The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1883-02-17

the house, and his mania for getting
into holes was most perplexing; for
instance. the leg of I. pair of trousers,
with their owner in thcm, quite came
up to his standard offs negotiable hole
II tho Australians intend to let tho In
dian beasts 30 loose III thoir country in
scores OF couples, as y said there is a
sad future before tla Australians |
ia cy."
Government Yyegraph.
diobo.Dor frat
The Congressional Record shows
that Senators EdmunAs and Sherman
declared themselves iRat week more de-
cidedly in favor of tho construction OF
telegraph lines by die, Government
than the brief abstrac n their remarks
given to the press repfesented them to
have done. Mr.. Edmunds went 30 fur
MS to Say that il somebody else did not
introduce a bill for the Initiation Of a
postal telegraph service ut the opening
of the next session, he would do 80,
while Mr.. Sherman urged that such a
system would save the people OF the
United States many millions OF dollars
annually. The real significance Of the
Vermont Senator's utterance was, how
ever, contained in declaration of hos.
tility to every proposal looking to the
purchase of the telegraph lines now ex-
isting. In regard TO this matter he
said
Il beg the stock operators in New
York not to suppose that [ for one am
in favor of tho United States buying
out any telegraph company anywhere.
| am in favor of the United States
building its own postal telegraph and
managing it in its own way, and leaving
the gentlemen whoare engaged in priv
ate pursuits to pursue their operations
in their own way rs private pursuits.
We introduced into the postal system
not long ago provision for carrying
merchandise, but we did not think it
necessary to buy out the operations of
Adams Express Company, or the South
ern Express Company, or the Union
Express Company, and tho United
States Express Company and so on,
although what We did very seriously
diminished their profits and impaired
their business Everything that the
United Stotes does operates in that way
upon the interests Of private citizens
everything except the appropriation OF
money directly We eau not build u
ship, We can not build a post Office we
can not do anything IN the way of fur
thering the material interests of this
country that does not by just SO much
interfere with the operations Of people
engaged in that kind of transaction ;
there Its no doubt about that"
Mr.. Edmunds would simply have the
Postmaster General buy poles and
wires and machines and set up his lines,
first along the great post routes of the
country, North, South, L lst and West,
and then, as time goes ON and economy
will warrant it, extend them to every
hamlet in the country" That is what
ought to be done, he added, "and what
will be done within a few years beyond
all question
This ground has been taken by one
Of the most conservative Senators, III
the fece OF an agreement between the
Government and every telegraph com
pany under which the former may ut
any time buy the lines aud effects of
the corporation az their actual value, to
be determined by appraisement. In
making such valuation probably
neither the market price Of stock nor
the value of franchise would be regard.
ed, but the price would be fixed at an
amount for which the plant might be
duplicated. Mr.. Edmunds plan would
Of course compel the private companies
to establish Mt least as low rates as
those charged by the Government.
With two sy stems in existence side by
side and uniform rates, the business
would naturally divide, and the one
giving the best service would get the
lions share.
The Ohio Senator agreed with his
Vermont colleague in this. that the
time had arrived for the transmission,
through our post offices and other post
roads, Of communications by electricity,
by wires constructed by the Govern
ment itself. "The Government" he
said, might duplicate all the wires and
all the means Of communication by
electricity for about $40, 100000 or S25,.
100000" and yet the nominal capital
OF the Western Union alone is $50, 000,'
900. In Mr.. Sherman'a opinion a pos
tai telegraph service would confer an
enormous benefit upon the people,
He figured it out in this way:
There is now levied upon the people
Of the United States Sl0,000,000 yeal
for Geographic messages. BY the ex
penditure OF probably sl5.00O000 OF
100000 we would save to the people
$l0,000,000 and increse our revenue
This has been done by other countries
situated in that connection no bette
than ourselves"
These amounts must not be taken fol
literal truth, nor is the Senators con
cl ton exactly warranted. The opera
ton Of the telegraph lines costs con
siderable part OF the money paid il
tolls. Mr.. Sherman's central idea "a
however. thia, that with a Governmen
system any payments over and allow
the cost of operation would go into tn
Treasury aud make possible the remis
sign of other taxes 10 that amount
----------
The Total Eclipse.
Tho total eclipse Of the sun on th'