Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-02-10
THE TELEGRAPH.
An Editors Objections to
Governmental Control.
RATE STATISTICS .QUornD.

He Thinks that Fear q -.
ciai Espionage would Nesss-
sarily Prevsn.
lAssoeiatsd Press Dispatches 70 shs Hs.Aan,
INDIANAPOLIS, February 9.--Ats ~
session of the National Publfnk1urf
Association to-day, Colonel %. q.
Jones, publisher Of tho Jacksoat ~
(Fla) 7Smss- Union, spoke upoa -
government telegraph, Ia fo1fs ~
signed him. He ssid that thss1 d
est argument in behalf a The ~
ment telegraph system, and ~ -
that was the most relied nprp ~.
that it would be cheapef. H.
speaker said, however, that The oxpoe
rience Of this and other couhtri1s
with government work furnishsd =
reason for believing that exceptlennl
cheapness would be feature of Il.
The characteristic feature Of eli work
done by the government was cuua-
brousness and costliness. and WHOM
ever the government wants Wosk
done at q reasonable price, tkat
work is let out by con
tract. The government might mako
lower rates for telegrap6ine thsn
would be made by any corporstien1
because the latter must mako oKr
penses and pay for betterments an1
improvements or its place in the buai-
ness world would soon be vacant.
The government if it so chooses ca
fix rate less than cost and maks -
THE DRFrcr BY TAXATION
And this is what would be done ~
| the United States government il h
lexperience of other countries hayinga
government telegraph system i aaY
criterion.
The speaker then gave statistilu.
showing that in Great Britain ~
deficit in operating the governments
telegraph had increased from 4561 -
lin 1881 to 81, $40 200 in 1885, IT,
deficit must be made good BY taxa
tion, and is such taxation justified -
the ground that it is public bene(1tf
In 1887 over 1000 600 messages
were handled By the Western Haken
and these were sent by less than
,0o0, ,00o people, less than 2 pr cont
of the population. These figures
make it plain that this choapouing IT,
Telegraph by reducing rates beloWcoot
and making up the deficit BY taxation
means to tax 98 Per cent Of the peeD
who never use the Telegraph, for -
benefit Of stock brokers, speculatefat
gamblers, poolmen, bucket-shop -
ports, and sporting men generally
lWho send 81 per cent Of the messages.
| No only d this unjusti6ahle a. ~
grounds Of public policy, but Il y ~
Ijusti6able on IN
PURELY BUSINESS GRounDs.
The only considerable body a nea
asking for q reduction Of tolls IL tko
Knights of Labor, not one in : hum
dred of whom even use the TELEGRAPH
and these misguided people aro
simply asking the Government to tax
them for the benefit Of class &
people toward whom they are so irTo-
lconcilable and hostile that membes.
ship in their organization is sprohibite4
by them.
Tho speaker then considered The
Isubject from the point ot visw of =
iprss.ical newspaper war. The news
lpapers Of the United states, ne suls
are now enjoying the chea pest an1
most efficient telegraph seryiee q
any newspapers in the world. The
British telegraph press rate g
rs cents for rs words during the .daV
and 20 cents for 100 words ct night, =
each place where but one paper
is served, and cents for Is words
during the day and cents for each
100 words at night for each additional
paper served. Other figures weao
given by the speaker showing that
THE AMERICAN PRESS BATE
Is now cheaper than the same Bervins
in England, by from one-f1fth to one-
half. These figures apply to the ser-
vice of the press associations, the ccGS
of special telegraph service in ~
United States being one-half cont -
word, and in Great Britain one-tk1ea
cent per word. In the United Ststeo
however, the distance In on the averaaD
% great that q substitute Of good te5or
graph service for that Of private -
vice on the basis Of the Cullom bir
would speedily result in snas
Of two things, either . bankruptcy of =
large proportion Of the newspapeso
away from great centers or ia the d.
priving the public Of . very largo poG.
tion Of the news Of the world which
they now enjoy through the dallG
newspapers. Not more serious Is th0 !,
objection that suspicion would ariS1S
that the news had been subjected ~
Government inspection or censornhip.
which would reduce it, value By a<;
least one-half to newspaper publi6he6S
and to the general public. It Was -.
argument to say that there was ~
complaint against the Governmei
mail service In this respect. II
contents Of letters cannot be madS
known without violation and witheuo
| SERIOUS RISK OF DErEcrIoN.
On the other hand, with the telograp1b
system under its control, the GovoE
ment officials would have every oppuk
tunity to become acquainted Wiz
every detail OF business hrmS' o1ctf
tions and secrets Of political pexlf
and party leaders. In coatinen1
Europe this espionage was notofion
The speaker concluded by sayin&a
"Public confidence in the charao<E
of the news is the chief element q ~
valne, and anything that would ~
to impair that confidence would " ca
much impair the commercial valuS
the news: Speaking for myself ee N
vendor of news, say unqualifk
that want no news that has -
subjected to even the suepicione 81
government surpervision, or paFtiec
lespionage. "a
The paper was commentad a. y
Rosewater Of the Omaha Be-.
advocated the ides Of the governs,