Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-08-11
DAILY
POST . NTELLI8ENCER


That the prolonged complication OF
and delays IN business occassOnsc By tie
te.ezraphers strike is having the elect
of increasing the demand for the sstao-
lishnept Of o government postal teie-
graph service 10 growing Dore apparent
daily. Ii 10 alleged truly that IN TIE
present stass of a4airs there Can Be no
competition and the pablo a. vel -
the government nnE continue 70 oe
subjec. TO the will mercy and oonSe-
riepcs Of the great monopoly, which a.
fast e. rival lines are projected and par
TALLY completed are Rraspsd by Western
Union stockholders and absorbed into
it, system. So Iona - this state OF
Affairs exists the public win b compelled
TO pay sxcssEye rates for service, s1ch
rates indeed - will guarantee TO toe
stockholders usurious interest on
capital sock Of tSo!o0 900, which rep
resspts st most an actual cost Of t2S,-
oO0.00O in tbs construction and porehass
of the lines. owned by ths corporation.
1t IL plainly evident that the power
which exists in this huge corporation TO
dictate charges for telsaraphie service,
or, a. at present, TO tamper and delay II
busipess Of q nation At the viii OF its
directorate 10 1t once hurtful and dan
asrous. To eountsrsct this evil and
provide remedy 10 the problem which
now demands solution. Business men
in all the larger cities Of the East are
Ioud In their demands for relief and
protection against the absoluts rnonop-
o.y OF the Western Union. They claim,
not iilogicaIiy. that it is the duty OF the
government to step In and provide such
competition as will liberase the public
from its grasp. A dispatch from Chica
90 bot day or two since says that all
the leading journals from every section
Of the country favor the establishment
OF a postal telegraph system and the
fac. Of the extensive discussion Of the
subject IL proof not only Of the general
uneasinsss under the existing arbitrary
system and complications Of the service,
but that the proposition Of relief pro-
posed by the advocates Of Govsrn-
msnt postal telegraph has great weight
In trade circles. The plan advocated
by Senators Edmunds. Sherman and
Plat contempiatss the building Of an
independent line, 10 b operated in con-
nection with and a. an adjunct Of the
postal service. Bat two objections
worthy Of nots can 10 urged against
the proposition. One 10 the vast add
ton TO the number OF Government off,
Gals and employees which the manage
rnsnt Of . postal telegraph would nsces-
state, and tbs consequent political
patronage created, and, second, the
principle. IN general sound and proper,
that the Government should not CON-
pets With private basiness or enterprise.
To the FIRST an answer may be made
that, a. skilled operators are necessary,
they would not an In other branches of
she civil service DO subject to change
with the advent into or egrsss from
power Of political parties, but would re-
main corps Of tried and trusted ser
wants without regard TO political opinion
or patronage. To the second objection
IL may be answered that the Govern
ment mail service Ii today largely en-
gagged in business which only recently
belonged to and was controlled by the
express companies, TO wit, transmission
of packages AZ low class matter. There
u point when public need and demand
outweigh all theories, and il would ap-
pear that sush a point Ii nearly reached
In the tslsgrapkio situation at the
present time. The Postal Telegraph
bill will be before the Congress Of the
United States next winter, and IL 10 very
apparent that Its friends will DO amply
reinforced from trade and business
circles on account Of the complications
and losses growing out Of the present
unjustiHabls action Of the monopoly
which now has absolute control Of tele-
xpa v,bin -, Ala.