National Republican., 1883-01-19
THE NATIONS TRADE.
Representative Men Think it Would be Greatly
Facilitated by a Postal Telegraph.
Their Reasons Stated in Very Long
and Full Report,
they also Urge the Establishment Of Department Of
Agriculture and Commerce.
The Shipping BIZ Discussed at ConsidcrO-
BILE Length.

The national board of trade met in second
days session yesterday afternoon, with the
president, Mr.. Frederick Fraley, of Boston,
in the chair and nearly forty delegates in
attendance, fourteen commercial bodies being
represented. The secretary announced the
approval of the credentials of the following
delegates, in addition to those who were in
attendance the first day; From the Cincin-
natl chamber of commerce, John A. Gano and
George c. Harrison. Mr.. S. i. Covington will
be here to-day from the same city. From tho
Milwaukee chamber of commerce, ex-Gov.
w. Il. Smith, Angus Smith, Edward p. Holton
and o. L. Britt.
The board went into an election of vice
presidents with the following result Balti-
more board of trade, S. =. Thompson Balti-
more corn and flour exchange, w. 5. Young:
Boston commercial exchange, III. B. Goodwin;
Boston board of trade w. ii. Lincoln; Boston
merchants association, George L. Denny;
New York board of trade and transportation,
Ambrose Snow; Cincinnati chamber of COM
merce, S. +. Covington Milwaukee, w. Il.
Smith; Trenton, James Buchanan; New
York chamber of commerce, j. S. T. Strana-
han Philadelphia board of trade, j. Price
Wetherill; San Francisco chamber Of COM
merce, John f. Miller.
Mr. Thurber, from tho
recommended the following resolutions
Resolved That we rcaflirm the rcsolu tions pre-.
viousy adopted by this board favoring the esab-
lishment by the United States government of n
postal telegraph and telephone, and we urge upon
tho present congress the early consideration of
this question
The report then reads:
Second. Having decided that q system of
electric communication in connection with
the postoflicc is desirable and necessary, the
nungtinn nf hnty n shall hn 1nnn n n N nrigpg
In addition to other difficulties there has been
the great objection that if existing lines are
purchased by the government it would proba-
bly, be at an cxOrbitant price, the present
owners not being willing to part with their
property at anything near its cost or what
their facilities could be duplicated for, and
mystifying values by claims for patents, &C.,
which the government has right to take for
public use, paying just compensation therefor
In the opinion of your committee the An
derson BILL with perhaps few notifications
and additions, meets this difficulty in the
most practical and desirable way. 1t proceeds
on the admitted right Of the government to
construct and operate q system of electric
communication; that the abuses attending
the telegraph in corporate hands have now
made it necessary to do so that u beginning
in moderate way is desirable at first to test
the desirability and efficiency of the service
in connection with the Postoiico department;
that this beginning may be made without
paying out one dollar, by simply loaning the
credit of the government Ito the extent of
$3,00O,000) to one of its own departments
the profit to the people from their own pa
tronage not only providing sinking fund
TO meet at maturity the bonds issued, but
probably extending the system from surplus
earnings, as existing companies have done to
great extent; that this moderate beginning,
while it would be an earnest to the public of
nominal competition, would not seriously en-
hnsr fl,n att tnU nil nj nnh
might and probably would in some degree,
stop the floating Of new schemes, which are
nothing more than
STRIKES UPON THE STRONG COMPANIES,
and, perhaps, at some future time lead TO the
requirement by the government of the whole
system of electric communication upon q
basis somewhat near its actual value.
That this must come some time in the near
future is inevitable. Tho only wonder is that
means of transmitting intelligence, the
practicability of which was demonstrated mt
public expense, should have been allowed to
pass into private hands, and be used as II ma
Chinery of taxation to enrich Il favored few.
Your committee are aware that many OBJ
jections will be Taised-some of them from
disinterested and some from interested mo-
tives. Among the latter IL is stated that it
will be opposed by the influential papers con-
nected with the associated press because il is
one of the considerations in the agreement be-
bWecn lHb u'oONlhlcu plNoo anu lHb NNbltlu
union company, that any competing telegraph
lines is to be discouraged. If this be so we
trust that this clause of the agreement, which
is manifestly opposed to public policy-the
welfare of the many-may be abrogated Tho
freedom of the press is one of the chief bull
warks of our free institutions, and should be
jealously guarded by the people, In Eng
land the acquisition of the telegraphs by gov
ernment has resulted greatly to the benefit
of the press ;s well as the people
Another objection which will doubtless be
raised-the increase of patronage in the hands
of govornment-is happily now largely done
away with by the recent passage of the bill
which will reduce our civil service TO u sys-
TEN and prevent the abuse of patronage. In
conclusion, your committee cannot but feel
that the present is an auspicious time to make
beginning in the requirement by the people
of q system of cOmmu nicatiOn which is enter
ing more and more into our daily life, and we
recommend the principle embodied in the An
ders0n bill as the most p ractical and desirable
which has yet been brOul;ht to our attention
During the reading Of the report Mr. Thur
ber stated, for information, that the Ander-
son bill contemplated the construction and
maintenance, as part of the postal system, of
a telegraphic trunk line extending from Port
land, Ne, to Topeka, Kans., the trunk line
to run via Boston, Providen &c, Hartford, New
Haven, New York, Philadell lhia, Harrisburg
Pittsburg Columbus Indianapolis, st, Louis
JeHeIhOn OltN, AdllhhS wy, iltu l4iWEGuCc
with branches to important citia, north and
south OF the main line. The report was qc-
cOmpancd by n statement prepared few
weeks ago by the executive comm ittee OF the
New York board of trade and transportation,
showing what has been accomplished In Great
Britain, and giving interesting facts and sta
tstics showing how monOpolies are created
stocks watered and enormous fortunes accu-
mulatcd by the levying of taxes on tho gen.
eral public. This accompanying report was
read by Mr. Thurber, and formed ba sis for
the conclusions reached by the committee in
measure,
The report was adopted without discussion,
and without the faintest show of opposition
Mr.. Davis, from the committee TO which
had been referred the resolution recommend
ing the establishment ofa
NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE.
reported against the proposed amendment to
the pending bill in congress for the creation
of department of agriculture, attaching to
tho agricultural department the great and
diversified interests of commerce, and recon-
mended in lieu thereof the enactment of n
law for the creation of an independent
department. of commerce at the scat
of government, said department to be
charged with the execution of all
the laws of the United States relating
10 trade aud commerce, both foreign and do
nestle 10 rivers and harbOrs, TO lighthouses,
port charges, quarantine, emigration, pilot.
age, tonnage, and the measurement registry,
enrolment, and licensing of vessels, and gen
orally of all matters included in the naVga-
Ion p1,n ht.ra F,.,.tl H.