Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1883-10-25

been time and again indicted for viola.
tions Of the liquor law, and it ia ooolly
proposed to make him the guardian of
the very laws that he has habituslly
broken. The picture of the faithful
Joyce hauiug up one OF his own
kind for selling strong drink to
minors or on Sunday forcibly recalls
the screaming farce tibet used to be en-
acted now and then before our old police
oourt, when police officer bearing the
urmistakable trace OF recent dissipation,
pointed to his brother drunkard In the
dock .end testified, with an air OF right.
eous Indignation and holy horror: eyes,
yer Honor; found this man bssstly
drunk,yer Honor, at Front and Market,
"yer Honor, and fetched lin i'm
DIR. Green ON Government TeIe-
graphs.
In the November number OF the Norlh
american RevieW DR.. Norvin Green, presi-
dent OF the Western Union Telegraph
Company, has an article on 1.-THE Gov
ernment and the Telegraph" which,
coming from such source, possesses
peculiar interest. The burden of thu
article is the consideration of reasons
why the Government should not acquire,
own and operate general system of
telegraphy. 1t ia assumed that such
course on the part of the Governme1
would mean, substantially, the monopoi
cation by the Government of the tele-
graph service Of the country, in the same
way as it has monopolized the postal
service.
DR.. Green first considers the legal
power of the Government to do this, and
hnds no warrant therefor in the constitu-
ton. If the power is assumed under the
| postal grant, he considers it sufficient
| answer 20 say that all the Government
| can do is to hire the transmission of mes
sases, as it hires the carrying of the
mails and that it can no more build,
own and equip telegraph line than it
1
boats for transporting the mails; a power
| the Government has never claimed. II
the power be claimed under the clause
authorizing the Government "to regulate
commerce." If the Government CAD
appropriate the telegraph and enter upon
commercial traffi in this branch of bust.
ness, 1T may also assume to own the rail
roads and carry on railroad traffic and,
II the railroads, then also the warehouses
and grain elevators ; and, If these, why
not the flour mills and bakers shops
But, granting the authority, DR.. Green
asks if it is conceivable that any govern
ment could do so great an injustice to
many OF its citizens peouniarly interested
In existing telegraph properties as to
establish competing system which, like
the postal service, could be run at loss
by increasing taxation to make up that
loss
He then goes on to argue that such a
course is neither necessary nor axpedient
that it ia not necessary, because the
existing telegraph system of this country
10, In most respects, far ahead OF the
system Of any other country, and especi.
ally better, more accurate, more prompt
and cheaper than ia rendered by any
government administration of the tel..
graph in European countries that 1t is
not expedient because government tels
graph would be capable of great abuse in
the hands OF the party in power and could
not command the undivided confidence o.
all parties desiring to use it. To support
: these premises DR.. Green adduces Stats
; tics, extracts from the London Times and
, BtackUood's Wagasine, &c.
But he brings up what is probably hi
r most powerful gun towards the close
his article, in these words
The telegraph would not only double tn,
power, by way Of patronage. of the Pos
Olhce department. but would give the ad
mlnstratlon party immense advantages il
a warmly contested elections. Who can sa,
that, sooner or later, there would not be al
espionage OF kilograms instituted Blu
. even were 1t administered with the mos
sacred impartiaity and invioability of th
privacy OF messages the opposing part
would never believe it was 80 administered
and would not venture to use it i'll the priyAt
, arrangements for the prosecution OF the con
! test.
, In this very plea 20 the Government
to keep its hands off, DR.. Green, however
! betrays weak place he acknowledge
the necessity of such a plea, and tina
such necessity has arisen is due solel,
to the fact that the Western Unto,
+ Telegraph Company has, itself, grown int
T huge octopus of monopoly upon whicl
: thinking people have come to look witt
nuoh of distrust and something of appre
hensiol. The Western Union ba
' only its own Unsuitable rapacit-
! and relentless swallowing up or crush
i ing out OF weaker rivals to blame TO
q even the suggestion from any quartz
/ that the Government should control tn
4 telegraph service. How much of menac
!. to the Western Union there may be il
Z? this feeling was foreshadowed during tn
= Operators strike last summer. Tn
Q Widespread sympathy for the striker
a was not so much because of geners
4 feeling that they were very much under
4 paid or very much overworked, as it wa
n of feeling of hostility to the Wester
e Union company as gigantic and not ver
= scrnpuious monopoly powerful engin