Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-10-22
Government Control Of the TeIe-

Government Control Of the TeIe-
graph.
In the November number u the North
.ff.ercm Es-fetr DT. NOrRin Grecn- Pres
ident Of the Western Union Telegraph
Company. has All interesting article II
which he undertakes 70 show that the
government has no authority % take
charge u the telegraph lines 81 the e0un-
tn. and that il j. not for the Interest d
the people that the government should
take charge u them II must - admit
tel that Or. Green makes strong af=u-
ment In favor-of his position me NO
grants in the Constitution BE- says, under
v-bfr.h IL +. claimed that the government
NAV assume control Il the telegraph are
= foll0vrs- To establish post Offices and
r.ost roads and TO regulate commerce
ssith foreign nations and among the seF-
eraI states and with Indian tribes" With
respect u the first grant, DR.. Green
contecds that. u1der IL, the govern
ment can do nothing more than con-
tract Tor the transmission q mes
sages taken al and delivered from
the post Offices The government does
not carry the mails. IL hires them car
rIed. To carry the mails the government
would have 10 own the railways. steam
boats and stage lines. The grant was
evidently never intended % give the gov
eminent authority o. do more than It i
now doing. II The government undertook
- carry the mails il would have % 20
INTO the business Of carrying passengers
and freight something which It has no
authority u d.. The railways are not
postal in their character and the tele-
graph l. not postal in IT. character
Chief Justice Waite. in a decision in the
case II the Western Union Company
against the state Of Texas, used this Ian
guase-
"A telegraph company occupies the
same relation 10 commerce, a. a carrier
o. messages. that a railroad company
does A. a carrier u goods. Both com
pauies are instruments Of commerce, and
their business l. commerce itself. They
do their transportation in different ways,
AMI theiE liabilities are, in some respects,
different, but they are both indispensable
o. those engaged u any considerable ex-
tent IN commercial pursuits"
Ia another case the supreme Court held
that the telegraph was an instrument Of
commerce, and that it Was subject 10
the regulating power Of Congress
in respect 70 foreign and interstate bust
ness. clearly implying that Congress had
no power over the telegraph when wholly
within a state. u is fact that with the
exception Of the principal commercial
centres. more than half the business Of
any telegraph station Is within radius
u 100 miles. The power - control foreign
and interstate business. however. does
not mean that the government can pur-
chase the telegraph lines and engage in a
commercial business between the states.
Dr. Green says: IF the government can
appropriate the telegraph and enter upon
commercial traffic in this important
branch u business, 10 may also assume -
own the railroads and carry on rail-
road traffic; and il the railroads, then also
the warehouses and grain elevators; and
II these. why not the -four mills. and, with
Infinitely more public benefit, the bakers
shops also: For every one Of the y, VJ0.-
80 VI people is personally interested in
the supply and low price Of bread while
there are not $1,000 in the whole popula-
ton that ever did use the telegraph"
OF course, it is assumed that if the
government Hid take control Of the
telegraph il would mOnOpOiize the
telegraph business. II could not
afford rivalry. II it permitted
private enterprises it would have TO do
business al a loss or be beaten The
foregoing contains the main points in DR..
Green's argument. lie has something 70
say about the manner in which telegraph
properties would have to be valued If il
were determined that the government
should take control Of them, and quotes
tine law 81 1856 Oh the subject, which pro
vides Tor the appointment Of appraisers.
He also argues that it is against public pol
icy TO give the government control OF the
telegraph and shows. boy facts and figures,
that not only do the people Of this country
have a far better and cheaper service than
the people Of any European country. but
better than they could possibly have un-
der government management. This sub
ject is attracting great deal Of attention
and It is about certain that a bill pro-
yiding a postal telegraph system will De
introduced in Congress next winter. The
impression j. that the Postmaster General
fayOrs government control Of the tele-
graph and that he will present his views
in his annual report. As he is man Of
original thought and an Industrious stu
dent, his report will be looked for with
more interest than reports Of Postmaster
Generals usually are.