Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-03-17
TELEGRAPH CONSTRUCTION.
Mr.. Anderson Proposes to Amend the
Act Passed in 1866.

Mr.. Anderson Proposes to Amend the
Act Passed in 1865.
WASHINGTON, March 16.-In the House
to-day bill was introduced by Mr.. An
derson, of Kansas, to amend the act to
aid in the construction of lines of tele-
graph, approved July "a, 1866. The act is
amended by the addition OF various sec
| tions, which provide as follows:
That whenever the line OF any telegraph
company which shall have accepted the
provisions OF this act shall have reached
any telegraph station on the route of any
! land grant railroad and telegraph
company, it shall have the
right to require that every
message passing over its line TO such tele-
graph station destined to some other tele-
! graph station on or beyond the route OF
such railroad and telegraph company,
shall be received and transmitted without
discrimination of any kind as far as may
be necessary over the telegraph lines
upon such railroad. The bill further pro-
vides that 0every telegraph company
which shall have accepted the pro-
! visions of this act, as herein be-
| fore provided, shall be and is hereby
| prohibited from engaging In the collec-
| tlOn or selling Of election news or other
news reports of current events OF the
commercial markets.
Any wilful neglect or refusal to COM
| ply with the provisions OF this act shall
operate in each case as "A forfeiture OF a
sum not less than $500 or more than 81 ,000
to be recovered by the Attorney General
in the name and for the beBht Of the
| United States.
DIR. GREENS EVIDENCE.
The House Post Office Committee to-day
heard President NOrvin Green, Of the
Western Union Telegraph Company, upon
the alleged monopoly Of the telegraphic
| facilities OF the Pacific railroads. He
said that when the roads were built their
charters contained provisions allowing
| the Overland Pacific, California State,
and the United States Telegraph Compa-
| nies to reconstruct or remove their lines,
and it was also stipulated that the roads
might contract with telegraph companies
and authorize them TO establish telegraph
lines for public accommodation and use
| of the roads in lieu of their own lines.
! The Western Union now included all the
companies named. Therefore the Western
Union wires ran over the Pacific roads,
| not by the companies consent, but by It's
right under the act of Congress.
LIABILITY OF THE ROADS.
There was no doubt, DR.. Green said,
that the Pacific railroads were bound to
take messages from all companies, nor
was there any doubt that they were pre-
pared TO do it. Their superintendent,
| Mr.. Dickey, was in the room and had
told him DR.. Green) that not single
message had been offered by a competing
line. That the railroad companies were
always ready 10 take any message offered.
| The Doctor said frankly that
the Western Union Company had put up
| the Mutual Union TO compete with oppO-
sition companies in cheap rates, but 1t
was a remarkable fact that the public was
not so anxious for cheap service as for
good service. The Western Union now
regretted that ithad not allowed the pos
tai telegraph bill to pass few years ago
because 1t would have been like the rest,
1t would have done no business.