National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1873-01-20

OF huHNflnH IOf thCk OF IOnu, Iuelg OF
and for whose comfort the Government makes no
provision whatever
trust, Mr.. Chairman, that this committee will
believe me entirely sincere when ! say that
neither on this nor on any former occasion have
intended to be wanting In that respect which IS
due to the members OF the committee, and TO the
officers Of every department Of the Government
Of the United States. Six years ago we entered,
as we supposed, into a compact with the United
States either that we were 10 be permitted TO go
on and conduct our business without govern.
mental interference, or that the Government
would take our property at the nppralsement Of
Jury In whose selection we should have an
equal voice, and mat we should then be permit
ted to withdraw our capital and invest u In other
enterprises scarcely was the ink dry on the
signature that gave validity TO that act before
schemes were Introduced into Congress, and
mnsn P ssys sSe Ss ooe
and representatives Of the telegraph TO he In ~.
tendance on Congress, under circumstances OF
great personal Inconvenience At very eonsller,;
the business with which they are conneoten. ",
therefore, have sometimes exhibited lmpa-
thence, u "a, nrst, because am compelled always
TO he In hurry; and, secondly, because nave
felt, a. feel now, that we have been the injured
party, and not the aggressor; that we have en-
dcavored to keep In good faith the compact into
which we entered on the invitation OF Congress;
and yet we are obliged TO come here at every
session to defend our property, our business anti
our management from unproyoked assaults by
parties whose interests or whose preJudices
tempt them to suppress or 1lstort the facts, or
who for lack OF knowledge and experience seem
unable to comprehend them.
Lot me ask, on behalf Of the property which
represent, and Of the interests with which am
connected, that some definite action be taken on
this subject at this session. II Ia due TO all the
Interests INVOLVED, as vel as to ths honor and
shall be settled. I stated few moments ago
that the company with which am connected
had erected during the year 1872 10000 miles OF
wire. The Indications are that we shall be re-
quired to erect during the year 1873 At least
~, 900 miles Of wire, Notwithstanding the fact
that we are now engaged In equpping our lines
with an apparatus which we have demonstrated
to our entire satisfaction Ia capable Of doubling
the capacity Of every wire we have. Ia II unfair,
Mr.. Chairman, In anticipation Of such an invest
onS nv % ne %sIarS Go%
pany, and perhaps another million by railroad
companies, In connection with which lines will
be constructed, that We should ask Congress TO
take some action by which we can judge whether
every time we make an investment In this btsl-
ness we put II at hAzar7 Il the million OF dollars
which we shall probably invest during the next
year TO be put at hazaTd7 Do the United States
contemplate proceeding for lts connscation7 Al
all events, we not entitled TO notice as TO what
the Government does contemplate, In order that
we may elect whether TO incur the risk OF invest
ing these large sums annually, or whether we
will retain and distribute them among our stock
holders. ] submit that between man and man
this would be onlf fair, that common sense Of
Justice which Is called "fair play" The citizen
of the United States Is certainly entitled TO ask
this from the Government OF the United
States, We ask nothing more. We admit our
obligation TO deliver our property to the Gov
eminent under the provisions Of the act Of 1855
whenever Congress shall direct the appointment
OF appraisers, and shall appropriate the funds
to this apparent attempt to create public Opln-
ion N advance Of the appraisement which IA TO
operate on the appraisers to the prejudice OF our
Sn now HssSer we aEs eottsd MINER n1s q 1Ssi
act, TO the simple cost OF the poles and wires, or
whether we are entitled " something more.
The value Is to he decided by arbitration, In ac-
eOrdance with the terms Of the act, TO which we
have agreed, and the arbitrators are the judges,
We certainly shall not agree to any attempt to
ascsrigln 1rst what the appraisement shah be,
In order that " II " o good bargain yon may
accept IL, or IL Il Is bad one you may decline IT,
We agree 10 abide by the result OF arbitration ~
provided In the act, and hope that before Con-
gress adjourns some action will he taken which
snail he an indication to the holders Of shares In
the various telegia ph companies Of the United
states, whether 1t VIII be prudent for them to
continue 10 hold such property, and 70 the man
agef OF the cOibpRpies whether It will he prudent
for them 20 continue To invest portion Of their
earnings 10 the extension Of the property, or
what II will be necessary for them 70 DO to meet
whatever shall appear to be or shall be declared
10 We the determination q the Government In
TIVE HUBBARD Dill,
Of iSDEn5 GSies RSsq ss S'rI' se%
speak Of the bill a. | last saw II. II the conf
mlttee have allowed any notifications Of 1t !
haye not been appfisod OF them. But the I'LL, as
last aAB II, II q scheme for the Incorporation by
Congress OF q company authorized to engage In
the telegraph business In ell the States aud Ter
Ttories, conditioned that the rates NJ which mes
sssss snS II seh. ~ M VIZ wS,Eh a SS su
entity considerably less than the present average
rates. But there IL provision In the hill author
lzlng "priOrlty messages ~ double rates. But,
sage. That Il what the telegraph Is Tor. And
you will appreciate, think, the force Of that on
learning the following facts: II Ia now three
years since, throughout the territory east OF the
Missouri river, messages could be Med at any
telegraph ONCE at any time during the day for
transmission at the convenience OF the company,
aud for delivery on the following morning at hall
the tarin rates. That provision has been In
operation three Years. II Is thoroughly well
known 70 all people Who have occasion 70 use
the telegraph; and although the Iaies from New
Washington to Texas, Western Arkansas, and
Kansas, are 81 to ti.bO for single message, with
a few houIs difference OF time, and without any
Inconvenience to the customer as to the nllng Of
these messages at half these rates, the fact Is
that ut this lime, after three years OF use, but
eleven per cent OF the Telegraph buSineSs Is
done pnder this provision OF hAli rates.
The Chairman. Ia that arrangement made by
all the othef oOIupanies as well a. youTu7
Mr.. OftOn. Yes, sir, al OF them. Mr.. Thurs
ton, president OF the Pacific and Atlantic Com
pany, l suppO'c las did not nle csyeap " en-
titicd to a patent on that scheme. think, II he
WAS entirely frank, he would admit that he knew
We were going 20 DO IT, but he did II 1rsi, because
Il took US great while 10 work up the details De
fore putting IL In operation, and 30 he started u
on MA lines before we did on ours. But II hai
been In operation on all the lines Of all the com
panles during the isst three years. IL lid not a.
lrst include any territory "ssi ot the MISSISSIPPI
Mr., Thurston, wish to dIsclarm the credit 81
being 81 much smarter than the president Of the
Western Union Telegraph Company, and ] an
hau "a. annrRfa n m the m a hay
Ing originated the proposition Of sending these
night dispatches at half rates. u was the prin
Ciple on which our line was nrst created thai
that should form feature OF II when the line
was sufficiently extended to do so; and we haf
II In contemplation, II seems, at the same tint
Is the Western Union people, without each othe
Tue Chairman, Is the fact that you have sucl
an arrangement so generally known to your Gus
toners that the u per cent, represents the vol
untary choice OF the peoples OF y u true ina
a considerable portion OF your cnlOmeTs do no
Know Of the existence Of thar hall rate7
Mr.. orion. When we lnauglTated this scheme
we considered that the people who sent and re
ceiyed messages every day were the people whom
| ii was TO our interest TO notify nrst. The hal
| rate message blank Ia printed In red Ink. Thes
| blanks were distributed, as other message blank
are distributed treS among ,ae eas'S @a
! suitable 10 be inclOsed In the enyetspe In whlc
messages are dsliyered 10 our custopern, pirate
also IN red, was printed 20 the extent OF man
/
Of the company, aud copy yas plaeel N IN
envelope with every message delivered LOT Sc,
eral months. We argued that ~ the course 9
three months, II an advertisement went out vii
every message delivered We should, probably
during that period, reach the great majority
those who PlirOnlZe the telegraph. In addltlo
20 that cards vera provided and directed to 7
themselves are exposed there. And still moi
recently directed an advertisement 10 be printe
prominently on the envelopes used for lnclosln
messages TO be dsllyered. We have taken n
utmost pains TO inform The public OF the lac
and we believe the public Is well Informed OF
Certainly that " the case among those who al
most In the habit Of using the telegraph.
The Chairman. Does his hali-iare 0rrang
ment apply TO Nil your rhtes1 .
Missouri river, including Kansas, NlssOnI
Arkansas, Louisiana, and nearly all o. Texas.
The Chairman. Between here and New i0r
and betwSep here and Boston, and between DO
ton aud New York
Nr, orion. Yes, sir, We do not include In
the Pacific coast for the reason that the line
so long and the difference IN time IL three hour
The great difficulty In maintaining that lle,
liability to interruption and the certainty tn
induced US to withhold putting II into operate
, on the Pacific coast We intend, however,
lieu of that, 10 reduce the rates between the
! lantlc and The Pacific coasts at an early day
still further reduce then, They are only abO
: one half now what they were slt years ago,
, Now let me return 70 the Hubbard bill.
spoke Of one Ot the provisions Of that bill, bell
therein for messages entitled ~ priority, and
+. expressed the opinion that every message was
, priority message; and appealed to The fact IN
! 10 pef cent, of the business Of the Western Uni