The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1888-11-29
symposium over the result OF the PreAi-
Dental election, that no fish horns are
20 DO allowed,
PROF. BnMIB ON MONOPOLY ann
TRUSTS,


Thursday evening NJ the city hall
Prof, Bemia gave another Ot his enter
tanning talkbl this time on Monopoly
aud Trusts, lie gave nA some very
valuable statistlGR ON the earnings OF
the Western Union Telegraph COn and
recommended 40 q matter OF protection
10 the public, that the Government
should own aud control the telegraph
service tho same 40 tho mall service,
and that both should be connected,
Prof, Bemis showed the operation OF
Government ownership IN both Eng
land and Germany, Ia England, mes'
hagea 10 any part OF England, Ireland,
Scotland or Wales can DO sent for one
sent per word, and the rate proves prof
liable, Notwithstanding the fact that
the EngliAh Government paid an enOf'
nous price for the telegraph when puf'
chased, la the United States, accord
ing % the report OF tho Western Union
Telegraph 20, for 1887, the average
price per message was III cents,
The dOVernmhnt IN under 40 great
obligation 10 ita citizens 10 furnish
cheap telegraphy ah cheap mail service,
Az present the rates arc far above those
Of any country In Europe, aud tho
Western Union Telegraph 90, Ii ono OF
the most grasping monopolieS In the
country,
With the Government owning the
telegraph, messages ~ any part OF the
country could be hent for ten cents, AZ
a fair profit, Government ownership,
however, implies u better and more in
dependent civil service than we now
have, The civil officers OF the country
must be divorced from politics before
We can have capable and economic
management OF the telegraph service,
The men who handle the mails and tel'
egraph In the United States must be
experienced, honest aud capable, and
must hold Oliloe on the basis OF good
behavior and not subject 70 the pOllt-
lcal caprice OF the party In power, This
leads 10 the question OF the enormous
corruption, IN the line OF bribery or
vote buying, In the United States,
This was held up aA one OF the crying
evils OF the hour, and II must be
checked, or we would DO NJ the enQ OF
representative government In this
\ country,
SO long aS none but very rich men
can get Office, or the tools OF very rich
men, Just 80 long will the MASSES be
controlled by the m%onopoll6ta aud rob
bed by law.
Weare making our own observations
now.
Prof. Bemis referred 10 the Associated
Press monopoly, and showed clearly
how newspapers In that exclusive mo.
nopoly ar6 afraid 10 talk against the
Western Union Telegraph Company, OF
TO advocate any measure Of public
relief from the oxh0rbltant charges
now made for telegraph service The
News DEMOCRAT knows from practi.
cal experience, the full value Of these
remarks. When the present firm took
charge OF this paper In June, II was the
boast OF the Evening Repository that
they had secured an exclusive
monopoly OF the entire telegraph
service for Canton. That they
were the exclusive owners OF
the Associated Press aud United Press
franchises, and that no opposition paper
could DO run successfully In Canton
because the Repository had hogged MI
the news for ia own exclusive use,
I They advertised the fact to the world
that they had taken steps 10 prevent
any other newspaper from being started
IN Canton, no matter II nine. tentha Of
all the citizens Of this city demanded
another newspaper, IL 80 happened
that this exclusive h0ggiahneas did not
auccted In the case OF the NEws.
DEMOCRAT but this 10 given 90 a good
case TO illustrate the capital point made
by Prof, Bemis, Of the odious monopoly
features OF the Associated Press; and
shows why II 10 that newspapers, own.
Ing that franchise arc afraid 10 say u
word against the Western Union tCle
graph monopoly,
We shall refer to this subject again