The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-08-09
OF the Argument, Which Is Growing
to be Intcrosting-The Govern
ment Rates for Messages as
Compared With Press Rates.

for and obtain rights OF ways from the
parties who own them, ! sincerely
wish that your ideas OF the law-that
We "are in fact occupying many thou.
sands OF miles OF postroads and are privi.
legged to occupy all the highways in the
United States, under the grants OF that
act'-may prove sound in law; but We
are satisfied tho courts would not sustain
your views. Our occupation OF the
streets is always by the grace OF the
local authorities or OF the State, and in
the case OF the Elevated Railroad Com.
pany, in the city OF New York, to which
you refer, we pay the companies who
own the structure for the right to string
our wires thereon.
As to pre.empting forty acres Of land
for n station, we have found that
wherever u telegraph station was needed
there were no unoCCupied Government
lands; and il We were to establish sta.
ton on any forty acres OF Government
lands, it would be in locality that
would yield no revenue, 1t is true,
therefore, that we have never taken q
stone or stick OF timber, or appropriated
u foot Of public land, under that law.
We seem to be meeting nearer to-
gether as to the power and duty OF the
Postmaster General to name the rate OF
tolls to be paid on Government mes.
aages. only claim that this power and
duty are limited by the Constitution to
q Just compensation for the service re-
quired, and that just compensation
must cover the actual cost OF the service,
with something added for the Use of fa-
Cilities necessary to perform it.
| still insist that the Government is
our most favored customer, and that the
rate for Government service during the
past five years, considering tho character
Of the service, ia lower than that given
to any other patron. The Government
rate has been one cent per word for u
thousand miles or less. You may make
up u supposed message with tho address
and signature OF unusual length and
twenty words in the body sent u short
distance under our half rate con-
tracts with certain transportation com
pRnies and show that 1t Is tribe
less than the government rate, but the
half rate is generally higher, and you
forget that this halflA in money is not
all we get. 10 it must be added the
value of what those transportation com
panies do for us. But when you apply
even the strongest supposed case to a
message between New York and ChiCa-
90 or Washington and st. Louis, you
will find the government rate is the
lowest,
There is no comparison between the
service for the newspapers (even tue
rates TO one newspaper) and messages
transmitted for the Government. A
special message OF 1900 words would
make fifty Government messages
Of thirty words, each message
message requiring separate checking,
booking, numbering, routing, enveloping
add n special delivery. We often have
special news report OF five thousand
words or more; equal to over one hun.
dred and sixty.six messages OF thirty
words each, whilst our commercial and
local messages average but about seven.
been words, including address and sigma
ture.
In my former statement that four mes.
saEes transmitted and delivered to a
single address the Government was the
only customer that enjoyed q reduced
rate, distinctly excepted in the context
the service for the newspapers, arrange
ments with railroad and transportation
companies, and the distribution Of COM
mGrCal news reports.
1t is not true that the patronage from
the press Is the most profitable we have
There is little or no profit on the regular
press service as a whole, and very little
on the special press service; and il
would not add TO our profit II the rate
was made still lower. However, as 1t Ia
based on our commercial rate, it neCes'
sarily is reduced with it.
As TO the signal service reports in 1872
the ratio has been reduced, as in case OF
other Government service, by lengthen.
ing the circuits. Until about 1884 the
circuit for signal service, paying three
cents per word, was counted us praC'
tical working circuit.
i compound circuit, requiring the use
Of repeaters, as from New York TO Nil,
waukee, with drops, was charged and
paid for rs two circuits, or at the rate oil
six cents per word. So, also, were the
circuits from New York to Eastport, Me-,
and from Cincinnati to New Orleans
whilst tho circuit from Chicago 10 San
Francisco was rated as four circuits, OF
twelve cents per word, San Francisco
10 San Diego, and San Francisco Ia
Olympia, W. T., were each rated and
paid for as three circuits, or nine cents
Der word. Others were counted double
or triple circuits. Now We are only
mid three cents per word for each o!
these circuits, SO that tho rate for Signal
Service reports has on number OF cir
cuits been reduced 10 ono.hali, and on
others to one.thlrd Of the amount pre-
Viously paid. II We had been paid lasI
wear for this Signal Service on the saint
basis as In 1872, wo should have re-
ceived nearly twice as much as we did
The sum Of II all Is that the Govern
mont has given 1s nothing that cost thu
Government anything, or that was o
any value to the Government to retain
; and nothing that has not been wortl
more TO the Government aud the publil
that wo should have, than II has beet
worth to Us.
Although / have treated the pres
service as not properly comparable will
The transmission Of Government ines
Bages, ! desire to say that in point o
fact II tho Government had paid us dur
lng the past several years the rates stip
. ulatCd by contract with the Associated
, Press on news dispatches bearing on
address, the aggregate revenue for I'll
Government service would have bee
larger than II was at the rates the Coy
eminent paid.
Two Men Drowned,