The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-05-30
Cheaper Telegraphy.


The Senate Committe for Post Of
fees and Post Roads, on the subject of
the postal telegraph has made It's re-
port.
This committee says the constitution
al right of the Government 10 establish
postal telegraph under its power to
establish post offices and post roads
seems too clear to require argument. No
damage is threatened to any private
persons or company beyond a curtail-
ment of extraordinary and abnormal
profits, and the curtaiment is not
greater in degree than is required to
relieve the people from unreasonable
exactions caused by the companies
themselves.
ADVANTAGES TO BE DERIVED.
An analysis OF the provisions of the
bill is here given. The advantages to be
expected from its passage, the report
asserts, are as follows:
First. 1t largely reduces the aver.
age charges now paid by the public for
telegraphic services. Taking all the
evidence together, it must be very near
the fact TO say that the reduction made
by the bill in the average charge per
telegram will be from thirty-nine cents
to twenty-five cents Immediately and
twenty cents at the end of FIVE
years.
| Second The plan inaugurated by
the first ten sections of the bill secures
during the first five years an absolute
uniformity of charges for day tele-
grams within all distances not exceed
ing 1000 miles, and for night kilograms
within all distances not exceeding 1000
miles.
Third. The plan provided in this
bill secures from the commencement CT
its operation uniformity of charges,
irrespective of the amount of business
in different places, for kilograms to
newspapers and to commercial news
associations that is to say, for all tele-
grams which convey the current news
for publication by the press and intelll-
gence to the public of the daily and
hourly changes in the foreign and do
nestle markets This uniformity does
not exist, and never will under the ex.
elusive control by private companies
of the business of telegraphing. 1t is
a weighty recommendation of this bill
that it secures it, The procurement of
the intelligence which the newspapers
ought to give, and do give TO the
country, will thus be made as cheap ir
one place as in another, saving only the
unavoidable equality which arises from
the fact that the number of newspa-
pers which may combine to purchase
the intelligence is greater in some
places than in others. So, too. tele-
graphic advices to commercial news as
, sociations of the course of the markets
, will be subject to the same charges in
all places.
THE CENSORSHIP QUESTION.
Fourth. The bill, while it may moi
wholly remove, does, to an important
degree, lessen the danger that the pur
veying and preparation of the intell
gence sent to newspapers and to com
! lnercial news associations will be sub
! jected to aconcealed censorship, where
by it may be colored or distorted so al
to subserve politica! purposes, to mis-
=. lead public opinion as to the merits OF
dement's of men aud measures, to pre-
vent legislation and to favor schemes
of private gain. Under tie presen
) ) telegraphic system the possibility o
4 such a species of censorship, which il
: one of the most alarming dangers
which menace the country, arises il
u two distant ways, each of which re
! qulres separate consideration. Tn
. first is the power which the telegraph
companies themselves have of manipu
. lating news, for sinister purposes)
s and the second is the same power pos
! sessed by the Associated Press an,
. other similar associations, not them
. selves owning telegraph lines, but max
s ing special compacts for transmission
OF kilograms over lines owned an,
IS managed by others.
u 1t will appear that the power o
y y the telegraph company in this respec
u will be entirely taken away by tn
pending bill and that the power of tn
y Associated Press and similar associa
tions will be greatly reduced For tn
. purpose, the report says, of givin,
) fabulous fortunes to its inside mana
gers and their friends the Wester
= Union need not send untrue marke
: quotations. 1t had only to give tn
II true quotations single hour, or les
than that in advance to those whom
u means to favor and the work is effec
j. j. ually accomplished. No such powe
II should be allowed to exist in thi
. country, even if no past abuses of
u can be shown to have occurred, G
70 even if it be believed that there ha
been in fact no abuse of it. The TEN,
y taLion to abuse it is enormous, and wi
: sooner or later prove to be irresistib
u The bill will effectually take the powt
away from the Western Union, or an
: y other private telegraph company, b
~ the low rates which it secures to ever,
y body, and by the still lower rat'
u which 1t secures to commercial new
ie associations.
~ Competition in furnishing CONNIE
i cial and financial news to all poin
and places is not to be expected uud
this bill, but it will be sufficient if
insures, as it is sure to do, competitic
~ in furnishing such news to the mo
p important places whereby the field
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