Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-03-29
POSTAL TELEGRAPH.
PRESIDENT NORvIE GREEN BEFORE
THE SENATE COMMITTEE.
TIE Great Work Done by the Western
Union company-Its Relations
with Other Lines, &c.
lBy telegraph to the Dispatch.


not appear TO oppose fair and reasona
bic enactment for the regulation of tele
graph. If telegraph was commerce in {
constitutional sense, and the Supreme
Court had decided that its business j,
commerce, then there could be no ques
ton of the power of Congress to enact
such a law as that proposed. Or
dinarily his company would desire
to be, but under the circumstance
II was not averse to such al
enactment as proposed, with certain oh
lectionable features stricken out He
was led to tins conclusion from the fact
that his company owns and operates
four iiiths, perhaps seven eighths, of al
the telegraphs in the United States. and
Is therefore an apparent monopoly, while
in point of fact 1t has no exclusive fran
chises and no legal privileges that any
body else cannot get. The elementary
patents have expired, and except as e
some improved methods, anybody NIGH
build and operate telegraph. But tele
graphs had drifted into combination, not
from the grasping efforts of nyone mar
or set of men, but from the necessit0ui
laws of trade. The committee woulC
appreciate the economy of a consolida-
ton Of telegraph interests. Bushes:
was done better and cheaper but be
cause business had gone almost entirely
into the hands OF ono company, there
appeared to be proper reasons why the
Government should intervene and see
that the public was protected from impO
sition. The Western Union Company
was not here TO oppose that The com
pany hoped TO be able by thorough in
vestigation to disabuse the public mind
of many great errors that had been 50
actively propagated rs TO a number OF
things connected with telegraph. One
was as TO the cost Of the property. The
people had an idea that tclegraphs could
be built for little or nothing. He be-
ieved that the Western Union property
could not be duplicated for its cost.
Senator CullOm: DO YOU mean 10 say
that your property cost $50, $780, 600?
DR.. Green: Yes; mean to say that
it could not be reproduced for that sum.
Senator Hiscock inquired ms 10 the eX-
tent 10 which the Government would ne
cossaiily have to cooperate with private
corporations in order 10 reduce the cy-
pensos down to a point whore the service
was rendered by the Western Union
Dr. Green replied that the Western
Union had over $1,000 Offices. At least
j.. 900 OF these were operated by rail-
road companies, and OF these 1900
thor. was "a very small percentage which
would not be- deficit Offices If the Wet
crn Union had TO hire operators. Coming
% what he described rs the ohlecti0na-
Die features If the bill reported 10y the
iost-Otiice Committee, ne first took mp
the arbitrary section relating to the
handling of messages according 60 tse
time O, their rec .pt. lie saw thal M the
smaller Offices that rule could be- easily
observed bat II WAS not SO in tine larger
Offices like New York, with 100 W.Ic%
One operator might work faster than
another, aud II would hc al-
most impossible % eXacty dis
tribute messages and keep them
ia their precise order. Therefore DE ho-
l.yod tua, tho section should be Qu3lI-
fcl by the addition OF the words "as
near as possible ' The general scope OF
the section foroiidipg discrimination IL
forwarding messages also sufficiently
covered the case, without specific re-
Quremcut As to the long aud
suolt-lne cause he said. in an
sRcr t. a question, that no higher
t2riT WAS CHARGED between pOlnst
On the lines from Sew York TO
Omaha than between terminals. If the
.crond section of the hill gave
the iutcrsutc Commerce Commission
the Ti,nt 20 saw what charges w,r" I'M
II would amount TO cOLtisca-
ton OF the compauy's lines. lie would
substitute the word " tXorbltlnt Tor
unreasonable. The long and shcit-
line clause should also DE- modified
ov the insertion Of the qualifying
words "undcr ike circumstances. W
Vie did not make any protest against
tine section. 40 it was $50 framed as not
to interfere with the present sy-t-m.
because IT provided that messages must
be sent in the same direction and over
the same lines. it WAS not true that the
Western Union had made any drive at
tine Baltimore and Ohio for tine
purpose of breaking it down.
The Baltimore and Ohio had cut
rates. but the reductions made
ly the Western Union lad been few,
II had fought the Baltimore and Ohio
with the Mutual Union. The Western
Union had lost money at 10 and T. cent
rates In section D the mIi PROVIDED
that all parties excepting the news SER
vice should be charged ike rates. IN
that respect it differed from the inter
state rnilroad bill, which made "a number
OF exceptions relating 10 charities, cm-
plovecs officers, &c. The Western Union
lad contracts with six hundred railroads
tor which free and halfprice service was
rendered in return for transportation
services. The Western Union wanted "a
proyision like that in the railroad bill to
cover railroad contracts.
Dr. Green said that his company
would like 10 have an amendment
adopted settling the question OF the la
bIity of bis company as to the profuc-
ton Of kilograms under auLPo"n from
rourts and committees. There had
been all sorts Of rulings on that
point. The most outrageous was the
ming of the United States Senate
.ome years ago, when the Western
Union Company had been compelled
10 produce ~, 900 kilograms bearing on
Inc preceding presidential election. The
rairest ruling was that made III the Bah
cock case in st. Louis, when it was held
hat the company was bonnd to produce
only such messages as were accurately
described. He would like to see pro-
vision in the bill limiting the damages to
be paid for delay in the transmission of
nessaQcs-say, to 800 times the amount
naid for transmission. That, he thought,
vas a reasonable rate. 1T was perfectly
absurd that a telegraph company should
be subjected to S25, 900 or $50. O00 dam
,ees for delay in message for which
twenty-five cents was paid.
In conclusion Dr. Green addressed
himself 70 the Anderson bill requiring
he Pacific Railroad Company to main
ain and operate their own telegraph
ines. and criticised some of its features.
Colonel Robert q. Ingersoll said to
he committee that he would first try to
ell lust what the real contention is. He