The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-08-06
"A POSTAL TELEGRAPH

lished in the New York Times, OF
strenuous efforts being put forth by
Jay Gould to control the Baltimore
and Ohio Telegraph Company. This
company is the only formidable
competitor to the Western Union,
and as it is backed up by ample cap
ital is steadily extending its lines in
all directions, it bids fair, in very
few months, to become gigantic
rival to that heretofore powerful
monopoly, and one whose opposition
will be seriously felt. Rumors arc
contradictory in regard to the tao
tics of Gould to control it. One re-
port declares that the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad Company had agreed
to form an alliance with him on con-
dition that he aid that corporation
in its efforts to compete with the
Pennsylvania Railroad between Bal
timore and New York. On the 9TH
er hand, it is positively denied that
any such agreement exists, and it is
declared that the owners and con-
trollers of the telegraph company
viii never consent to it's amalgama-
ton with tho Western Union, but
sill always maintain 1t as an oppo-
4 lion line.
Whether the Baltimore and Ohio
} elegraph Company has refused to
bject themselves to the control of
Gould or not, it is very certain that
he will leave no stone unturned to
obtain possession Of the line. He is
largely interested in Western Union
stock, and his personal interests are
very intimately connected with
keeping that company a monopoly
forever if possible. His anxiety for
this was very strikingly shown re-
Gently in New York, when he took
forcible possession of the wires of
the Bankers and Merchants Tele-
graph Company, and thereby cxcit-
ed popular Indignation to such an
extent as to cause the press of New
York, with one accord, to dcnounce
the outrage. This effort to crush
ont rival organization failed, as the
supreme court of the state declared
Gould's proceeding high-handcd and
illegal, and ordered the property
sold. But the fact that so arbitra-
ry proceeding was resorted to by
Gould shows the desperation which
he manifcsts to keep down opposi-
tion, and, with the millions of mon
ey at his disposal, there is no telling
but that he may, sooner or later,
obtain possession of the Baltimore
and Ohio line, and SO, for time at
least, maintain the absolute suprem-
acy of the Western Union over all
competitors.
Should Mr.. Gould succeed In these
designs to control tho telegraph
business of the country, a postal tel
egraph will become an absolute ne
cessity. This country is too large,
and is advancing too rapidly for the
people to patiently permit the mo-
nopoly of business of such vast
and universal Importance, and if no
rival line can be maintained by pri-
vate enterprise, and if all attempts
for the establishment of such lines
are to fail because of the Unsuitable |
of the Western Union for
competitors, then the government
must be looked to in tho emergen-
cy. The only real objection to a |
postal telegraph is to the govern
ment's entering into opposition with |
private citizens, but this objection
must be yielded up if it be found
impossible to have rivalry by any
other means. The sentiment of the
age is opposed to monopolies, and
he increasing population aud COM
inercial Importance of the United
.ates demand that the people shall
G 1joy the benefits to be derived from
wholesome telegraph competition,
t say nothing of the abuses which
can be perpetrated-such as were