The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-02-09

tois, instruments, etc. u class o
expenses which WAS proper oItionet
the same 10 the distance, while the remain
Ing II cents was for messengers aud Office
expenses, In respect to which distancs vel
not mstgrial. the average di'tsncs for ies
grams was SOO miles. A message sent 4
u shorter distance was handled ~
smaller expense, while for n distance
OF more than 800 miles the expense
OF handling was above the sum named.
Now a uniform rate would not increase the
volame Of business for shoIt distsnces, bs-
cause the rates we're already below the pro-
posed rpte, fhe Increase would be enlir' y
on messages Tor long distances, The true
policy under sucn a blll would b. - have
tao rates, ole each for short aud long dls-
tinces.
Senator Palmer referred TO what might be-
termed the moral aspect OF the question,
The most dlniault feature. ne shid, oi tle
shOle quvftlll was that Innocent pur-
cAa,crs nad lAyested their money In tlls
ttocS. He asked should tlst mattet DO
G6alt with.
Hubbard said Ia reply tlat when the IT,
uocent iay down With the gulty tney mu,t
euilef the consequences. These purchasers
had asslClaed themselves with the gully.
fhe Western Union fifteen years alo he'd
said neither the capital stock uOr the Ooud-
cd debt should be increased except by cor
,sLl tl ot tao-'hirds OF le sIockholdets.
rms was pledge to ile
Tor tue time and the rates were reduced.
they chsDged this policy In 1881. No one
would object % pay Tor this stock before
ih9se consultations; was II supposed these
"lnrocent stock holdeTs" did not get their
snare of this wa tred ttooE, There we're
no innocent stockholders.
Senator ii II remarked thtt no one would
uI ,
est OF the public could not cisregard these
stockholders aud establish telegraph sys-
tom Tor the convenience oil tue whole pee
pie. There were ouly about 1900 stock.
holders in the Western Union, aud one
man owned more than half the stock.
Hubbard, proceeding, said that the rates
were too high for the general public. The
business community were well served. but
the people at large reaped no benefit, from
the telegraph.
Mr.. Esars had said that the Western
Union forwarded messages in the order In
which they were received. This was OILY
theoretically true, but there was something
OF more vital impoitsnc than
WEI were tae i,lstlons p'esf't& Of the be- wc't'ra %"r
Union to the people OF the country in tn.ir
social and political Interest? The Western
/ Union was controlled by three or fuur
gentlemen In New York, IL controlled
tae market prices, all political
and general news sent over its wires, and
every single important per onrl commuui-
cation sent IN the country. This company
was con ntrolled oy no law except tho inter
eats OF its owner. No state could pass u
law which should have any effect on this
corporation. Was there any
other like power In the world?
II would handle 10000 coo messages ten
years hence. Through its agents II collect
ed market news In London aud Paris. a
fraction OF penny n pound Oh cotton was
iu,ure 10 any man. They admitted 10
partnership in thia business. lie made no
cnargee, but he belihved this was tpn
large power ID cntrust TO any man or NJ y
corporation. How was IL with the press
Tho Western Union Telegraph company
and Associated Press made close coTporp-
tion. He did not mean to
say there was any fault u De found In the
present management. Some time ago, two
papers In San Francisco favored the postal
telegraph. The rates to these papers
werc increased. 0ne paper died
in consequence and the other ceased to di,
cuss thu matter. Laper which once crit
clsed Or.ons course found its rates doubled
this corporation held. DR.. Green had said
the Western Union would be glad TO come
in and bid for service. He (Hubbard)
would favor the Introduction OF
provision to permit this. Mr..
Evarts had referred 10 the private
contract between the sender of a message
and the Western Union company. What
was the private contract? Why, simply il
any error was made In transmission the
company wouli refund the sum paid Tor
transmission. Nothing else.