Morning journal and courier., 1884-01-18
News by Telegraph FROM ALL QUARTERS. 4 POSTAL TELEGRAPH. Congress Empowered to Es= tablish the System. so SAYS SENATOR EDMUNDS. Another Expedition for GreeIey's
 Relief. A CROWDED RDIEL iN FLAMES. Narrow Escape From a Terrible Holocaust.
 
so SAYS SENATOR EDMUNDS.
A CROWDED HDIEL iN FLAMES.
Narrow Escape From s
 Terrible Holocaust.
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.

The Postal TeleRr aph-A Powerful Plea
 By Senator Edmunds The Right of
 Congress to Establish the System-And
 Various Reasons Why It Shotild Re
 Tried.
 WASHINGTON, Jan. 17.-Senator Edmunds in his remarks before the Senate Committee on Postofices and Post Roads to-day respec ing postal telegraphy said the study he had given the matter for one or two years had led him to the conclusion that Congress had the constitutional power to do what is pro- posed and in any one of the several forms proposed under several constitutional heads. namely. Congress, war ,postofdce and finance, on the same principle that the Supreme court held that the National banks were constitu tional, although all that the constitution said was that Congress could borrow money, have treasury department and levy taxes, and therefore presumably Congress must have the power to provide the means to carry on the fiscal operations of the government. In reply to the question 'tIs it expedient for the interests of the people? ?" MT. Edmunds held that the government, national and State con- bined, was. as ths constitution says, insti- tutsd to promote the general welfare, and whatever was within the scope of the objects that were given to the control of Congress either independently of the States or concur rently, all look of courss to it's general vel fare. He thought it unnecessary to spend time in order to convince the committee that the telegraph in this age of the world was more essential to the safety of the country in time of war or in time of peace than any other service. ''The people engaged iu tele- graphic operations '' he said, ''argue that it is unjust to them that Congress should enter the field of what they call competition with private business, but if am right in what have said respect ing the inherent constitutional power of Con gress that sort of business, falls to the ground" It did not appear to him that there was any just ground for the corpora tion-("I will say corporation" he. added because 1t comes to that there is only one in the country amounting to anything, and like, Aaron's rod it swallows tip all other rods that appear on the surface of the earthly to complain that Congress is doing something injurious to it's private interests Not the slightest. His proposition was not to prohibit the transmission of telegraphic communication by any private person, but to leave all as they are established in the busi- ness and to go on and complete and carry on their operations exactly as they have been doing. He explained that under his bill the government could take property which could not be bought so as to not have any blockade on the part of anybody. He thought if the government could buy the Western Union company at it's actual value as a thing on the face of the earth it would be an excellent thing to do, but if the great trunk line system proposed by his bill were adoptei the gentlemen interested in that company would see it established that the government could carry on postal telegraph business, and when 1t was found that the government was in earnest then they would be willing to make fair terms and sell their lines at reasonable prices. He would be willing after the government system was fairly started to entrust negotiations for pur- chasing of the Western Union lines with the President and cabinet. He said that the company now thought it i'm possible to get a bill through Congress to provide for a postal telegraph system and entertained the opinion that they had their hand on the throttle and it was im- possible for Congress to move without their consent. But, " said he, '.I want the exper iment tried. We tried it with the Pacific railroads and were beaten to death and I do not know but we shall be now, but the way is to begin He was satisfied that if the Western Union company became onviAced the government were going to build an indep endent system they would be ready to sell right away. He thought it would extremely unsafe to authorize the pur- chase of existing lines for the cost of their construction. Mr Edmands in conclusion said that the telephone companies in his opin- ion should be subject to exactly the same principles as every other species of prop erty.