Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-08-10
GOVERNMENT CONTROL OF THE
TELEGRAPH.

Much is being said in the press of the
country about the idea of having the
exclusive Geographic facilities of the
country placed under the control of the
| Government. This move is not meet
ing with the best encouragement from
quarters which are disinterested and
have the good of the whole country in
view. The fallacious argument has been
made that as the Government controls
| all mail facilities it ought also to own,
operate and control all telegraphic COM
municatiOn. The reason why the Gov
eminent must control mail facilities
rests upon the ground that IN orueF 'or
those TO be at all etlicacious they must
be universal and reach into places where
private enterprise and capital would
not willingly go.
Mail lines would be wanting over an
area of country equal at least to two
thirds Of the whole area Of the United
States, if they were left ODE established
by the considerations Of profit to call
individual enterprise into their eStab-
ment. Out of the many thousands of
mail routes, not one-twentieth of them
would be maintained by any other than
government eXertions. Between the
great cities where mails reach up into
thousands of pounds, of course capital
and competition would greatly engage,
but between towns of small size in Sec
tions not thickly settled, where routes
would be long and lonely, no routes
would be established unless by the gov
eminent, and hence the people of that
section would be deprived Of all inter
course with the outside world.
For this reason the government must
have control of the mails as matter of
public policy and in the interest OF
public conv1 nience. But such is not
the fact in regard ID telegraphic com
muuicatiOns. The line" are established
as methods Of communication alone
where public convenience demands, and
il is safe to assert that the government
would not extend its lines one foot in
any direction where the telegraph COM
psny would not do the very same thing.
The agents of the government would
not consider it all important to re..ch
those places where a telegraph COM
pany would refuse to go, but they would
adhere to the same principles IN regard
! thereto. The facilities afforded by mail
would be deemed all sufficient means
for reaching the places not now
reached, or which are likely to bereach-
ed, by telegraph lines. Thus it is seen
ttat the postal and telegraph service
as Government institution do not rest
upon the same grounds.
The New York Herald advocates a
distinct postal telegraphic service to be
owned by the Government, and to COM
pete with the telegraphic companies
now in existence. This does not strike
us as feasible suggestion, because gov
ernmental competition usually results
in the humiliation of the Governments
competitor. The Government has all
the branches and departments affording
employment to all the offices and agents,
and spreading out among the people
in quite as enlarged a degree
as is consistent with the
principles of free government
to have. The United States might go
Il
into business of all sorts-start railroad
lines, wholesale houses, and junk shops
upon exactly the same grounds that are
used TO show 1t ought to own all the tel
egraphic lines or start competition to
any known pursuit, whether the same
is owned and managed by large cor
pOration or a small individual.