Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-09-03
Successful Competition.

The American mon telegraph com
pany is RAPIDLY becoming Il formidable
rival OF tie ,ae company that for wears
has presided aioL- ov-r the teI.rraphc
inm1ninnS Of t,,ls cruntry. Yesterday
there were received 1T the offices of the
con ,lay IN this c.ty two contracts.
which are uf the %reatcst imuortanca
10. only to- the Amarican Union, hat to
the interests cs the Western Union
coinnan,. One Of the contracts IS h"-
tween the pi.tsDlrg, C.nrit natl ana
81, L0His railroad company and the
American Union, uili the other between
the Pennas l"ania Company ard III"
Latter. Dlt!i :hes" contracts provide
for allowing the A.,cricau Union COM
pany telegraphic privileges Oh the
routes controlled by tie respective
railroad companies, AMI the use Of
their Offices for II period az twenty
Yeas. these contracts have been
sigte' by the respective parties. .;l
all tsat remains to he done is for the
American Union to proceed to take
possession.
The Importance OF these contracts
will be readily seen by glance at the
extent Of lines which the companies
control, and which the contracts cover.
The Plttsburg, Cincinnati and ST. Louis
railroad, which is also known as tie
Pan Handle road, extends from Pitts
burg to Cincinnati, indianapolis, Chi
cago and St. Louis, with branches to
Louisville, Kentucky, and other cities,
and embraces over siXteen hundred
miles OF railroad. The Pennsylvania
company operates the Pittsburg, Fort
Wayne aud Chicago railroad, the
Cleveland and PIttsburg railroad, and
other roads west of Erie and Pittsburg,
embracing about fourteen hundred
miles Of road. The contracts with the
two companies, together with the con-
tract previously secured with the Penn
sylvauia railroad company proper. give
to the American Union telegraph COM
pany practically the contro. OF all the
telegraph facilities OF the great Penn
sylvania system, and the managers of
that system become the close allies of
the now telegraph company, which has
also the strong support OF the Balti-
more and Ohio railroad company, and
of all the companies i'll which MIR. Jay
Gould is largely interested. including
the Wabash, the Missouri Pacific, the
Missouri, Kansas and Texas, the Texas
and Pacific, the Colorado Central, and
the Union Pacific and branches. A
glance at any railroad map will show
the great value and importance Of these
connections.
Under the contracts with the Pitts
burg, Cincinnati and st. Louis railroad
company and the Pennsylvania com
paay, everything in the shape of te!e-
graph facilities on these roads is placed
at the disposal of the American Union
telegraph company, and no other tele-
graph company can enjoy them except
10y subscribing to the same terms to
which tie American Union has agreed
1t begins to look as ii the power of Mr.
Vanderbilt and tho Western Uaion
company was being weakened by its
new rival. The acquisitions which the
latter has been making during the past
few months are serious inroads into the
monopoly which has 80 long existed.
1t will soon be time for the Western
Union company to issue another state
ment showing that the competition OF
the American Union has increased the
former receipts. american Exchange.