Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-03-29
THE WESTERN UNION
ON THE SPooNER INTERSTATE
TELEGRAPH BILL.
President Green and Attorney Swayn
State Why tho Government should Not
Control the Telegraph Monopoly-Ar-
gument of Colonel Bob Ingersoll.

Eument Oh SclOuek DoD thkcTboAs
WASHINGTON, March % Dr. Norvin
Green, President of the Western Union Tele-
graph Company, addressed the Senate Com
mittee on Interstate Commerce, yesterday
morning on the SpoOner Interstate Tele-
graph bill He said he did not appear to
oppose a fair and. reasonable enactment for
the regulation of the telegraph. II the
telegraph was commerce in the constitu-
tional sense, and the Supreme Court has
decided that its business is commerce,
then there could be no question of
the power of Congress to enact
such law, such as that proposed. Ordi-
narily his company would desire to be let
alone, but under the circumstances it was
not averse to such an enactment as pro-
posed, with certain Objectionable features
stricken out. He was led to this conclusion
from the fact that his company owns and
operates four-fifths, perhaps seven-eighths
OF all the telegraph in the United States
and is therefore an apparent monopoly,
while in point of fact, IL has no exclusive
franchise-no legal privileges that anybody
else can not get
The elementary patents have expired,
and except as to some improved methods,
anybody might build and operate tele-
graph But the telegraph had drifted into
4 combination, not from the grasping efforts
of any one man or set of men, but from the
pecessitous laws of trade. The rates had
been cheapened and the business greatly
improved in its facilities and in promptness
of service.
DIR. Green suggested several amendments
20 the proposed bill. One was that the
company might be protected in their de-
sire 10 defend the sanctity OF messages. On
one occasion the United States Senate has
been guilty of the outrageous act OF offer
ing the Western Union directorate,
under penalty of incarceration to
furnish 27 900 messages on a Presi,
Dental campaign. Six hundred
of these were secured by Ben Butler and af-
terwards published. The company should
only be required 10 furnish messages which
could be accurately described. Another
amendment desired was one limiting the
liability of the company. 1t was unjust
that it should be liable for damage OF
$lOO 600 when the fee for the message might
only be twenty-five cents. In the past
year the company had paid $4,000 i'll
damage claims and $4,000 in lawyers fees
Referring to the claim that all press rates
should be similar the Doctor said 1t would
be unfair to force the company to send a
special TO one newspaper at the same rate
~
"drop" copy of its report. The Press as,
sociation matter must be received at twenty
places from one wire, whereas the special
would go only to one place. As to the
clause requiring similar rates for all-this
would have TO be modified. The Post
master General had the legal right to fiz
the rate for Government business. 1t was
now one cent q word per thousand miles.
This did not pay the company.
II the public could get this rate, it would
be ruinons. The Anderson bill which re-
Gently passed the House with only fouI
votes against it, and which provides that
the telegraph lines of the aided Pacific
Railroads shall receive business from all
connecting lines without discrimi
nation in tolls or otherwise was
then taken up by Doctor Green and
bitterly condemned. He said that when
the roads were built the Western Union
made contracts with the railroads to build
the telegraph lines The roads were to man
the offices and have the necessary wire fa-
cilitiesifor their own business and turn ovel
half the receipts on all commercial messag-
es. II was therefore imposs BILE for any
other company TO stand on an equality
with the Western Union on these lines.
There was no equality in the situation.
General Swayne, counsel for the Western
Uuion followed DR.. Green and addressed
himself exclusively to the Anderson bill
If the bill meant to do anything, he said
it meant to strike down certain system oi
existing contracts. The committee mus
consider two points first whether il wished
to give legislative assistance to the inva
lidating of contracts, and second, il they
did so whether the desired result would fol
low. Justice Miller had enjoined certain
of the railroads from acting other than
their contracts with the Western Union
demanded as regards the &C
ceptancs of the business of othel
companies. If this bill became law the
roads must accept other business and dis
obey the injunctions OF the Supreme
Court He thought the bill had passed the
House on ''vindictiye impulse, and he
looked for cooler and wiser consider
alton of it in the Senate. Col. Robert G.
Ingersoll. representing the United
Lines and Postal Telegraph Com
panies, next addressed the commit
tee The Pacific railroads he said, were
built by the people, and the peoples inter
ests had been ruthlessly sacrificed. Ht
took the broad ground that the roads had
no right to make contracts with the West
ern Union There was great deal of talk
about vested rights. He considered that
the two words had been made the target,
for more rascality than any other two word:
in the English language His companies had
wires stretching through the East and
ss far west as the Mississippi
They had wished for far west connection
The allegation that they had the SAME
right on the wires of the Pacific railroad.
as the Western Union was pretense. The
telegraph lines of the Pacific roads which
should be managed by the roads them
selves, were managed by the Western
Union. The telegraphic rate from New
York to San Francisco was $1.O0; from
Omaha TO San Francisco, $L00. When hi.
company submitted business to the Pacific
railroad lines at Omaha ard San Francisco
they had to pay 81. This left them nothing
for the transmission of the message from
New York to Omaha. There would al
ways be 8 competitive telegraph system in
the United States unless the Government
took charge of the whole busines:
which he hoped it would not do
The Anderson bill would bring RELIEF
not only his company but to the
people and he believed that if it ever got &c
tho Senate chamber, it.would pass with q
lesser vote against il that it had in the
House, and the adverse vote there was four
His companies now had a Pacific coast
connection by means of the telegraph line.
of the Canadian Pacific Railway and the
special line that had been built down the
Pacific coast from British Columbia to
San Francisco. The Colonel's address wa,
humorous and eloquent, and held the close
attention OF the committee throughout.
The Boy Avenger-
CARLINvILLE, ILL, March 29.-The twelve
year-old adopted son of John Dietz, who
was murdered by Winel, avenged the death