Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-08-31
MONOPOLY.
Two Sides of a Current Topic Wig
or0usly Discussed
BEFORE THE SENATE COMMITTEE
Tailor BIeSSert Wants TO Strike Blow and
Teegrapher Greere Wants to
be let Alone.

NV NOES, August 39.-The Senate Sub.
Committee on Labor and + iucation re-
sumed its session to-day. Robert Blissert,
a tailor, VINO has taken an active part in
the labor movement, testified. lie said the
condition OF the labOring man was pretty
much the same the world over, though
coal miners in England were better Off
Than in this country. Their homes were
pleasanter aud their hours of labor
shO rter. Witness thought the gen.
eral intelligence Of skilled work
men was greater abroad than here.
Ihe Only Thought Orihe Workman
IN this country was To get money enough
~ pay his rent and get enough to 1--we.
Witness insisted that If a blow was not
struck at monopoly before the expiration
of ten years one OF the blOOdiest reyolu.
tiOns that ever occurred would happen.
There seemed to be growing tendency to
encourage monopoly, aud be predicted that
unless some action was taken to check il
the country would be ruined.
The next witness, DR.. NOrvin Greene,
testified that he had been President of the
Western Union Telegraph Company for
about five years. He became connected
with the Western Union in 1850. He al.
iuded TO an appropriation OF $%O,O)O
made by Congress for experiments. The
first attempt was made in laying
An Underground Line
from Baltimore to Washington, but the
knowledge of insulation was not very good
and the current was lost. 1t escaped
through the rubbar insulators. Dr. Green
bat',tie7i wrrt-s ornuei EtUuuu A. "Uutu ~
suit in a detriment TO the public service.
He had seen statement IN some paper
that the wires were all under ground in
England, but he noticed when there not
long ago upon looking out OF his window
perfect net work uf wires overhead. There
was as much complaint against the wires
there as here. Many OF the Government
wires there were under ground, but the
poles began long before you got out OF the
city. The Western Union had absorbed a
large number OF smaller companies.
Telegraph Service.
In resrect to telegraph service the witness
said that there was no such telegraph ser
vice in the world as in this United States.
In giving 4 history of the development OF
telegraph Dr. Green said that the Morse
invention was brought before the pubic
in 1882, and an appropriation was made ny
Congress for experiments the following
year In alludiHg To the difficulty OF lay
ing wires Underground, witness said that
communication was had for a long distance
under water. There was great trouble eH-
ppripuCpd in the experiment OF laying
wires under ground between Washington
and baltimore and the plan was abandon
ed. The place system was adopted IN
place. The public, witness added, seemed
Slow in apprcCiating the difficulties under
which the telegraph companies ia0ored IN
every instance.
Consultations.
When there was consolidation OF COM
psuits it had been n every instance gain
10 the public. The Western Union Com
pany hsd IN 1856 had absorbed
the United States Telegraph Com
pary, which had extended its wires
to Salt Lake and The Northwest; ;
also the American Telegraph Company.
The capital OF the Western Union company
at that time was Sll, ,O6l 0OJ. The Bell Tele-
pbope Company had to-day capital Of
about S2l 900 900. 1t was necessary years
sgo to buy up rights OF way along raiIroads,
and the company now owned about Elk
hundred. At the time witness went into
the business lines had been extended INTO
the south and west but not one OF these
lines had paid dividend. The New York,
Albany and Buffalo line was paying three
Der cent per annum, and one or two Other
of the northern lines were yielding a
small per Centage upon the orlSi,
nal investment The New Orleans ana
Ohio company was entirely sunk to
its owners. MANY smaller companies had
been absorbed by the larger ones.
Yielding Dividends.
Telegraph property in 1896 began to
yield dividends. Heavy expenses were ih-
CURED in ruuDing their offices and caring
l. sty1i nj
Western Union, the witness said, was for
merely $3.50 mile, but today 1t was less
than 5000. The lines of wire in this cOUn-
trv had been increased from 5000 TO 40
coo miles. During the last five years the
number Of poles have been Increased from
81 coo to l3l U60 miles OF wire, from
3UG 2u2 to 314 .GN: offices, from S,5It 10
II. .O6S; messages. from 25.9iS.SSi to 5S,Hi2,- =
III, Witness stated that the capacity oI
the company was double what 1t was iiFe
wears ago Witness asserted that lhey
could do their business much cheaper IL
they adjusted the English pOstothCe SyS,
tenn and took their own time to do it, and
be was satisfied there was no telegraph str'
vice in the world as perfect as that oil the
Western Union Company. The camta
stock OF the Western Union was about
s.. 600 coo.
Present Stains.
In the course of his testimony, Dr:
Green spoke of the franchises they owned
i'm railroads along which they had the right
of way, and explained to the committee
Ihst the railroads had the use of certain
wires !or the conducting OF their
transportation business as pay for each
franchise The railroads had their own
ne rators and used the cOmpany's wires, or
hsd separate wire between various points
for the management OF trains.
The witness said that their Ire pald ;
-er cent on capitalization of SS0O1oo o'l.
Their contracts with the raj roads ran from
twenty to thirty years. The service they 1t,
10 us. said Dr. Green, lis OF great ut'liIy
10 us. hut Of small pecuniary benefit to the
railroad" The Bell patent was once
nfpred 10 the Western Union Com Plny for
{lCO 600. Now, it was worth $40 Ool0oo,
They were constantly buying patents Ou'
thcv declined 70 buy the heg8e system.
II