Connecticut western news., 1877-01-26

ed by fire Tuesday night last. Tue fire or iginated ln the drying room, and was dis. covered about half past nine in the eve. hing. Insured for about Sls.OOo in the Aetna and Phoenix of Hartgord. and West Chester of Springfield. No estimate of the loss yet.
 Sleigh Ride, Oyster Supper and Dance. The s. V. l. A. will hold its annual re- union at Academy Hall Salisbury Monday evening January 29. 1877, at 8 o'clock, P. M.. (sharp). A cordial invitation is extend | ed to all.
 PROGRAMME Everybody (and his wife, sister or some one else s sister), who des,re to attend, Is requested to meet under the shade of our centennial tree at o'clock P. M., provided with team. A, 3P. M.. the procession will form under the direction of the executive committee of the $. V. l. A., and will then "Go west " or otherwise as ordered. Returning by moonlight will arrive at Academy Hall, at 8 P. M., amp after filling up all vacancies with hot oys- ters and ice cream, (cold), all the able bodied persons are invited to the floor above where several We'll greased hddles will dis course sweet music. All proceeds for the benefit of the s. V. 1. A. Tue Purser ol the 5. V. I. A will sit at the receipt ot customs, in the supper room. Supper soc A competent floor manager will be on hano to attend to the wants of dancers. Dan cing tickets, 50 cents.
 Government and the Telegraph.-A petitlsn is being extensively circulated to ascertain the will of the people in relation to the purchase by the Government of the existing telegraph lines of the country, and placing them under the direction and con- trul of the Post Office Department. The petition asks congress to pass such a law as shall enforce the provisions of the Ac passed by Congress en July 24,h, ls66,v wiz |:
 The United States may for Postal, Militia ry or other purposes, purchase all the tele- graph lines. property and effects Cf any oI all companies acting under tue provisions Ot tue act of July 24ih, 1866 entitled ''An act to aid in the c, instruction of telegraph lInes, aud to secure tO the Government the use of the same for Postal, Military, and other purposes" or under ihls ule, at ah appraised value to be sscertained by five competent dsiuteresled persons, two ot whom will he chosen by the Post Master General of the United States, two by the Company interested, and one by the four SO previously selected.
 We do not know that the above act of
 1866 is the wisest plan to adopt for the ac- complishment of the otj ject desired, but that the telegraph lines of the whole couu- try should be owned and operated by tht government for the benefit and advantage
 of the whole people, and messages trans- mitted at very much lower rates than can be expected could be obtsined of pri- vste corporations. has been an opinion We
 have for several years entertained. Tm
 tendency toward the centralizAtion of pow CT, should the government get control oi the telegraph, has been advanced ss an ar
 gum mt against the plan, but we fail to see
 wherein the people would suffer by reali
 .tlon of the assertion, if it should in facl
 result in anything of the sort. Who, for s
 moment would entertain a proposition tc
 have the Postal business of the country en
 trusted to private corporations aud if il
 IS SO much to the beue fit and advantage tC the nation at large. to have that business |. conducted by the government, it must bs
 plain to those who will give thought to tn,
 matter, that our correspondence, transmit
 ted by electricity, comes under precisely thu same hne of reasoning, and should witl equal propriety be upder the same msnage. nent. Tue government now has the en tire control of the postal business, and 1t i is permitted to take the telegraph service
 some may ask where this government con
 trol of the business of the cQuntry will stop. It will next ask to transport mer chandise on the fast trains, which is nov done by the express companies. and event uallY, will essay to do tue general freight
 ing business. now under the control of th' Freight departments of our railroads. Bu these arguments can p"ssibly obtain n'
 great weight in the minds of the people hy the absurdity of even the suggestion O
 the plan. If the postal business was man aged by private corporations, and alway had been and the question shoull arise
 which. in the opinion of the people. would
 hc the most practical in its workings for tho , gOvernm, Ut to manage, tue postal or tel
 tgraph business, it can scarcely he doubted
 that all would ut once decide that as tn, :. telegraph service is SO much more simple having far less machinery ip it's plan o mAnagem nt, it would be far more likel,
 to prove a successful undertaking in th, hands of our government than the posts the mass of the people will agree, with us let some plan, whichever may be deemed the wises,, be adopted to couple this busi- ness with the Post Office Department o
 our country. Nor would the experilnen be an entirely untried one. The Englist government has for yeals managed thu telegraph business of the British Empire and has done it successfully and p' 'ofitably to itself and the people. Let our govern ment do the same for our convenience ant
 profit,
 Sheffield We were we'll entertained last week at the Union by Mrs. H. Smiti who gave us atwenty-five minute lecture taken for her subject, 'Gernll Massy thu , English poet :" she also read many extracl } from his beautiful poems. We are soon tt have short lecture from Mrs Dr. Miller . and we are anticipating the coming of Prof } Penney, whose geological lectures ar' sources of both pleasure and profit to hi bearers. The song and exhibition of thu "Cat and Kittens" was repeated before the Uuion, and the performers acted vel | ,h,;r n.rtO t0 tha Orpat deIirht of all tbt