Morning journal and courier., 1883-10-24
Wednesday, October s4, 1888.
A AGoVERNMEFT TELEaRAPH. :


 A great deal has been said in favor of the control of the telegraph business of this country by the government. The arguments for such control are many and strong. But it is interesting to see what can be said on the other side, and Dr, Norvin Green, the president of the Western Union Telegraph company, in an article in the current number of the North American Review sets forth the reasons for allowing the telegraph business to be conducted by private companies. Dr. Green makes what is probably the best pre- sentation of his side of the question thas has yet been made.
 He first discusses the legal aspects of the matter. and points out that under the con- stitution the government has no more right to go into the telegraph business than 1t has to establish bakeries and meat markets. The general government has the authority to es- tablish postofices and post roads, but by no stretch can that be made to include tele- graph lines. In no sense can the tele graph be called postal service. The whole subject of the nature of the telegraph has been defined by the United States Supreme court. Dr. Green quotes the opinion of Chief Justice Wait in the case of the "Wess- ern Union Telegraph company vs, the State of Texas" in which the court says: "A tele- graph company occupies the same relation to commerce as carrier of messages as railroad company does as a carrier of goods Both are instruments of commerce, and their business is commerce itself.' It has been held that the telegraph is subject to the regu- IelS, oR i,a -k/ Skz foreign and interstate business" More than half the business of every telegraph station is within radius of 100 miles. Only half dozen great commercial oenters are sx- captions to the rule. The Supreme court has decided. that Congress has no control. whatever over business done within the limits of stato. ..sgr.. s...
 It has been said by those who favor a gov-. ernment telegraph in this country that gov ernment telegraphs in Europe work well: Dr. Green shows that private enterprise has given us 50, GOO miles of telegraph lines, in excess of the aggregate mileage of the great European powers. He also makes it appear that the people of the United States are in iuitely better served by telegraphs under private control than the people of Great Britain.are by government postal telegraph. The service here is cheaper, the delays are fewer, and the percentage of mistakes very much smaller. Great wan. of accuracy and want of public accommodation he declares is the general complaint in England, but the difficulty cannot be reached because the gov ernment controls the lines
 The strongest argument against govern ment telegraph is this country is thus set forth by Dr. Green The genius of our gov- eznment Ia that the people rule : it is theye- fore a3erse to the administrative power, for the time being, having any such advantage in directing or controlling the popular will. The telegraph would not only double the power, by way of patronage, of the Post office department, but would give the admin istratiOn party immense advantages in warm ly contested elections. Who can say that sooner or later there would not be an espion- age of telegrams instituted ? But, even were it administered with the most sacred impartiality and inviolability of the privacy of messages, the opposing party would never believe 1t was so administered, and would not venture to use it in the private arrange ments for the prosecution of the contest.
 Dr. Greens article will receive great deal of attention, and it deserves it. It will also have considerable influence upon the popular idea that the government ought to own the telegraph. Facts are facts, and Dr. Green puts them very effectively.