Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-08-16
Coming TO the Front.

inent part IN the work of next winter at
Washington. The Inconvenience of
the strike, the delay to business, not TO
take into consideration the pecuniary
loss incurred by the trouble between the
Western Union and its employees, all
combine to direct and rivet public at
tention to the foolishness of any longer
allowing this corporation welded in its
immensely of power by one man to
control and handle the Geographic SER
vice for the country. The indifference
shown by the Western Union monopoly
from the beginning to all Inconvenience
to which the commercial world has been
subjected, will go far to assuage any
feelings of grief which might tricf lie out
of sentimental hearts over the interfer-
ence with the "vested rights of the
company, which the uniting of the tele-
graphic with the postal service might oc-
casion. The question of change again,
is one not only of policy but econo-
my. To satisfy the demands of fifty or
sixty millions watered stock, the people
of these United States are to-day being
mulcted annually of sum which
would buy out the whole original plant
of the corporation. A few comparisons
of prices will show just how great
this enforced contribution is. In Bel
GUM where the telegraph is under gov
eminent control, messages are sent
everywhere within the kingdom, at the
outside distance of two hundred miles
for ten cents In the United States,
under private enterprise, messages for
a similar distance cost thirty-seyen
cents. In France, under government
service, message can be sent any
where within the republic for from ten
to twenty cents. Here for the same
distance, the rate is from thirty-seven
to sixty-two cents, according to care
fully computed tables. In Great Britain
which assumed control of the telegraph
lines in 1870, the rate is one shilling,
about twenty-five cents of our money,
for twenty words exclusive of address
or signature, anywhere within the
united kingdom. In this country a mes
sage for the same distance and ten
words only, would cost from thirty
seven cents to one dollar and quarter,
according to distance.
To-day under the control of private
monopoly the telegraph is "the rich
mans mail" Tomorrow in the hands
of the government it would become the
poor mans mail. In European coun-
tries, it is stated by those acquainted
with the facts, that ''sixty per cent of all
messages are social messages" Should
the postal telegraph system be adopted
in this country there is no doubt but a
much higher percentage than this of
social messages would be reached and
instead of the appearance of telegraph
messenger being a cause for nine
days wonder IN the neighborhood, his
presence would be as little noticed as
that of the postman.
just what shape or form the move
for change in this service will take,
is not very easy to determine. Views
are, and naturally will be, widely at
variance. This cuts, at the present,
but little figure in the case. The first
point at issue, and the only one until
it is carried in the affirmative, is the
assumption of the telegraph as a branch
of the postal service. When this point
has been decided right, then it is time
to settle the rates at which messages
shall be taken.
When this subject was urged upon
the attention of the forty-frst and forty
second congresses, it was first propos-
ed to establish uniform rate of three
cents for sixty words. This was fol-
lowed by a proposition to make the rate
fifteen cents for ten words exclusive of
address and signature. Ex-Gov. Wash
burn, who then represented the sixth
Wisconsin district in congress, first
proposed a uniform rate of twenty cents
for thirty words, but afterwards chang
ed it TO twenty-five cents for twenty
five words charging for address and
signature. Probably somewhere be-
tween these extremes lies the golden
mean of cheap telegraphy.
But in accordance with the old
recipe of cooking hare, to first catch
your hare, so the friends of postal
telegraphy should unite their energies
on the one point of governmental adop-
ton of the system first, leaving other
questions of rates to be settled after
wards, well assured that the cost will
certainly not exceed that of the present
service, while it will be much more
certain and effective.