The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-02-18

Johnson's appointments, but it is alto
gether wrong for . Democratic senate to
reject Hayes appointments. What CON.
sistent( p creatures these stalwart Chris.
tians are, anyway.
The bill now pending in the United
States senate for the protection of the
telegraphic companies and their patrons
is as follows:
"a Bill for an act IN relation to 1ete-
graphic Ca1Dansanicdti0ns.
BE at enacted by the Senate and House
''of Representatives of the United States
''of America in Congress assembled,
''SEcTIoNI, That all telegraph mess
ages delivered for transmission to any
telegraph company availing itself of. the
provisions of Title IS, of the Revised
Statutes, and copies thereof made By
such company at the place of destination
''or at any intermediate point, shall be
deemed to be private papers OF the senders
and receivers of such messages. and shah
''be protected from unreasonable search
land seizure. and from production as evil
''dence in judicial and legislative proceed
ings to the same extent as communica-
''tions sent by the United States mail"
The inviofab;lity of kilograms is desired
by everybody, and should be held as se~
cure from the public gaze as are letters or
postal cards. A telegram is nothing less
than letter by quick transit and its con-
tents in nearly all cases. of the most urgeut
necessity. So jealousy does the Western
Union Telegraph Co. guard the inter-
ests of its patrons, that operators who d.
vulge the contents OF the messages are
summary dismissed the service. IF the
telegraph is to be made subject to legal
subphena. and the files of the company
made accessible to the general public,
there will be not only rapid decline in
this class of business, but the spirit of our
free institutions be seriously impaired. If
the right be admitted to call for
messages at will, and the cores
pondence is made the property of the
relative to letters. 10 fact there is no
question OF SO vital importance to our
common interests as the one which seeks
to destroy the privacy of correspondence.
To compel Geographic companies to pro-
duce their files at the will and pleasure of
any one whose curiosity may seek to reach
them, is to say to the people that there is
nothing private in correspondence, that,
however saeredly the company may guard
against publicity, court summons will
override all. and render of no avail the
safeguards which the company has en-
deavored to throw around its customers.
Correspondence OF all kinds, whether by
letter. postal, or Geographic message,
and receiver. and to be divulged
TO no one save such as either the said
sender or receiver may see fit. 1t is
the boast of A mericans that our institu-
tons are founded on universal liberty;
that in no other country are rthe liberties
of the people so generally protected as in
our own; and that nowhere on the face of
the globe is there as much protection
afforded the people as in America, and in
a general sense this is true. Then. let not
the innovation begin now.
The New York Herald says of this bill:
Every man who sends or receives tele-
grams will wish the Western Union Com
paDy success in its attempt to secure
for dispatches that protection which the
law extends to private communications
sent by mail. The only difference between
dispatch and letter is in the method
of transmittal. Dispatches are frequently
of as delicate nature as any letters, while
in point of commercial Importance it is
nhahf has oP IA IF
others exceed an equal number of bust
ness letters Yet it is we'll known fact
that congressional committees have at
times demanded and received the entire
number OF dispatches sent from certain
Offices between designated dates; that the
mass so obtained mas been looked through,
sheet By sheet, for the desired evidence.
and that any political rag picker. who has
happened to be on the committee, has
enjoyed the opportunity for obtaining per
sonai and business secrets enough 10 set
him up in the black mailing trade for life.
1t IS tiuse for this outrageous practise to
cease, and the Western Union Company
deserves the heartiest praise for It's
attempt TO have it ended by law"
While the inviolability of the telegraph
should be maintained. still there are
exceptions which should be made provid
Jog for the production OF kilograms caicu-
lated to trace crime or corruption 10 public
places. or whore it can aid in the detection
ola fleeing criminal. but even in these
cases the dates of kilograms, as nearly as
possible, should be stated sothat only the
specific kilograms called for may be pro-
duced, and that the remainder of the fled
dispatches be safe from scrutiny The
subject is an important one aud will no
doubt be definitely settled at the present
cession of congress, though the pending
bill will most likely be amended before
nassuga