Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-03-24
WASHINGTON NEWS.
The Telegraph Investigation Now in
Progress.
WASHINGTON, March

WASHINGTON, March 20.
The House committee on postoffices and
post roads conducting the telegraph investi-
CATION, Tuesday, began its inquiry concern
ing the alleged attempts Of the Western Union
Telegraph Company to coerce newspapers
into making "exclusive contracts"
G. M. Ayres appeared in behalf of the
Kansas City Times and the Kansas City Jour
nal. and submitted a statement BY j. A.
Mann, secretary and business manager of the
Journal, together with letter from Morrison
Mumford, proprietor of the Times, and sew
eral communications that had passed between
the latter and the Western Union managers,
relative to the news contracts of the Times.
Mann's statements were read to the commit
tee. Its principal parts are as follows:
"Throughout the course of years.the news
papers of Kansas City have been at the mercy
of the Western Union Telegraph Company
with the consolidation of that company and
the American Union and Mutual Union Co.'S
The Western Unions form of a contract had
contained a clause or clauses, binding the
papers to the use Of their lines and no others,
under penalty. The press of Kansas City
either had to succumb for the want of ade-
quate news facilities or yield to the company
The acceptance of these contracts may be
said to have been made under duress in every
instance. The delivery of even our regular
report was threatened to be held by the w.
U company if we failed to give them all of
our special business. This jeopardized the
foundation of our telegraph service. 1t is
proper to say that violated the repugnant
contracts only after long and weary efforts to
first obtain fair measure Of relief at the
hands of the w. U. Co. We've threatened
that unless we signed these contracts, we
should be put upon high scale of special
rates, practically ruinous. Of course we
i,ned for we dared not to risk our business.
If this is not duress it is kin to it."
The statement concluded as follows:
at is manifest that some remedy is re-
quired to restrain the rapacity of these con-
solidated corporations and that the protecting
power of the government must step in and
perform the telegraphic service of the coutry
just as it does the mail service"
W. B. Somerville OF New YORK, superin-
tendent of the press division of the Western
Union Co., replied briefly to the statement
read by Ayres.
Bills Incurred by the Bell Tele phone Suit.
First Controller Durham today returned
to Solicitor General Good, who is acting at
torney general in the Bell telepone suit, bills
amounting to $4,000, which had been submit
S. Whitman of the special counsel in that
case, for $1,000 each for "for services on ac-
count" The first comptroller saws in let
ter to the solicitor general that the bills are
somew hat irregular in form in that they do
not specify the character of the services and
because it il not stated that the compensation
is for services.
Secretary Manning Has an Attack ol
Vertigo.
Rumors were af1oat all the afternoon Of the
serious illness of Secretary Manning They
grew out of the fact that the secretary had
been taken home from the treasury in his
carriage and was carried from his office to
the carriage, being unable TO walk. Dr.
Lincoln, who attended Secretary Manning al
his home, gave the following statement to
the Associated Press reporter:
'.The secretary was seized with vertigo or
his return to his Office from the cabIne,
meeting. He had been working all day
without taking any nourshment and was
feeling very weak. He walked up two
flights of stairs and on reaching the top was
| seized with vertigo and partly fell and partly
sat down. His sudden illness alarmed his
friends and he was taken home. When
saw him his mind was perfectly clear and he
had the free use of all HE limbs and gave a
CiedT ACcouub vi e'cIytuiHk tHdt OCCURRED.
Two or three hours after his attack he had
improved very much"
At midnight DR.. Lincoln said that Mr..
Manning was holding his own.and had slight.
ly improved since his last visit. He did no,
anticipate any change for the worse during the
night The secretary's illness, DR.. Lincoln
says was, caused by prostration from over
work.
Cabinet Meeting.
The cabinet meeting today was devoted to
the consideration OF measures with q view to
secure = more rigid enforcement Of the
Chinese restriction act, particularly with
reference to preventing the landing of Chinese
la5orers on fraudulent certificates. The
Union Pacific affairs we're also considered. 4.
senator Miller's Successor.
SACRAMENTO, Cal, March %.