Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-09-05

lGeHl IL Only II question Oh time. Inc pcO-
pie demand cheaper rates first, because
the telegraph service of the country has
become Il necessity rather than Il luxury
to our professional and business classes
secondly, because other countries have
cheaper telegraph rates than we do, and
make their telegraph systems pay; thirdly,
because it has been demonstrated that we
are paying three or four times as much to
support Il great corporation AS we need to
pay to support II peoples Geographic sys-
TEN in the United States and fourthly,
because many of them believe that the
government should control both those
great avenues of public communication,
the mail and the telegraph.
The subject of government telegraphy
has now been before the people long
enough to make it Il definite and impor-
tant issue. Congress has taken the mat
ter into its consideration. and during the
past year IL great deal has been accom-
plishcd in the way of investigation and
agitation. The committee appointed for
this purpose has done its work faithfully
and well. We have from time to tim"
presented our readers with reports and
estimate. brought before this committee
all of which have gone most cuuclusivclN
to show that this country is burdcned with
a tremendous monopoly These inycs-
legations and exposures are ut last be
ginning tohuyc theirnaturai effect Com
petition has been aroused alarm has been
excited among the capitalists who control
the " cstcrn Union. and there are rumors
of concessions and compromises already
in the air.
On Tuesday of this week Mr.. ID. H..
Bates, Executive Manager, and Charles
sheldon. Superintendent OF the United
Telegraph lines. and Captain Whitney of
the Western Union company. had IL long
conference with Postmaster Gcncual
Gresham relative to fixing the rates for
government telegraph service During
the discussion Of the question the fact was
developed that the rates charged by the
Western Union company We're iOO per
cent greater than those offered Icy tine
United Telegraph lines. Furthermore,
Postmaster General Gresham has received
II letter from tn" cNrcutNc manager OF the
United Telegraph lines, making a
proposition &, the government ios
the transmission of tclcgruphic mr0~ILc-
in the united States. and agreeing To- trans
nit messages. under Il live years contract
to any part of tlic 'uitcd States covered
by their lines. ON the basis of telegraph
rates proposed in the report OF the Scnat,
committee on postolliccs and post road.
on the Postal Telegraph Bill ut the last
session of Congress. These rates, as viii
be remembered. were as follows
For day messages Of twenty words. cN
elusive of date. twenty cents for distances
within 1000 miles and an additional charge
of five cents for each additional 80 mile,
or fraction thereof; but for no distance l.
the rate to exceed fifty cents. For night
messages for not exceeding twenty words
exclusive of date, the rate to be fitecI
cents for all distances under 10000 miles
, and for greater distances twenty-five cents
For both day and night messages an addi
ton of one-iitth the rate is made for ever!
five words or fraction thereof i'll excess %
twenty words.
\ modification of the system of regulat
ing rates for messages according to the
distance between offices is proposed b!
Mr.. Bates He says, "ln view of the diff
ficulty at times in readily determining the
distances between offices the following
division of territory is proposed insteac o
the limit of 1000 miles given in the Senat,
committees report
All that section north and east of ant
, including Virginia. kentucky and Mis-
souri,, day messages twenty cents for tel
/ body words and one cent additional fOl
p each additional word. All that section
f south of Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri
, to and including Texas, day message.
twenty cents for ten body words and one
= cent for each additional word. Inter
- changeable between the upper and lowel
zones, the rate on day messages to be
, fifty per cent additional for the first tel
words and one cent for each additional
word it being understood that the twenty
cent rate shall apply in all cases ON day
: Messages from one State to points within
-, an adjoining State. For night message:
within either of the sections above named
, fifteen cents for fifteen words and one
cent for each additional word, and from
one section to points within the other sec
: lion. twenty-five cents for the first iifteeI
words and one cent for each additional
word, il being understood that that iifteei
cent rate shall apply in all cases on nigh
messages from one State to points within
} an adjOining state: night messages to b'
, filed at any time before midnight fo
transmission during the night and deliv
cry at destination ON the morning OF The
) next succeeding business day.
z Mr.. Batcs's statement of the capacity o
the United Telegraph lines to do the GOV
I eminent telegraph business of the countr!
[ is as follows:
The United Telegraph lines, which EN-
; brace the Baltimore and Ohio, the Bank
p ers and Merchants Including the Ameri
: can Rapid and the Postal Telegraph anc
!, Cable company, have Geographic sys
tenn extending from Boston, by various
, routes, to Chicago, st. Louis, MinneapO
} lis, Kansas City, Dallas, Galveston, New
t Orleans, Charleston, Savannah, Atlanta
, and all important cities and towns within
= that area. out of Il total population il
the United States of l2,O00,W0. In places
} of 5000 or over, the United Telegraph line
| reach nearly One-half of such places il
70 number and 100000 in population IT.
lines include nearly 100000 miles OF wir
in connection with the Mackay Bennett
ocean cables, and is by far the largest an,
most comprehensive competing system
ever established III this country.
. This proposition of the United Tele
graph lines is certainly Il most advantage
5 one for the government and for the PEG
; pie. We do not see why it should not b.
' accepted, inasmuch as it fills all the re
I ulirementS demanded bV the Senate com