The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-01-22
o,,,o r,ar,ocrat,o Postal Telegraph


The Lynchburg ddconce uses a new
and striking argument in favor OF Demo-
cr,tic unity and harmony this year rs a
means OF securing possession oil the Ma
tioual Government namely, that II the
Republicans are in possession OF the Gov
eminent when the postal telegraph ana
national railroads come into use. the Dem
ocrats will never be able TO dispossess the
Republicans. At least, we venture 10 put
that meaning upon the following para
graph;
g we agree with tbe Dispatch that q postal
,ecer,nh IL coming, beyond donht' ana We aah,
by way OF caution, ,hss o u'' ne cn~ntpyand we
viii add nv way Of prophecy, that goverhmental
railroads. will follow postal telcgiHphs, anu
strong government not &c the people follow. ana
,on cco,rtra,iz atom numerous officials. monopo-
iiee eumptuary legislation, aud pa,erhai Gov
ernmcni. This Is the future OF Rcpu"hcan,sh'.
Our cautious contemporary OF the Ao'fo-
,rov Ne,cs talks as follows:
The DispGtch seems 30 I've quite an advnea'e o,
the postal telegraph system. and no uoun, , nu
worthy contemporary mas go" S,,ut,U"s as well rs
s,Iv,nt,ges regarding IL. AS some time oeiorc
ststed we are somewhat on Tue i,hce ~ a.,
hi teGt
,nn,gb fhcy cannot become inonopolies they may
he 80 under tie control OF the ieignins poi'u.,i
marty that the general public VIII derive ou, ns's
benefit from the change The DtsPotcn Ien' c n,
.Thtnt Of n: A uniform rate Of ten cents lor n
telegram of not over ten words Nhetner sc" .h,h
of the smount OF wire worhluG wH''h wiz "'"'
less be done by political lHrues' =, Ell,
Rut that sort of wire-working VIII
be harmless.
The objections to postal telegraph are !:
I. That it would tend to give too much
mower TO the Federal Government. We
reply to this objection that the Govern
ment cannot possibly exercise hereafter
any powers which it has not already eXer-
cised. The Government that could abol-
ish slavery in the face Of constitutional
provision projecting Il; that could make
greenbacks o legal tender; that could tax
incomes five dollars on the hundred, whis-
key two dollars gallon. tobacco forty cents a
pound, and every patent medicine ana cos
metic, every shoe, every boot, at q high rate;
that could make q jail Of the old Capitol at
Washington; that.cOuld find judges to adj
minister kukluX laws, and military gene
rails to dSpersc State Legislatures at the
point OF the bayonct we say the Govern
ment that has already done all these things
ana stands ready to do Them again when
ever "thc life OF the nation is al stake" or
whenever any other sufficient reason
prompts 80 such action, cannot possibly
acquire any new powers. II may employ
4 few thousand more officials in time Of
peace; but these will add nothing to its
real strength. The figures are not nearly
as threatening as might be supposed. Tie
army and navy we leave out. Then all
the Government employees OF all sorts num-
Der but 10000 in round numbers, and
most OF these are country poStmaste.s.
The establishment OF postal telegraph
would add very few to the number of these
officials, since under that system the post
masters and telegraph operators would in
almost all cases be the same. But suppose
we admit thai the number would be dou-
bled, what then? Why, there are in the
United States l77,000 draymen, hackmen,
&C., and fifty-6ve millions OF
people.
.. That it would be too costly. The ar
gument for the telegraph is that it would
saue millions Of dollars to the public an
nually; educate the people; promote So
cial well-beiDg, and benefit every State in
the Union. The cost would be nothing in
that view OF the case.
8. That il would ipiurc private interests.
This ought not TO be done. The Govern
ment ought to buy out the companies now
existing ct a fair price. But when rail-
roads were proposed, landlords and horse
raisers protested that their interests would
be ruined. How many thousands of road
side inns were closed forever by railroads
no man can tell. The public welfare is the
supreme law. Statesmen can obey no other.
As the Adrdnce says. the postal telegraph
is coming, and we might all OF us just as
well make up our minds that we have got
TO send messages to New Orleans, and
Waco. and Sacramento. and New Mexico,
at ten cents per message, however inter-
ested individuals may protest against our
doing so.
BE sure, then, as Colonel TON WHITE
HEAD SAYS. not 10 divide on the tariff ques-
ton, but to vote the straight Democratic
ticket this year. and thus put the Demo
Gratis IN possession OF the Government time
enough to enable that time honored peo-
plc's party to employ The postal telegraph
and all its attaches in the interest Of the
,NoOpln