Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-12-29
THE TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE
MONOPOLIE9.

therefore Spain will one day be regeAerated
THE TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONI
MOHOPOLIEB.
Monopoly has in this country assumed
degree of arrogance, dictation and rapacity
that must, sooner or later, arouse public in
dignation to an irrepressible point. stand
at some future day will be taken that may
lead TO deplorable results, and a wise fore.
thought suggests that the evil should be
abated before the danger-point is reached
What the nature of that point should be il
matter for consideration. The greater mo.
nopolies lie IN railroads and in telegraphs
and the telephone is rapidly assuming the
same Objectionable attitude. Leaving rail-
roads aside, we find the recent able report OF
the United States Postm aster-Genersl
strongly calling upon the country, through
Congress, to take the entire Geographic
service into its own hand., and
already Congress has provided mode by
which the telegraphic lines of the country
may be purchs sed. The Postm aster- Gen
eral believes the time has fully come when
the purchase should be made. He regards
the telegraph essentially the same thing ss
the mail; both are engaged in the transmits
sion Of messages. The postal system lie
limited 10 no special mode of transmission,
and can employ the telegraph wire as prop
erly as the railway. Rent for both ways of
doing postal duty would cost little more than
for one, and SO in many other details there
would be saving by the combination, ind
both would be under one management. The
government would do the business az actual
cost, and there would be no extortions by the
creation of fictitious stockp. Rival lines are
sbuiit and building by the companies, not be-
= cause they are wanted always, but because
the great companies, to stife competition, are
compelled to buy them up at large profit to
the builders-a profit the people have 10 psy.
In the hands of the nation all this
needless and blackmail specious of rivalry
expense would be at an end. The power of
the telegraph, its effect on prices and many
other public interests, are too great to be in
trusted TO private hands, which sometimes
make money by substituting falsehood for
truth. 1t is objected that it would be giving
power to the government TO transfer to it the
telegraph service. The power would simply
be an extension of our postal system, which,
factoriIy managed duties the government ex-
eTcises. So argues the Postma ster. General,
and we find the National Board of Trade at
Its meeting last month, fully sustaining, and
still more enforcing, what he says. The
report made at that meeting is of spe
clal interest, as it explains how En-
gland, when finding itself involved in the
same difficulties as those that beset and
threaten ourselves, relieved itself of the
trouble. That report informs us that in
1869 the English government paid thu sp-
praised value of the telegrsphs and added
them TO the postal system, ON the theory
that the transmission of intelligence is a
function Of government. 1t has been Tor
ten years operated portion Of the postal
service, with the most successias Srsuiis as
is evident by the fact that, sGioug popula-
tien that increases but little, 81, 345 ,S6l mes-
cages were sent in 1882, against 24SS in 1869,
and 1891 in 1880. During the ten years the
department has paid operating expenses,
made surplus Of $4,000, 900 toward pay
ing the interest on the bonds Issued to buy
the telegraphs, besides paying for the in
crease made in the extent of the lines, |
l01, ISL miles of wire now being in |
use against 1890 in 1869. The greatest |
consideration, however, is the ADVANTAGE |
gained by the public. Rates are greatly |
lowered; charges do not depend on distance,
and are twenty-five cents for twenty Woris |
beside date, address and signature; the in
creased amount of intelligence sent TO the
newspapers at decreased cost, and what is
very important is that the benefits of the
telegraph have been extendsd 10 places too
small to receive accommodation from private
companies. With us competing lines have
been bought up to constitute monopoly
that imposes what conditions and charges it
pleases. Immense profits are made, which
come from the pockets of the people, and the
"msgnates" become dictatorial and polit-
ically mischievous, while the companies are
attaining to degree of power no republic
should, and no monarch would, al
low to exist. Combination and mOsop-
oily are evils that are increasing and
that require exlinguishing. Every month
or two the newspapers tell of some new sct
of Agressiou, new absorption of rival compa-
mics, new litigation, or new nuisance aud
abuse of one kind or other. The gain is
always for the monopolist, the losses and ex-
pense for the people. Is all this to go on
and be endured forever? The wonderful
advantages which science has evolved from
electricity go to build up "bloated monopo-
lies" The English have secured those ad-
vantages as the property of the nation, and
the profits of them go to the people. In the
words of the report made by the United
States Senate Committee on Transportation
by the rapid and inevitable progress OF
consolidation and animation, these S0iOs'aI
organizations are daily hsen1a'ns stronger
81 -uPerIous. The day is not dis
tant, if it has not already arrived, when it
will be the duty of the statesman to inquire
whether there is less danger in leaving the
property and industrial interests of the people
thus wholly at the mercy of a few men, who
recognize no responsibility except to their
stockholders, and no principle of action but
personal and corporate sggrandizement--
than in adding degree OF power and patron
age 10 q government which is directly re-
sponsible to the people and entirely under
their control. What has been said of the
monopoly of the telegraph applies equally
to the monopoly tina. is going on of the tele-
phone. The English government. having
taken the entire transmission of message
business under its own care, including trans
mission by electricity, when the telephone
came into operation, claimed its use fer the