circuit and dropped
at the intermediate stations anu 9eVo.ea At te tern
1896 did not confer such authority on the Postmaster
General We claimed irtheTmore ina, the rates to be
liked 10y that officer under the law OF 1866 are uniform
rates. that having fixed rate on GOyernment business
NbcS Gne & cent per w3fa oI the Tar on
| sage from Washington to Chicago, being four Cir
| competent for him TO say that another class
OF Government business between Washington and Chi
| cago sent by a circuitous route, and involving
more labor the part of the Company should be sent
for Lhree cents word aud yet this difference in
voyed in the claim of the PostmasterGeneral For ex
ample: under the general order. message from the
quarters are at Chicago delivered to us here ente to
priority, but transmitted within the discretion Of the
form the service, pays four cents a word. We en-
titled 10 receive four cents word fol that but under
the order concerning the signal service business t be-
York. including the circuit large number Of stations
which are not in 1t as ordinarily worked with Chicago
and for that service the rate fixed three word
Now, submit very respectfully. Mr. Chairman, that
the law which authorizes The Postmaster General TO fix
rates, necessarily and inevitably requires the fixing of
from Washington IT, Chicago must have uniform price
for it; that II the Government requires message 10 be
usua! manner III order that other service than that
which is usual In connection with the message may be
performed in connection Herewith, for such extraor
dnary service claim that extraordinary compensa
| tion is due. This is briefly the view OF The Western
The report II the speaks of the
hberay of Congress toward the telegraph as follows:
telegraph line had been constructed and the partial
| cess OF the invention demonstrated-'
do not desire to detract In the smallest degree from
whatever merit is due to Congress account of its lib
eraty toward the elegraph but 1t seems proper to call
the attention of the committee 10 the fact that $4,000
contributed to enable Prof Morse u make an ex-
pertinent with the telegraph and tnat the line which
Dult with that appropriation, after having been
operated for time by the Government found to be
an expense-that i was not selisustainng and the
That appropriation Is the only one that remember TO
have been by Congress for the benefit OF the ele
| O1
that made 1861, when Congress authorized contract
TO be made with any party who would give adequate
security TO construct and maintain telegraph line be-
tween the Missouri River and the Pacific Ocean, the free
Of which should be given TO the United states for 10
years in consideration OF $4,000 year Such contract
was made the line constructed and has been In
the United States been fully paid the contract
has expired; but claim that the Government simply
paid for service which richly worth the cost But
ifit not there is other tact IN that connection
which is entitled TO mention since 1862 the telegraph
has paid into the Federal Treasury over million ana
Mr. Niblack-Do you mean all the companies, or your
MI oTton-I mean all the companies. since the inter
nal revenue laws went INTO operation Whch was IN lSO2
contribution by the United States Tor which ii received
no equivalent, stl, while 1t was paying that out with
hand with the other 1t was taking IN three times as
much.
fore the people of the United States the product Of
private enterprise and the debtor OF the Govern
nent for single dollar Congress mas gwen hundreds
Of millions for other enerprises,hundreds OF lonsln
bonds and lands TO railways, and so far as kn0w not
|
the recipient directly OF indirectly of single dollar
of benefit conferred by the Federal Government. We
make complaint Of that Ii mas been fayOrlte IN
yesnen with but few people. 1t has paid less during
the last years, while have been actively connected
with it, 10 the of the property ON whatever basis
the estimate is made than any other active puDnc invest
ment in the United states Whether tue estimate De
made on the basis of the cost of the lines on the market
value the stock or on any other telegraph
business in the United States during the last SIX years
has paid less the average than investments III Other
RfeTenre is made in the Postmater Generals report
~. .s,tlr hafy ION ~
ONCE and the telegraph in this country without read
ing from the report Of the ana Ger
am justified in saying that ms report eontenplaes
state OF things under which the telegraph might become
the competitor OF the mails, and the revenues OF the
post Ohfce might suffer from such competition That is
the inference which draw from certain general state
meuts in the report Now can only express an opinion
ON that point and shall not undertake TO refer To sta
stcs in support Of it, but is my opinion hat the tee
graph contributes far more TO the development OF the
postal service than it draws from II as result OF It's
competition That IS TO say between any two cities OF
the United States the increase IN the correspondence Dy
pa viii be in larger raio than the increase IN the cor
respondence by telegraph Whatever tnat hcrease may
be- While snail not undertake 70 support tae opinion
by data VIII state the result OF my investigation OF
the subject that the telegraph Instead OF being the rival
postal servicea something wnlch Is going 10 in
| terfere with IL or detract from It's revenues-s a
| constant stimulant to increase the correspondence
by mail and therefore to increase the postal ,ai
| notwithstanding the fact that the wires OF the
WoSt4rn fTuion Telegraph Company absolutely IDLE
for at least six hours the twenyouI probably pay
very much larger for postage every year than any
other private corporation in the united states with
our offices and wires, and meB, and all the necessary
ENHANCES for conducting the business, without appar
emily any increase of cost, we still pay large sums
Annually Tor hostage simply because there is depart
meu correspondence which III is lnpOsslDe Tor the
telegraph For example: IL cannot AUDIT ITS own
acc6nnts do not mean say that it is physically i'm
possible do by telegraph put tat the expense OF
doing with accuracy would DC vastly greater thah IL is
Mr. Ni6lacE-You mean in the transaction Of official
| business between the offices
M 0rtop"Yes Sir 1t is very difficult the tee-
graph 10 be accurate IN the TRANSMISSION Oh hSres'
%T6e natural policy OF private Companies to extend
facilities slowly ana only 10 prOntaDle points, TO let
their business augment gradually, ana 10 reap larger
profits from small number OF messages whle Gov
eTnment system managed III the oi tue peope'
supose that il is entirely say that is the
business so 10 to make tue largest eGti-
mate profit. The telegraph however mas not Deeh De-
hind the development of the country in population IN
scarcely any section II has keprpace with the railways
All over the country and there are hundreds not thou
sands of miles of telegraph in operation to-day where
there are railways, ana where thlnK tue nas ohly
rn two or three times week. The telegraph Is being
rapidv developed Northern Texas the Indian Terri
tory Kansas Colorado Montana, California, Northern
Mslngan and other sections Of the country, where
thi The mails are not run every day. Ii is not
much the telegraph has fairly Kept pace win
the growth OF country; but, If 1t mas not sti am
OF opinion that it would be unjust to charge with any
special eihshness Investments are maze an telegIapn
no pretense Of being pnanthrOpic Or DeneVoient IN
sttuton We only claim that having received no Dene
tits from Congress other than that general protection Oh
the laws which all citizens are entitled we are not
with general expectation IN the provision Oh iacii-
ties. quote again; -. ,,...- 49,, ..,.o. %, ,,o
! Meanwhile, the immediate deiects anu abuses ol tne
telegraph call loudly for reform
n tbere Is body Chairman, who alleges before
this Commttee or before Congress- or before any de-
partrnent OF the Government, abuses concerning the
conduct of business by the Company with which
am connected shall esteem II favor to be informed
of the fact But submit, unless allegations are made
which not being denied do call for REFORM whether II Is
tst for the head executive department or the
9Ioyernment TO charge citizens engaged III lawful en-
terprIse by investment OF their own capital win
defects and abuses without supporting that charge
ly something which, undenied, would be accepted as
| evidence OF the fact ~, 40,
do not admit that the question of the value OF tele