New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1889-08-14


tail u, Dry Goods house; 100000
The White House. wholesale and retail
dry goods z. I. &. q 49, $4,000
LoWenburg Bros Z. !. 1000
Benham g. Grifit hs, VIII lesale grocers $4,000
Mason. Smith d Co., grocers. 40, 900
Pacific hotel. 10000
Grand hotel, ...... 10000
Windsor hotel. -. $4,000
HYDE block 80. 5. =. ZOO
washington DOCK. Observation-Disclosures. $4,000
Crescent 10000
Cannon block 10000
Moore block. $4,000
First National baak block. ..-....-..... $4,000
Wolverton block =. ..... 5000
Tuil block 800. ~. -. $1,000
Much comment has been excited here by
the extraordinary series which has, been
formed by ccnffagrations in Washing on.
First came the fearful disaster to Seattle, the
chief city of the new state From Seattle. in
the west. it seems as it fire had travelled oil
rectly castor E1iensburg, hslrisLing
inland city, was nearly destroyed Within the
past fortnight. Now in the extreme east
Spokane, which next to Seattle was the prin-
cipal city OF the state, suffers. by far a worse
calamity. This disaster is undoubtedly twice
as great as that which overlook Seattle,
both on account OF it,, great extent and The
more substantial character OF the burned
buildings. The Western Union office was
burned out. aud all instruments destroyed
except one, which an operation is NOW work
Ing on a dry goods box just outside the city.
KIND HELENA CITIZENS
HELENA, Mont, Aug. 5.A mass meeting
OF the board of trade. A Thousand dollars
was subscribed for the benefit of the Spo-
kane Falls sufferers A car Leaves here to-
morrow containing fifteen TONS OF blankets,
clothing and provisions.
The Northern Pacific officials In St. Paul
are not yet in possession of any detailed in.
formation concerning the big fire at Spokane
Falls. General Passenger Agent Fee said last
night: I'VE have advices that tWenty-oae
blocks have been burned, and that she
Northern Pacific passenger and freight
depots were destroyed. Most of the con
tents of the depots We're saved. All our
tickets, ticket cases and other parapheTnalia
Of the passenger department are in the salv-
age. The tracks of the road were distorted
little by the heat but not enough to seri-
ously delay traffic"
Some Hard Knocks.
WASHINGTON, Special Telegram, Aug. 81
The following are the principal points in a
letter from Postmaster General Wanamaker
to President Green, of the Western Union
Telegraph company, in regard to telegraph
rates paid by the government:
Your unqualified statement that "the privi-
leges and benefits derived by your company
through the eets OF congress are purely imagi-
",
| company has never taken stone or stick of
timber, or appropriated foot Of land belonging
to the government" under such acts, are not
sustained by the facts. It is an undenieble fact
that the telegraph companies in accepting the
act Of 1886, and afterwards the supplementary
acts, considered they were gaining special and
actual benefits which fully compensated them
for the low rates intended to be granted to the
| government, and the representatives. of the gov
eminent likewise supposed that they were Sc
curing some benefits for the valuable conces-
lcJn hair, IN
| The telegraph companies not only accepted the
| acts. expecting substantial benefits would
ensue but IL the !, case Of the West
have already accrued. Under these grants the
company has claimed the right to use, without
compensation of any kind as to right of way, all
the highways Of the country, on the ground Of
their being post roads. It has broadened this
claim to the extent that the streets OF cities and
towns are also post roads, and, therefore, open
and free to it's occupancy and USE The courts
have sustained it in this claim. You are neces-
sarily familiar with the Pensacola case, in which
| that the Western Union Telegraph company had
rights which even the sovereign State of Florida
could not annul. This. under the benefits OF
this act. instead Of not occupying a foot of pub
lie land, as you assert. you are. in fact occupy
| Ing many thousands Of miles OF post roads, and
are privilesed to occupy all the highways in the
cupy and use the streets in the large cities of
Philadelphia and New York, regardless Of the
| views of the local authorities. and almost
| REGARDLESS OF PUBLIC OPINION.
Even the elevated railroads of New York city
| have been claimed as post roads and the claim
sustained. The State OF New York may regu-
these great privileges secured to telegraph COM
panies. and maintained to them alone. by the
| congressional act of 1866 Beyond this the
streets of all other cities and towns Of the
United States have been kept open to your use.
l am sure that, on reflection, YOU will hardly
claim that such great benefits as these are
| purely imaginary. AS to your question of the
legal power of the postmaster general to fix the
rate for government messages I should say we
may agree that the act of CONGRESS at least i'm
| poses on the postmaster general the duty to
! name the rate and maintain it until in court
OF inquiry the rate has been shown to be unjust.
AS to your qualified statement that no corpora
lions have received the rate equal to the pro-
| posed government rate OF one mill word. your
| statement that the press associations are not
corporations is hardly justified by the facts and
is not material to the question. As to your
| statement that message can be carried and
delivered by a telegraph company for less than
twenty cents without the service being done at
a loss: Is it not true that within few years
and for several years in succession large volumes
OF business have been handled by your company
and other companies at minimum rate OF ten
cents a message. and did not this rate continue
until the Western Union absorbed the compet-
| ing lines?
Mr.. Wanamaker SAYS that on signal service
business no reduction whatever has been
| made in the government rates since 1877.
/
company have reduced the public rate from
62l2 cents to SO cents per message Within
the past five years the public rate has fallen
| Is per cent, but there has been o reduction
whatever in government rates. Taking
these facts in account he believes that the
| government has been paying for its teIe-
| graphic service more than any other Gus
toner giving like or approximate amount
OF business, and waving entirely the ques-
| ton OF benefits accruing to the telegraph
Il AIMS n sl,<N
eminent, he thinks, ought to be upon as IA
| vorable a basis with respect to rates as their
most favored customers. Mr.. Wanamaker
closes bis letter by saying that as he CON
sented to request for conference on the
| subject before any official order fixing the
rates should be issued he is yet willing to
entertain any reasonable proposition based
/ upon the known facts
Successful Thus Far.
WASHINGTON. Special Telegram, Aug. g.
Commissioners Rice and Whiting, appointed