The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-06-16
POSTAL TELEGRAPH.

POSTAL TELEGRAPH.
The postal telegraph is to be prominent
subject of discussion before the National
Board of Trade, which began its session at
Philadel phia yesterday. The resolution was
presented by the Board of Trade of Baltimore,
and constitutes one of the matters postponed
at the last annual meeting of the National
Board. The form which the inquiry assumes
is, in substance, whether the United States
Government should undertake the ownership,
control, regulation, and operation of the mag
netic telegraph and the transmission of mes
sages thereby, in the same manner and to the
same extent that itnow assumes exclusiyeness
in the transportation Of written or printed
messages.
This would require an investment of some
millions in buying existing lines, in erecting
others instead Of the same, in the establish
ment Of new lines, or in the purchase Of the
privilege of exclusive use of the present lines
for term of years. In the first experiment
arrangements could be made with companies
now owning lines Of telegraph analogous to
those now made with the owners of stage
coach lines, railways, steamboats, and steam
ships, introducing the feature of competition,
leaving to the owners Of existing telegraphs
| the option Of continuing business in compe-
tition with or of working for the government
The subject has many sides, and before it is
finally passed upon must undergo very thor
s~ oil ,}o ho
postal telegraph has been tried in Great
Britain with success, and while some Of the ele-
ments of like success are here needed, there
seems to be enough prospect of success to war
rant thorough trial, provided the trial can be
made at moderate cost without injury to vested
rights. individuals and corporations have in
vested many millions in telegraph property,
in the enjoyment Of which they have right
to be protected. These individual and cor
porate rights to erect, own and operate lines
of telegraph were granted by State laws and
are now protected by them. It would be an
invasion of the rights of these owners to for
bid them longer to send messages over their
wires except upon arbitrary conditions and at
certain low rates prescribed by the National
Postal Telegraph Department. It would be,
in effect, violation of the obligation of a
contract already existing between the States
and the owners of the lines established with
in them and by their authority. There being
no constitutional provision which gives to the
United States Government exclusive anthori-
| ty over telegraphs, and nothing from which
such authority can be implied or inferred, q
postal telegraph system would leave compe-
tition open to private enterprise
The lines which would pay most into the
new department would be those connecting
the larger cities. There is no doubt that the
Government could operate lines joining New
York, Boston, Washington, Savannah, Mobile,
New Orleans, Galveston, Nashville, Louis
Vile, Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Louis, st. Paul
and San Franscisco, each with all the others
to such advantage, and with such ecopomy as
to be able to reduce present rates to much
lower figures, perhaps one-half. Used in con-
junction with the Post Office Department,
many of the present expenses would be cut of.
Much of the present postal system of super
vision, returns and general management
would equally apply to telegraph system
and be performed by the same agents. But
government Geographic service on main lines
would take away from present telegraph COM
panies SO large proportion of their income.
that they could no longer afford to work
minor lines as now, which communicate with
many hundreds Of small towns and obscure
villages.
As an engine Of political power in the
hands of inscriptions leaders of party in
possession of the government, the telegraph
would be truly formidable. An inchoate
tyrant at Washington, surrounded by his
ministers of evil and his military instruments
Of force, with full and exclusive control Of
all telegsaphic lines, as well as Of the postal
department, would sit like spider in the
center Of web, sensitive to every touch and
dangerous to every one that it might reach
In this, perhaps, lays the greatest objection
to the postal telegraph. In the view OF vast
and growing numbers government telegraph
is something which is s'bound to come, but
it is important to surround it with every prac-
ticable safeguard.
RIP SAM"