, 1883-08-16

eriug the head from the body.
The Postal Telegraph.
P0st-Iotrdige"ceI
That the prolonged complication
of and delays in business occasioned
by the teIegrapEcrs strike Is having
the effect Of increasing the demand
for the establishment of Il govern
ment postal telegraph service is
growing more apparent daily. 1t is
alleged truly that i'll the present
state Of affairs there can be 10 com
petion and the public as we'll as tn
government must continue to be sub
ject to the Will, mercy and conven
ience of the great monopoly, which
as fast as rival lines are projected
and partially completed are grasped
by Western Union stockholders and
absorbed into its system. So long as
this state OF affairs exists the public
will De compelled to pay excessive
rates for service. such rates indeed as
viii guarantee to the stockholders
usuriou5 interest on a capital stock
OF $S0,000,OO0, which represents at
most an actual cost Of S25,O00,0O0 III
the construction and purchase of the
lines owned by the corporation. 1t
IS plainly evident that the power
which exists i'll this huge corporation
to dictate charges for telegraph ser
vice, or, as at present, to tampcr and
delay the business Of a nation at the
will of its directorate is at once
hurtful and dangerous. To counter
act this evil and provide remedy is
the problem which now demands SO
luton. Business men in ali the
larger cities III the East are loud III
their demands for relief and protec-
ton against the absolute monopoly
Of the Western Union. They claim,
not illogically, that it is the duty of
the government to step III and pro
vide such competition as libarate the
public from its grasp \ dispatch
from Chicago but day or two since
says that all the leading Journals
from every section of the country
favor the establishment of Il postal
telegraph system, and the fact Of the
extensive discussion Of the subject is
proof not only of the general uneasi-
ness under the existing arbitrary
system and complications OF the ser
vice, but that the proposition of re
lief proposed by the advocates of a
Government postal telegraph has
great weight III trade circles. The
plan advocated by Senators Edmunds,
Sherman and Platt contemplates the
building of a Independent line, to be
operated in connection with and as
an adjunct of the postal service.
But two objections worthy of note
can be urged against the proposition.
One is the vast addition to the mum
Der of Government officials and EN-
ployes which the management of Il
postal telegraph would necessitate,
and the consequent political patron
age created, and, second, the prin-
ciple, in general proper, that the
Government should not compete
with private business enterprise. To
he first an snswer may be made \ hat,
as skilled operators are necessary,
they would not as in other branches
Of the civil service be subject to
cahnge with the advent into OF eeress
from power Of political parties, but
would remain Il corps of tried and
trusted servants without regard to
political opinion or patronage. To
the second objection it may be ans
wered that the Government mail ser
vice is today largely engaged IN bus
mess which only recently belonged
to ana WAS controlled by the express
companies, TO wit: transmission OF
packages rs low class mattcr There
is a point when public need and de
mand outweigh all theories, and it
would appear that such a point is
nearly reached in the tciegraphic sit
uation at the present time The Post
al Telegraph bill will be before the
Congress of the United States next
winter, and ii is very apparent that
it, friends viii be amply reinforced
from trade and business circles on
account OF the complications and
losses growing out of the present
unjuStitiable action OF the monopoly
which now has absolute control o
teiegrapLic service in this country.
The reports from Washington Ter
ritory show that prompt measures ara
needed to check the smuggling OF
Chinese over the Northern border.
The restriction Act WAS obtained with
much difficulty SO that We cannot e
ford to have It's good effects uu!lifet
for lack Of a few customs officers
on the Dominion borders. F.