Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-08-09
Sticks to His Claim.
Norvin Green's Reply to Wan
amaker's Letter.
NOTHING IN GOVERNMENT GRANTS.

Rights-of-way and Such Things Obtained
from States and Cities-Uncie Sam the
Least Profitable Patron-The Treasury
Has Some Small Notes to Give Out. and
How to Get Them-A Move Against the
Alton Railway.
WASHINGTON CITY, Aug. 9.-President
Green, of the Western Union Telegraph
company, has made public reply to Post
master General Wanamaker's letter of
Aug. 3 ,onthe subject of rates for govern
ment kilograms, and reiterates the statement
that the act of 1866 conferred no special ben
Gifts on the Western Union company. 1t
did not, as held 10y the postmaster general,
confer the right to use .Sll highways with
out compensation. On the contrary, the
company pays railroads, plank roads and in
dividual owners for rights-of-way, and has
to obtain licensesand rights-of-way in streets
from municipalities or condemn and buy them
under state laws, just as if no national law
existed.
Grants that Were of No Value.
The act granted the use of government
stone and timber, but it has never been ex-
pedient for the company to use them. 1t
granted forty acres of government land for
| telegraph stations, but no stations have been
| established ON such land 1t granted right
| o way over government lani, but except
where lines have been extended to military
posts, this privilege has not been made use
/ of, and in these cases it was used only for
/ the convenience OF the government
| The Matter of just Compensation.
President Green agrees with the postmas
| ter general that the rates should be "a just
compensation" And he takes Just compe-
sation" to mean sum that will cover the
| actual cost of the service, with something
added for the use of facilities necessary &c
/ per form the service. President Green show:
by an analysis of the facts:
THAT the government rate is the lowest
| given any customer.
THAT the press rate is higher when the
| dispatches are reduced TO their equivalent
lengths in messages.
3.-That the rates on signal service business
have been greatly reduced in the nineteen
years that the servic, has been in operation.
THAT the rate on all government bu iness
has been reduced about 30 per cent IN the past
twelve years, which Is proportionately more
| than the reduction on general business
The Press Service
Regarding the service to the press DIR.
Green makes the following statement:
/ Although l have treated the press service as
| not properly comparable with the transmits
| sion of government messages, l desire to say
/ that in point of fact If the government had
/ paid US during the past several years the rate:
| stipulated by contract with the Associated
| Press on news dispatches bearing one address
i the aggregate revenue for the government
/ service would have been larger than ii was al
/ the rates the government paid.
A Sisshing Conclusion.
| The reply of President Green concludes as
i follows:
| The sum of il all is that the government ha,
given US nothing that cost the government
/ anything. or that was of any value for thu
government to retain-nothing that has no
| been worth more to the government and thu
public than 1t has been worth to US; whilst
i in consideration therefor, the government. b!
| its reserved power has been making a saving
/ for a number OF years at the rate of nearly
| IL not quite $4,000 year in the cost of IL
/ telegraph service below what other customer
pay, whilst IL enjoys, as it should, a preferred
| service over all other business.