The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-12-15

Third-That as public aid can IA
granted only for public purposes sgch
telegraph lines. as well as railroad lines
must be operated for the equal benefi Z
OF all persons IN the compsny or cor
porafion. without discrimination in
favor or against any one.
Fourth-In order that all may enjoy
equal facilities, privileges and use OF
such telegraph lines, il Is necessary
mat the same terms and facilities as 10
the reception and transmission OF mes
sages should be extended to one tele-
graph line that are granted to another:
that in this matter there should be no
discrimination. Conceding that a cub
sidized railroad is under an Obligation
70 maintain and operate a telegraph
line for the benefit Of all. il follows that
II Is bound to accept telegraph matter
Al the terminus OF its lines from all te!e-
graph companies.
Fnth-The committee find, from the
evidence before IL. thst the railroads
are not maintaining and operating nv
themselves, Tor public use, telegraph
lines, as required by the several acts Of
Congress under which they were
authorized to build their lines. 1t IS
held that the contracts entered into be-
tween the railroad companies and the
western Union Telegraph Company,
by which the rights and privileges of
the railroad companies were transferred
10 the western Union. are beyond the
scope of the law. These positions are
sustained by many references TO grant
ing acts and decisions OF the United
States Supreme Court.)
Slxth-The right OF the Western
Union, or any other telegraph company,
To construct and ouerate lines of its
own to the Pacific Coast is not ques-
toned, bus il is held that the construc-
ton OF such lines cannot relieve the
railroad companies from treir obliga-
tons TO maintain the lines themselves.
as required by the severa, acts. BY way Of
remedial legislation, the subcommittee
proposes the bill which extends to tele-
graph lines the provisions of the act of
June 10, 1874, relating TO railroads, and
makes 1t the duty of the Attorney
General TO institute proceedings in
Federal courts, to adjudicate all rights
OF parties alleged to hold contracts or
to have rights under any agreement
entered into with the railroad COM
panies, and TO annul and set aside con-
tracts unlawfully made by which the
railroads have thought to relieve them
selves OF their just obligation 10 main
tain and operate independent telegraph
lines. 80.
The penalties prescribed by the act o.
June 20, 1874, as TO railroads. are made
applicable to telegraph lines
well. The report was ordered to be
printed, and will be taken up for discus
sion by full committees at an early day.
The House committee on foreign affairs
70 day completed q consideration of the
diplomatic and consular appropriation
book. As completed, the bill calls for
an appropriation aggregating 81 GIL ,9O5.
The total appropriation for the current
year was 81 ,356 ,065. The total increase
OF the appropriation for the consular
service IS stated in the report accom-
panying the bill at S26S, $40. No action
was taken by the committee on
estimates for an international boundary
survey between the United States and
Mexico, the Haytian arbitration
commission, the Venezuelan and
American claims commission, ard
the Alaskan boundary commits
sion, which was referred TO the com
mittee on appropriations for in
clusion in the. sundry civil bill. The
commits ion say, in their report: The
general policy of the committee has
been to recognize the great importance
TO the commercial interests of our con-
sular service and the purpose Of the bill
is to provide adequate salaries 70 those
officials who at present are known to
be underpaid.