, 1875-10-02
Government can do In 10 eraro MI further ex-
penHc. ratro from tho negotiation. nn,, lot
tho 1nlinus have their tnrrnn Eltlorn,lo.


FIRST FRUITS OF THE GABLE MONOPOLY.
Within three days OF tho announcement
| TINT tho tlrcct cahlo Ind broken somewhere
ncnr tho American coast comes nnotlor equal
y unpleasant piece Of nows. Tho Anglo
American Telegraph Monopoly Company,
which now controls nll tho working wireH hc-
twcon tho Old World mud tho Now, combines,
not precisely business and pleasure, Int b,lsi-
moss and business, by raising itB ratcs to one
tiol|ar In gold per wor,l, md then having the
news tclcgraplled from London ovcrits cable,
thus increasing it's receipts iu tho present by
announcing MI increase in it's rates in tho f,,-
ture. This iH tho exact fulEllment Of THE
TH1DuSEs prediction. Tho lncl of any COLL
petition Inns borne fruit in tho rc-cstaf1iat,-
ment Of IN o1tortionato and oppressive rnte.
Evon II conr0tition had boon brought into
play it would not hnvo kept down
charges long. If Tho Direct Cable Company
had kept its wiro in good condition
and maintained tho tariff with which it bo-
gan,-26 cents word tho Anglo-American
would Of course llavo Ind to cut down its
charges to tho samo figure or below it.
Then, after short struggle for n few weeks
or months, tho old Company would eitlcr
hayo bought up majority Of tho depreclated
sinres Of tho now Company, or hayo per-
auaded tho latter to 'pool its receipts n,d
thus practically consolidate itself with it's
whilom rival. It in favorito theory Of AFR.
O. r. ADAMS, Jr., tl,at competition botwcon
rnilroads inevitably lends to combination.
The history Of tho railroad systern in England
md America seems to sustain this viow.
Combination takes placo BY just the process
We have Hkotched ~ tho likely result Of tho
strife betwoon tho Anglo-Americnu aud the
Direct Callo Companies What il true OF
railroads IL trio, in this case, Of ocean caslea.
Tho French line WINS hid to compete with tilo
English ono. 1t did so for n short time. and
tho two wero then consolidated. If tho lii
rect cablo is repaired, its fate will finally bo
the sa'no. ALI We can hope for, ttlcn, in my
event, is short respite from tho grasring
avariciousness Of MI omnipotent monopoly,
unlesa tho systems t11Ier which ocenn cabloB
arc laid and managed should DO radically
changed. There is but ono radical claugo
possible. That is tho purchase of tho lines
by tho British Government and their working
Ms part OF tho English postal-tclegraph sys-
tom. Grent Britain owns hotll shores OF
tho Atlantic at the most convenient md
practicable place for stretching wires
across, Hor officials aro skilled in
telegraphic affairs. Tho customs and tratli-
tiona of her system of public dntios prevent
all danger Of anything like the ring-rulo
which il tho chief danger hero, when our
Government NEEDLES with busi.esa 1nntters.
Finally, alc has plenty Of resources. She
can borrow oil tho money needed to lay twcn-
ty cables Mt = per cent. ii she should take
possession Of the ocean wires, paying tho
present owners Il fair price therefor, aud
should cut down the charges to 20 cents a
word M n maximum, tho result would bo q
grent ntdcvelopmentini international tclcgraphy,
which would surely lend to better state Of
feeling mud m increased business between
tho two great Englisi,-spenlting nations. The
experiment would pay good dividends in
money AMI enormous dividends in commerce
and civilization.