The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-11-10
WHO SHOULD OWN THE TELEGRAPH,

What is the limit of state duty, is q
question that Of all political ones is the
most difficult of solution, How far state
or nation should go in the matter of as
Stunning to discharge those things that indi-
yiduals may do, how far it may take away
the citizens prerogatyes in one direction
under the plea that it can best
subserve the interests of the many,
or the whole, in another direction,
| is problem that has not only disturbed
and distressed monarchical governments,
but that keeps in perpetual fermentation
the republican ones. Chief among the
| questions that must soon arise for earnest
| discussion and settlement will be the very
serious one that heads this article. There
exist the strongest of arguments pro and
con. 1t will be contended that the United
States should make the Geographic system
like other civilized nations, a part of the
postal service. That being so used by the
government the tariff rates will wonderfully
decrease, just as has been the experience
in the matter of constant reduction ofletter
postage. That system through which
the most important news and business
| secrets of the world are transmitted, should
| not be allowed to be possessed by any one
man or ring. That such system by means
of which the slightest variation in its mar
ket reports, for instance, might make or
lose fortunes to thousands of men, is q SUI
lect of the highest consideration. That
made monopoly of, the wires can be used
| at the right moments in the interest of the
one man or more who might happen to
| Own them-to the great dctriment and ser
lous injury of the country politically as
well as commercially. For these and other
equally potent reasons, say they the telc-
graphic system Of the country should be
under the control of the government lust as
with the postal, the letters, the newspa-
pers, etc, just as with the money-ordcr de.
partment. If the government have tho
power and right to transmit messages over
a mile or ten thousand miles of iron or steel
rail, why should it not have equally the
power and right to transmit them over n
mile or ten thousand miles of iron or steel
wire? 1t is only a matter of the size
OF the iron or steel and the
speed of conveyance. The question
OF secrecy cuts no figure in the argument,
| for cyphcr codes and other things may be
used. the postal card was at first objected to
on account of its opcnness, but that feeling
has died away and people now see that
postoflicc clerks have neither the time nor
the disposition to be reading thou
sands of the postal cards daily
received in or sent out from
their offices. Per contra, it is contended
that by taking possession of the telegraph:
the government will exceed its constitu-
tional power, and that such act
will be only stcpping.stone to
other unwarranted stretches and in
reference. That this accomplished the
next step will be to buy up all the railroads,
and so on ad infinitum. That in its posses
sion the party in power can put in success
iul operation a system of espionage that
will so place at the mercy of few the great
bulk of the people that the republic would
soon be removed but one degree from mon
archy, and could perpetuate its power for
ever. All this would seem to be true,
but the indcntcal objections were urged
against the use of envelopes when they
came into fashion some years ago. The
custom had been to fold up letter, full
sheet and then to seal it with wax, bear
ing an impression, so as to guard it against
opening. The universally of the objec-
ton to the envelope was remarkable, and
for years after their introduction
the older merchants would not
use them, as they insisted that by
the application of little water or dampen-
ing it could be opened, tho contents of the
letter thereby easily reached, and the en-
velope could then be sealed up, and no one
any the wiser save the thief that purloned
the news, In eras of political Importance
cyphcr dispatches could bo ems
ploycd. Mr. Tiiden's ncphews
experience might then serve
useiulpurpose, In view of these things we
are inclined to favor the ownership by the
government of the telegraph system, al
though we are not of those who believe in
government omnipotcncc, that government
eau create anything, or that it can ever
alter the total amount of injustice com.
mitted. We believe, as has been somewhere
expressed, that government cannot by
any ingenious artiicc make men
avoid the consequences Of their own ma
lures, To the careless eye and untaught
mind 1t seems to do what the juggler does,
performs miracles, impossible transiorma.
TONS 1t is impossible, says a philos.
ophor, for man to create force. There is
just so much in this world, no more, no less.
He can only alter the mode of its mani.
festations, It's direction, its distri-
button. Nature cannot be cheated.
Politics, as are all other things,
is like mechanics, increase the number off
pullcys and We may decrease the amount of
force in exact ratio. A deep bucket
of gallon capacity cannot be
made to hold any more by making
II of shallow shape, OF the same amount of
material. So with government, newspapers,
the stage they are neither worse nor bet.
than than the people make them, is !
lhA .t,1, A..1