New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-08-25
NEW ORLEANS, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST rs 1876
yicksburg Piefy.

yicksDurg Piety.
l ticksburg is Democratic and vet III
happy. Her people are in something's rule
by Democratic city officials, and in othe
things they are free and Independent,
Fourth of July celebrations can be broke
up and now and then Republican killed
and the city fathers do but little else thai
to regret the occurrence. So far so goo,
for the Democrats; but the city govern
mt mt has lately taken steps very unpopu
lar, characterized as reviving tie blue law
of New England. The Monitor says:
On Sunday everything must be CLOSED
tight as drum, and we suppose any ma,
who says bad words will be sharply pun
ished. This sort Of thing is caueing consid
cradle disgust.
Upon further reading it was found tha;
"everything" meant rum shops, and the
complaint is that they are to be kept drum
tight on the Lord g day. TIE Monitor goes on
to declare that "our people" do not ''conside,
it rest or recreation to be forced into a
groove Of ianaticism and caused to respec
the Sabbath az others wish" We fear the
Democratic city fathers of Democratic
Vicksburg have undertaken too much. and
that they will find themselves butting a
stone wall when they undertake to make
their &C ,tituents respect the Sabbath as
others respect it. The city fathers say there
is the law and there are complaints that it
is not executed; and the people say in reto1t
that there are very many laws not executed,
and that it does not become Democratic
councilmen to rake up dissgreeable laws:
''they are degrading their positions when
they become spies on the actions of the
people" And then the Monitor comes
out strong, and demands to know, in
the name of the people who dares
to complain of Sabbath breaking and
Sunday rum drinking. 1t says, "Who
are they any way' Give their names. We
want to know whether they are Democrats
or whether they are Republicans using the
city government to make Democratic rule
unpopular" Aye, there's the rub. Closing
rum shops would make Democracy unpop-
ular with Democrats, and while the White
Leaguers have free souls they will not sub
init to the tyranny. Who elected that City
Courcil2 The Democrats. certainly, with
such spiritual influence as could be derived
from corner groceries; and it little becomes
such city government to get up at this
late day and go to work enforcing laws dis
tasteful to white people, and this on the eve
Of an election for State Treasurer. Verify,
the way of the digressor is hard-very hard
in Vicksburg.
Tho English Telegrapllc Experiment.
The opponents of government telegraphy
in this country are trying to make capital
out of the pecuniary losses to the English
government by its operating the telegraph
system. Messages have Increased from
6.0OO, 900 during the last year the telegraphs
were operated by private corporations to
20, ,00O 900 in 1874. But with q business that
has doubled itself in four years there has
been a marked falling off in the revenues,
a probable deficit of 426s,OOO. Very un-
profitable business speculation that! And
if it were merely business speculation the
opponents of the system would have very
solid argument to use against it.
But it is vastly more than @ business
speculation. 1t is great public conve- |
nience. This is shown in the remarkable |
increase Of kilograms in five years from |
6, 100000 to 20,0O0,000. The old private cor !
profit not for the public convenience. They |
opened no office that would not pay. They I
tested every outlay by the returns it made. !
But the government operated the lines for |
the public benefit. 1t opened hundreds Of !
new Offices which did not pay. In 1873 |
there were in England, Ireland, Scotland |
and Wales 728 telegraph offices out of :, ,444
which did not pay their expenses, and last
year there were 4i9 non paying offices out
of 3,692. Private corporations would not
sacrifice so much to the public convenience.
fourth of the postofices in the United
States. But the government looks to larger
ends. and sacrifices immediate gains to the |
public welfare. The fact that the number
# non-paying offices is diminishing shows
hat time will rectify the discrepancy and
'bange the balance to the other side.
1t must be borne il mind that England ia !
! very small country, and that when lot.
er will reach it's destination in day there
8 much less reason for using the telegraph
han in a country like ours. But another
md the principal reason for the financial
Efficiency OF the English system is the fact
hat instantly the government took the l.
elegraph it raised the pay Of the operatives.
t put the telegraph system on the same |
ooting as the postal system, thus largely
ncreasing the cost Of operating the various
mes. One thing must be said to the credit
ftA aristocratic and monArchical England;
etter than the corporations which at / 4
resent are exerting a dOmin ating iniu-
nee in democratic America. The English | :
ivil service. confessedly the best ia the ,
Torid, admitted by men like Colonel For
ey and Mr.. Halstea to be free from dis
onesty and corruption, owes its efficiency | i
nd integrity in very large measure to the
'ct that the officers are appointed for life,
I'D are paid what keeps them above want +
nd temptation. If money making were the
,le object Of governmental operations. then {
J failure. But if its real object is to !
rotect the rights and interests and pro- I
ote the comfort and welfare Of the
eople, then it is grand success: :
nd the fact that it meets an annual deficit
the frst years OF the trial because 1t has
ade large expenditures to add to the con- :
enience of the people and for the pay Of !
lousands OF operatives should commend its |
'tion to all public-spirited and humane
y Is bad In principle and worse in prac- /
ce, and produces dishonesty as we'll as :
isery. When private enterprise coins the
'ofits for its dividends out of the toll of :
III paid operatives it establishes the .
rongest argument for governmental inter >
York Graphic. :
1t Went Do. a
This is not fair. Everybody knows that n
q veteran William Allen, of Ohio, ia no b
cken: he was a Democrat full-gr0wn | s