Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-12-15
WASHINGTON.
A Bill Subsidizing the
Railway Telegraph.
MIR. STANFORD INTERVIEWED.
Amendment to the Sweet Wine
Bill-General Washing.
ton News.
Special to the Herald bv the associated Press.

Special TO the Herald bu the Associated Press.
WASHINGTON, December 1.-THE en-.
tire mornings session of the House Com
mittee on Postoffices and Postwards was
occupied in the reading of the report oi
Representative A. j. Warner, of Ohio,
of the Committee on Subsidized Railway
Telegraph Lines. The report is based
upon the investigation ordered last year
under the resolution of inquiry of Rep,
resentative Anderson, CT Kansas. Af-
ter an exhaustive argument the conclu-
sion of the subcommittee on the several
points at issue are stated as follows:
l. That the obligation to construct,
maintain and operate telegraph lines is
the same as an obligation to construct,
maintain and operate lines of railroad
2. That railroad company cannot
relieve itself of this obligation and can
not transfer i5 to any other company.
3. That as q public aid it can be
granted only for public purposes. Such
telegraphic lines as well as railroad lines
must be operated for the equal benefit
of all persons, without discrimination in
favor or against any one.
4. In order that all may enjoy the
equal facilities, privileges and use of
such telegraph lines it is necessary that
the same facilities aud terms as to the
reception and transmission of messages
should be extended to one telegraph line
that are granted to another. That in
this matter there should be no discrim-
ination, conceding that subsidizing rail.
roads are under an obligation to main.
tain and operate telegraph for the bene.
fit of all. 1t follows that it is bound to
accept telegraph matter at the terminus
of lines from all telegraph companies.
5. The committee find from evidence
before it that railroads are not main.
tanning and operating by themselves.
and for the public use, telegraph
lines as required by the several acts of
Congress, under which they were. au-
thorzed to build their lines. 1t is held
that contracts entered into between the
railroad company and the Western
Union Telegraph Company, by which
the rights and privileges of railroad
companies were transferred to the West
ern Union, are beyond the scope of law.
(These positions are sustained by many
references ito granting acts and decis-
ions of the United States Supr.me
Court.
6. The right of the Western Union
or any other telegraph company to con.
struct and operate lines of its own to the
Pacific coast is not questioned, but it is
held that the construction of such lines
cannot relieve the railroad COM
panies from obligations, to-. main
tain lines themselves, as required
by several acts. By way of remedial
legislation the subcommittee proposes a
bill which extends to telegraph lines,
provisions of the act of June 20, 1874,
relating to railroads, and makes it
duty of the Attorney General to insti-
tute proceedings in the Federal courts,
to adjudicate all rights Of parties al
legged to hold contracts, or to have rig hts
under any agreement entered into with
railroad companys, to annul and set
aside contracts unlawfully made by
which railroads have thought to relieve
themselves of their just obligations, to
maintain and operate independent tele.
graph lines. Penalties prescribed by
the act of June 20, 1874, as to railroads,
are made applicable to telegraph lines as
well. The report was ordered to be
printed, and will be taken up for discus
sion by the full committee at an early
day.