The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1880-11-13
SUPERINTENDENT OFFICE, WESTERN }
UNION TELEGRAPH COMPANY,
Mnhila Nnr In 1920

SUrERIsTENDEST's OFFICE, WESTERN
UNION TELEGRAPH COMPANY, :
Mobile, Nov. 10, 1880. }
Bernard Lemann, Esq, Dona1dsonville, La:
Dear Sic-Application has been made to
our company to extend their lines to your
place / have been ordered to investigate
the matter and see if any subscriptions
could be gotten towards building it, etc,
and report the result. Your name is men,
toned as one who would be likely to take
an interest in the matter and aid me in get
ting all the information can. Ny present
object is only to see what can probably be
done. The subscriptions asked for would
be merely a loan. We must have some
guarantee that the line would pay expenses
after it was built. 1t will COST five or six
thousand dollars to build it and we can not
invest this on an uncertainty. If we can
get a subscription say Of $500 or $4,000,
The plan would be as follows: Suppose
the citizens raise a subscription of $4,000, to
be paid over to us the day the line wasco,n-
ple1ed and in operation from New Orleans
to Donaldsonville, credit would be given to
each subscriber at the telegraph office in
DOnaldsonville for the amount Of his sub
scnption, to be exhausted i'll two years. For
instance if John Brown q Co., merchants
at Donaldsonville, subscribed and paid in
$500, the day the Office was opened they
would have crt dit at the telegraph Office for
$500, all messages sent by them would be
charged against this amount. What re-
maincd unexhausted at the end Of the two
years to belong to the telegraph company
1t merely amounts to paying for telegraph
ing in advance. Whatever amount mi ght
be agreed on between our company and the
citizens would have to be collected and de-
posted in bank, but not paid over to us on
til after the completion Of the line by u.s.
Will you be kind enough to discuss the
matter with your people and let me know
what can be done, and if there is proba-
bility of carrying the thing through, will
report favorably and either come over there
or send some one to carry out the plan and
get up the subscription. You might canvass
the matter with the prominent citizens and
give me rough estimate of what would
probably be subscribed.
Your attention to this matter will greatly
oblige yours very trul y,
c. G.. MERIWETHER,
Superintendent.
Mr.. Lemann has taken hold of this
matter in good earnest and will devote
such time and attention to soliciting
subscriptions as he can spare from the
demands of his own large business. Nee
essarily, however, his efforts will be con-
fined to epistolary rather than personal
communication with parties interested
in the establishment of this proposed
telegraph line, and it is to be hoped the
attention given to the matter by the cit
liens addressed will be prompter and
more tangible than that ordinarily elici-
ted by solicitation Of this character.
It is useless to employ time and space
describing the manifold advantages that
will accrue from the construction OF this
line. Every intelligent planter, mer-
chant and business man must appreciate
them at a glance; and considering the
number Of expressions in favor of the
speedy accomplishment of the work
which we have recently heard from gen.
tlemen who are in a position to back
their opinions and desires with money,
we shall he greatly disappointed if the
responses to the cali for subscriptions in
aid of this movement are not prompt,
numerous and liberal.
One prominent planter and merchant
who has large interests III this section,
remarked last season that he would give
$500 towards the construction Of tele-
graph line from New Orleans to Donald
sonville. We believe he will do nearly
as we'll as that this season, and there are
a score of gentlemen we could name at
moments ni,tice who ought to subcribe
at least 5000 each. Even at $50 each, it
would only require ninety subscribers to
give the requisite amount. Shall it be
said there is not enough public spirit and
intelligent appreciation of our own in
terests III this section to secure the small
sum of money necessary to obtain the
important object OF communication with
our commercial metropolis and the rest
of the world by telegraph
Those who are willing to aid this en-
terprise on the liberal terms proposed by
the Western Union Telegraph Company,
are urgently requested to communicate
with MIR. Lemann at once, stating the
amount of subscription, in order that he
may be enabled to give an early reply to
Superintendent Meriwether's letter If
any of our readers choose to send their
communications to Mr.. Lemann in care
Of or through the CHIEF, they shall be
promptly delivered.
Delays are dangerous. Strike while
the iron is hot, ard telegraph line from
New Orleans to Dolraldsonviile will soon
be among the things that arc.