The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-12-10
Telegraph Operators to be made Army
Officers.

Is IL possible that Gen. EcKERr and Mr..
ORToN are careless Of the rights of the
telegraph operators of the Atlantic and
Pacific, aud the Western Union lines :
They certainly have not applied TO Con-
gress for the promotion of these hard
worked men 10 lieutenau.ies In the army,
with large pay, rat1ons. fuel, and commuta-
tion OF quarters. But Gen. MYER, the man
ager Of the Government telegraph, has Just
made his annual moan for his Signal Ser
vice line, which he pitoously says "eXists
without laws providing for the permanent
employment of its officers, or the promo
ton OF it's enlisted men" These enlisted
men are telegraph operators, telcgrnphing
about the weather. Every operator ON
the Western Union lines Ia ms much en-
titled 10 be made u lieutenant in the army
rs are the operators of the Signal Service
lines. Nothing could better illustrate the
decay Of the military spirit in the regular
army OF the United states. and Its rapidly
growing tendency 10 change soldiers into
mere ofhceholders, than this obstinate
purpose Of one of our generals TO build
up huge system of Government telegra-
escape from garrison duty and frontier
service, and get better pay and promotion
than If they were flghting Indians.
There Is nothing military whatever
in the signal Service telegraph system
Its chi Of is not a soldier. lie was u patent
medicine manufacturer. He never COM
manded n soldier in his life. lie is not a
graduate of West Point. He did not enlist
a, "A volunteer in the war. He never carried
n musket for an hour His work il wholly
that of diffusing news. He tells through
the newspapers what the weather is to be,
and ut stated intervals publishes what II
has been. The Signal Service serves the
owners Of vessels, the shippers of prop
erty, those who would harvest crops or
commence out-of-loor lahors, the large
number who would not begin journeys in
snow or ram, and all who for any reason are
curious 10 know whether the weather will
be good or bad, hot or cold. Gen. MYEH
10 news reporter. Yet he has his news
office established in the army AMI insists
on having il built up into n permanent
military system. with himself as command
Ing general for life, and uniforms, rank
Iations, and promotion for his operators
| He has audaclously planned scheme OF
national telegraphy which shall cover al
the States and Territories with his wire.
and offices, and end in establishing tn,
| Government in tho business Of the Western
| Onion and the Atlantic and Pacific Tele,
graph companies, which Congress has ovel
and over refused 10 go into under the va
rious postal telegraph schemes that hav,
been pushed in Washington. His scheme
includes employment for a large number
Of army officers, with their existing rank
pay, and emoluments, and a large body o
specially enlisted soldiers, which shall
eventually exceed in number that OF al
infantry division In the war
Congress will stultify itself II II doe
not soon and ofIectually dispose OF Gen
MYER and his impudent purpose. The en-
tire Signal Service should he ierlSed out o
the army and put into the Post once De
partment. A law should be passed author
iElng the sale OF the Signal Service tele
graph lines to one of the existing tele
graph companies, and instructing tn
Postmaster-G eneral TO contract with on
or all OF them for the daily transmission o
the weather reports. A vast sum of none.
would be saved by this legislation.