The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-08-29
POSTAL TELEGRAPHY.
General Gresham's Views on the Question
of Government Ownership.

General Greshams Views on the Question
of Government Ownership
Washington Special.
Postmaster-General Gresham was asked if
he had given any consideration to the sub
ject of postal telegraphy. He replied that
his attention had only been attracted to it by
the recent strike, and that he was surprised
TO find that Congress was urged to take pos
session of the telegraph system as early as
1916. The first successful wire was built be-
tween this city and Baltimore, with the aid
of an appropriation by Congress, and the
first news sent over it was the announcement
of Folks nomination by the Democratic con-
vention then in session at Baltimore. Polk
appointed Cave johnson, of Tennessee, Post
master-geneisl. and in his report to Congress
in 1916 Johnson expressed the opinion that
the government should reserve to itself the
sole right to operate telegraph lines, and
enter Immediately upon q system of rapid
extension of the plant, so as to embrace
all the important postofhces then in
operation at the earliest practicable
moment. His reasons for making this
recommendation were that under the coDsti-
tuition Congress had the sole right to regu-
late Interstate commerce, ana no 1uSb inter-
probation of the meaning of the trainers of
the constitution would assume that they in
tended to eonfine the powers of Congress to
the regulation of the method of inter-com-
munication and transportation then in vogue
Nothing was known of railroads or tele-
graphs at that time, and the government was
its own mail-carrieF. Postmaster-general
johnson believed that the constitution
clothed Congress with the necessary powers
to control and own the telegraph system,
and in that belief he urged that it was the
part of wisdom to take hold of the enterprise
while it was yet in its infancy and before
the monopoly even then in control of the
meager plant of that day should grow strong
enough to successfully resist legislation, as
serting the sole right of the government to
the business of telegraphy.
Postmaster-general Gresham declared that
he should be inclined to favor postal telegTa-
ply but for the increase in the number of
government employees it would necessarily
involve. Nothing short of a civil service
so far as it applied to employees Of
the telegraph department, strictly non
partisan and embracing tenure of
Office during life or good behavior, would re-
move this objection, land" said General
Gresham. "the question is whether the peo-
pie of this country can ever be persuaded to
accept that kind of civil service in any
branch of the government, or rather whether
lie tenure 10 once is TO be desired IN a gov
eminent like ours"
He was inclined to doubt either its practi-
cability or wisdom. Recurring to the sub
jeet of postal telegraphy, he said that Rev
erdy Johnson, when Attorney general, had
written an elaborate opinion declaring that
the powers of Congress under the constitu-
ton gave the government full authori ty to
assume exclusive control of the telegraphy
of the country. General Gresham was anx-
Gus to learn what was the position of the
leading papers of both parties on the sub
ject and remarked that a casual review of
the agitation of the question in the early
days Of telegraphy disclosed the fact, surpris-
ing to him, that the Democratic statesmen Of
the past were almost unanimously in favor of
reserving the business exclusively to the
government, while some of its most bitter
opponents were to be found in the ranks of
the Wing leaders.