The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-02-13
nHerred MaAer.
Postal TelegraphY.

The following is the Boston Journals Wash
ington correspondents report OF an informal
talk had by Senator Edmunds with the senate
post office committee on postal telegraph
" Congress has the constitutional power to do
what s proposed, and In any OF the forms that
are proposed under the constitutional heads,
commerce, war, post-ofice, finance, on the
same principle that the supreme court held
that the national banks were constitutional.
The constitutional question is beyond the range
Of fair dispute. This government was organ
lied to promote the general welfare. The dis
seminatiOn of intelligence Is one of the objects
of the general welfare. The post Office is es-
tablished on that principle. The power to
regulate commerce between the states is on
this principle. Owners OF telegraphs cannot
complain at government competition, as they
have conducted their business, knowing that
congress had the power at any time to control
the telegraph. The postal service in the early
history Of the country was In private hands.
There Ia no reason why the existing companies
should complain that congress Is doing some
thing injurious to private interests, but this
Is the natural consequence Of carrying on
the government The telegraph companies are
to be left to compete, and are not to be forbid
den to telegraph the oldlmail carriers were for
hidden to carry the mails The United States in
going into the telegraph business stands in the
same relation that private corporations would.
| The only difference is that the existing COM
| panies cannot pool with or squeeze or crowd out
the government The telegraph should be SUBJ
ject to no censorship, to no more espionage than
Is the postofce. 1t is essential to the interests of
| the United States that this business should be
| undertaken independently by the government
subject to no contracts or arrangements with
parties 1t is proper to make use Of army en-
| gineers and the army officers and Others hold
ing life places and to put them to doing some
thing. There would be economy and no job
| berry In the employment of the engineer corps.
Edmunds would begin Just as II there were not
a telegraph line in the world, and build four
| great trunk lines. Provision is made to take
| private property where 1t Is refused under the
force and forms of law, so that there could be
| no Injunction and no blockade. Edmunds is
not particular as to the form in which damages
shall be collected, and would be willing to give
these cases the preference in the court OF claims.
After the lines are started there will be no diff
Guilty. The only difficulty will be from the own
ers of the existing telegraph lines. The OBJ
structions to getting the right of way will
proceed from these companies and not from
the owners of the land. The provision as to
damages is based upon the law of all the New
England states relative to railroads. The pur-
chase of existing lines would involve the pur-
chase of vast amount of unnecessary prop
erty. Edmunds would not consent as the rep
resentative of the taxpayers of the country to
any tribunal to make an appraisement OF exist
ing lines II the trunk lines are established the
companies will DO willing to sell their branch
lines at reasonable prices Having built six
thousand miles of line he would be willing to
negotiate for the purchase of the remaining
rights of the companies with their patents, etc.
The telegraph companies do not think that it
is possible to get postal telegraph bill through
congress. They do not mean to let you do it,
and they do not expect that you are going to
do it, They think that they have their hands
on the throttle so that it is impossible for con-
gress to move without their consent. But the
way to do is to begin. 1t took some years to
beat the Pacific railroads; only seven senators
voted with Edmunds before Credit Mobilier, al
except seven voted with him afterward. Tt
run the postal telegraph will not increase the
present number of government employees mort
than one-third. The civil service provisions Of
the bill take these operatives out of all politi
cal channels AS to the telephone Chairman
Hill asked if we should deem it necessary tx
have the telephone in connection with the tel
egraph, would you deal with the owners O
such an important patent the same as with thu
owners Of telegraph property? Mr.. Edmund
answered that he would; that the bill con
tanned one provision for exactly that thing"