The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-03-24

graph Company. with the coneoli-
dation Of that company and the Amer
lean Union and Mutual Union Olm-
panies, some five years since, the
extreme measures characteristic OF the
Western Union have increased. Their
form OF contract bad con lained clause
or clauses binding the papers TO the
use Of the Western Union lines and
no others, under penalty and provis-
ions designed to bind the party OF Ih4
second part unslterably to the will
OF the Western Union. Tne press
Of Kansas City either had to sue
cumb for want OF adequate news facil-
iies or yield to the Western Unioo.
The acceptance of these contracts msy
be said 81 have been made under du-
ress in every instance. II is believed
with good reason by the writer that
not q single rate agreement has been
made by any paper with this company
In FIVE years except under protest, and
that in every one OF the contracts the
publisher signed away his right to far
competition. Herewith are submits d
letters from ]. O Clowry, ge neral man
ager OF the Western Union az Chicago,
dated June and 16, 1884, accompanied
by the form OF contract submitted t.
show the determined effort to hold us
to this clause, which my predecessor
had been compe led to accept. / ad-
NIT that l had been avoiding this
thing, feeling that 1t mad been exiOrted
and was contrary 10 public policy
Enclosed are documents from the
company's manager complimentiDg
me on my submission, made to save
other important franchises. These,
your committee will zee, f low fast
upon each other, aud spies ia some
instances were empl Eyed to follow my
messengers TO learn the sources from
which this matter got to us. There
were clauses 10 sundry other contracts
by which we were held, provided all
others failed. The delivery OF even
our regular press report was threat
ened to be withheld by the Western
Union II we failed to give the Western
Union all our special business. This
jeopardized the foundation Of our tele-
graphic service. II is proper to say
that we had violated the Tepugnant
contract only after oog and weary If
forts 10 obtain fair measure Of relief
at the hands OF the Western Union
Company. These papers reveal only
D Irtion OF the o icurrences of late
years, hut serve sufficiently TO show
the network Of iron by which we were
bound. The committee will note the
chief characteristic features of the
papers submitted as showing the
basis of the contest waged in Nav
and June, 1884. We were threatened
that unless wa signed these contracts
we should be put upon higher scale
OF special rates-prAct ruinous-
Notwithstanding there existed a pro-
hibition in the contract OF July Z,
1888 ,, which prevented our use of com
peting lines in this case. OF course
we signed, for We dared not Iisk our
business. II this Is not durese it is
akin 10 it, A year later mod fication
OF this contract wal submitted, sda-
pending and abrogating that OF 1883,
and being somewhat lower in its taft.
IL was accepted IA in some measure
relief. The reason this was rendered
was because OF the txittince OF the
Pacific Mutual lines in this city and
their connection with the United Lines
East to st. Louis. No open contracts
are ever allowed to be mad, aud we
are always coniron ted with the iron
clad fixtures bidding us 10 boycott all
other lines. In October, 1885, we
commenced negotiations for syndicate
meter, giving us a fine line OF news
requiring us to telegraph from Chicago
an AYERS &c Of $500 words per night,
and this had to be determined
by q certain date. Our taking
IL was contingent on obtaining
q leased wire, and applications
were early made to Superintendent
Baker of the Western Union, at Sc,
Louis. At the end OF three weeks no
aaswer had been returned, Nothing
al all In the line of our application was
responded to, but something else We
did not want. No satisfactory reply
had been received up 10 December Is,
1885, the limit fixed In the offer from
oppositions. December 9th and 9Th
the Western Union made aproposition
which itshould have done earlier, and,
although it exacted higher rates than
we were Paying, we would have given
the additional amount to keep within
our contracts and save trouble. De.
Cember 9th we received preliminary
threat, which was carried into execu-
ton December 10th. From II at date
they advanced the rate for all our spe-
Gals Just 90 per Ct mt making bur
deneome tax, though they we're per.
forming like service for Others at the
old Ia'ee, thus violating the principle
OF "like lay for like service" The
carriage OF our press report had been,
as we supposed, removed from the en-.
tanglemtnts that formerly surrounded
it, but all at once the Western UOiou
resurrected claim based on the con.
tract OF July Z, 1882, raising the price
for that service. We cannot legal
" claim that We have violated these
contracts, but when We have
undertaken to carry an additiona ly
large amount Il matter between Ger
tain points, as is the custom, We ex
pect to get better rates than for genera
| service. We have no stipulated mini
mum limit. In every case the West
ern Union have bad the service On
offered to them a. preferred rates a. {
always they have stood con the letie
OF the bond" II is manifest that SOM
remedy is required 10 RESTRAIN
the rspaoity OF these consolidate,
corpora ions, and that the pro
teciing power OF the government mus
step in az d perform the ts egrsphi
service Of the country just as 1t doe
the mail service"
MR.. AYREs
said that The purpose of the Kausa
City newspapers was simply b intoI
the nnn,ittap of hhafr ~ tfng rel