Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-07-25
Aancaster fntellige1,rer.
EVENING, JULY %. iess


wRnsEspAY EVENING, JULY 26. 1883
Law for the Lawless.
A Philadelphia merchant has brought
anti against the Western Union tele
graph company for refusing to forward
a message offered them, except under
the stipulation that it should be subject
to delay and mailing. The act OF 1s4s
provides penalty of one hundred dol
lars fine to be recovered before a magfs-
trate for every refusal Of q telegraph
company to send message offered to it'
The invocation Of the law in this way
is the proper thing to be done by every
one to whom the company refuses to
perform its obligations. As half Of the
penalty goes to the informer it will even
be a profitable business to bring the suits !;
but independent of that consideration it
is the right thing to do; for no one
should submit to imposition, and 1t Is
imposition of the worst kind to have q
telegraph company demand permission to
forward message at their convenience
or by the mail instead of the electric
wire.
The people of this country submit too
readily to be imposed upon by railroad
and telegraph companies. The latter
are particularly lmpudent in their en-
croachments. They plant their poles On
private property against the will of the
owner, and it is surprising to see how
universally they are successful in their
undertaking to do this. The men who
attend to their lines arc rquired to be
particularly expert in such assaults upon
private rights Long experience has
taught them how to succeed. Their gen
eral method is to boldly take possession
of what they want, without asking per
mission, but asserting their right. The
indignant property owner they pay nc
attention to, unless he has the grit to
have them arrested, and then they gel
out of the scrape as best they can.
One of these men, who is now among
the strikers, thinks it a very hard thing
that the company should treat them SC
badly after all they have done for it ir
the way of lawless work. Mr.. Jane:
Smith, who is the chief of the striking
men in New York, said in a public
speech:
"After We have snt aked on the roofs o
private dwellings, put fixtures up, driver
spikes, stolen rights of way, climbed
walls. and risked our lives for the com
pany, blufing the property owners wht
attempt to interfere with us with some
story or other, and all the time stealing
for the company, they have now no bette
use for us than to turn us over 70 th'
police"
OF course, men who are 50 unjust a
to require such unlawful work from
their subordinates, would be just TIN
sort to treat their employees unjustl.
when it is To their interest to do so. The!
have so long defied the laws tina
they consider themselves above them
But if all those who offer them message
to send refuse to subscribe to the unlaw
full conditions which they demand an,
bring suit against them for the penalt.
provided by the law for their failure t
send the messages offered them, tn
Western Union company will soon b
brought to Il realizing sense of its suboI
dination to the law. 1t Is very cas-
way to earn fifty dollars and in thes
dull times our magistrates might earn
pretty penny in costs. There is a Ger
tainty OF recovery of the penalty, sine
no lawyer will say that the company ha
right to demand the privilege of send
ing an electric message by mail to
place where it has wire. This is tk'
way the act of 1919 reads
The various telegraph companies With,
the limits of this state (shalD be require
to orward and receive over their lines, al
messages that may be offered Tor trans
mission, by individuals or inc0rporat
ed companies Provided, The partie,
offering such messages or dispatches
tender for the transmission thereof tht
amount of the usual fee for such transmits
OlOu ouu III CocO VI q lCIub0i Ut ucHItC
on the part of any of the agents of tb.
telegraph lines in this state, to send OF
receive in their regular order, except a.
hereinbefore excepted, such messages o.
dispatches by telegraph, the company
shall be liable to a fine of one hundred
dollars for each aud every message 80 re-
fused or neglected, to be sued for and re-
covered before any Justice of tho peace OF
this commonwealth, as debts of like
amount are recovered, the one half of SAID
fine to 60 to the state and the other hal
to the party suing for the same An6
prouided further, That in any suit to bs
brought for the recovery Of said fine
notice served on the president, director
agent or either of them, shall be sufficient
The Democratic Rules.
The Philadelphia Press, finding that
its objection to the Democratic system
of representation in state conventions =
that the LARGE cities have undna nnwsr-