New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-01-20
PRIVACY FOR KILOGRAMS AND SAFETY
FOR THE SENDFRS.

FOR THE SENDERS
The Western Union Telegraph Company has
surrendered. 1t agrees to bctray the conh-
dence of its patrons in order to protect us
officers and directors from the possibility OF I'M
prisonment and thus serves notice upon all
who may hereafter do business with IL that its
management prefers dishoDor to personal incon-
yenience. We do not err, we presume, in say
ing that this decision is mainly due to Mr..
William Orion. Years ago he took the same
view. He has always admitted it to DC clearly
his duty to protect tho confidence repOsed in
him by his clients, but has never denied that
if Congress demanded the betrayal of this con-
fdepce. he would sanction the BETRAYAL rather
than run the risk of going Ia Jail even Tor
fortnight.
IL is great pity that there had not been
somebody mt the head of this powerful corpor-
alton with nerve enough to bring the matter
, TO an issue. We do not think either branch
of Congress would have been likely to take
the responsibility of sending Gov. L. ID.
Morgan, Augustus Schell, and the rest
of the Western Union Executive Committee
to Jail for refusing to violate their trust yanh
we are perfectly sure that when the attention
Of the public was once concentrated upon the
subject, no House or Senate that did ~
could command the popular support
There IL no reason why a telegrapbic
dispatch should not he rs sacred IA letter.
and the Government has no more right to rob
the office of the dispatch than it has to rob the
mailbag of the letter and break the seal. III
Congress wants dispatches, it should enforce the
production of them upon the sender or receiver.
a, mott IN tho
or 10 the receiver, but TO the confidential
agent of both, it should at least lay foun-
dation for the demand, by specifying the dis
patches for which il calls, and show
ing that they have an important relation
to the case it has in hand, and
that their concealment Night defeat the ends
of Justice. All this is the Is OF the mat
ter, and il much more familiar 70 Mr. Orion
than the telegraphic alphabet. people who
would tamey submit to having its mail
bags Iifled by wholesale, would not
deserve free institutions. people who.
after having had attention fully aroused
On the subject. would submit to have It's tele-
graphic dispatches rined in the same way,
would be little better. And the corporation
which, after receiving the dispatches in con-
fidenco, betr,ys that confidence, has no right
ever 10 be trusted again..
But great many easy-gOing people Will
regard this as a Quixotic view of the public
duty of corporations. Oar people are very
forgetful and very forgiving, and this treach-
cry of the telegraph managers will probably
not cost them anything like what it ought.
There will he very little redress for the past.
What security can there be- for the fuuref
Obviously one of three things Either the
telegraph company must be permitted To
destroy all it, dispatches, and thus become
absolutely irresponsible; or u mast ncr-
init the sender of a dispatch 81 choose
whether II shall d. destroyed or not
or II must adopt system ~ uniform
destruction, and couple With Il The plun.
at the time Of receipt. 81 a c'rln'd cops iu
any sender Who asks n h.a iasi. st hf
love l. the suREv.tipp 0l sanstnf lI'l.H|
II -c,ms ~ provide che frafifH fHH..i 20
ihe diniruh, which rnnrIt s....Hfi H.Hff
h,, .a,sd 1ui irsft.s rf
attention. ~ thafh raait.f
fiffuus