The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-08-06
VANAMAKER'S ANSWER
To President Green, Of the w,
U, Telegraph Company,
REGARDING HIS LATE ORDER
In Reference to the Government
Rates fur Messages Some Strong
Points Blade-A Proposition
Advanced to the Company.

namaker 10 President Green, oil the
Western Union Telegraph Company,
was made public to-day;
PosToFPIcR DRPARTMRNT, !
OPFICEoF POSTMASTER GENERAL,
WASHINGTON, ID, O., Aug, 9, $50.
Mr., Eorrin GresH, presiCLsat IPesltn linton Tslt-
Oraph Co., SsIS FORK;
DEAR sIR-Reierring to your letters Of
July llth, 18th and 9th, which have
been given 10 the public press through
channels other than this department,
and In which you protest against any
new rate for Government kilograms, and
offer various arguments to prove that
the old rate OF one cent q word Is as low
as yous company can accept without
loss, beg leave TO say:
First = Your unqualified statement
that "the privilege and benefits derived
by your company through the acts OF
Congress are purely imaginary" and the
companion assertion that your company
has never "taken q stone or stick oi tim
Der, or appropriated a foot Of land be-
longing to the Government, under such
acts, arc not sustained by the facts. 1t
Is an undeniable fact that the telegraph
companies in according the act Of 1885
and afterwards the supplementary acts,
considered they were gaining special
and actual benefits which fully compen.
sated them for the low rates intended TO
be granted to the Government, and the
representatives Of the Government like
wise supposed that they were securing
some benefits for the valuable conces.
slons being made 10 the telegraph com.
panics. The telegraph companies not
only accepted the acts, expecting sub
stAntial benefits would ensue, but, In the
case Of the Western Union Telegraph
Company, notably, great and conspicu-
Gus benefits have already accrued. I'm
der these grants the company has
claimed the right TO use, without com.
pensation Of any kind as TO right Of way,
oil the highways OF the country on the
ground OF their being post roads.
SeCond-As TO your question oil the
legal power OF the Postmaster General
TO fix the rate Tor Government messages,
| would only remark that such rigt /
appears to have been understood by the
previous Postmaster General as an olti.
Cial duty, and their exercise Of the right
or performance OF the duty has been
generally and constantly accepted and
respected by the telegraph companies.
Third-As to your qualified statement
that no corporations have received rate
equal to the proposed Government rate
OF one mill word, your statement that
the press associations are not corpora
lton1 10 hardly iuutifind hv fho facfa and
Is not material TO the question. You
willnot tdeny-indeed, one OF our officials
has admitted to me, that some OF the
press associations got their news reports
Tor q mill word 10 each newspaper,
and in one association the rate Is given
lower than that.
= u is quite true, as YOU seyI that the h
Government is able to pay proper rates,
and ] may add that so fur as ! know is
willing topay Just rates, and that u Is
iarthest from my thought that the
people should suffer BY reason OF the
losses you claim that you are now max
Ing and would still further make on
Government busiless.
! am satisfied the people could and
should have much lover rates than nov
exist and that neither the people nor
the Government should suler because
specially low rates are given 70 favored
customers.
While claiming that the Government
has Teceiyed the lowest single address
rate, you not only admit lower rate TO
the press, but also plainly say that Ger.
tain railroads and transportation compa:
MES arc given "halt commercial rates"
When 1t iS considered that in Govern
ment messages all the words are count
cd, the address and signature as well as
the message, and in all other kilograms
the message only is counted, is 1t not
true that this half rate to such compa-
nles Is at least as low as the. Govern
ment rate, and In some instances
lower? .
understand that the signal service
reports nuke up very large proportion
Of the entire amount Of Government
telegrapbic business. Your Bche1ple
shows that for eleven years the Govern
ment has been paying about 3 cents a
word for each circuit over which messages
arc transmitted. no reduction what
aver hns been made In that rate since
1877, hut within that period you have
reduced the PUBLIC rate from 62t TO 80
cents per Inessage-more than 10 per
cent reduction, and the cost Of handling
kilograms has been reduced during the
game period from 43 aud 4.l0 cents to
%, no cepts per message, Of over 40 per
cent reduction. Within the past five
years the public rate has fpllep eighteen
percent and the cost Of transmission
about per cent; but within that
period, there has been no reduction
whatever in the Governmentrates. :
Taking all these facts into account, l
believe that the Government has been
paying for itB telegraphip service more
than any other customer giving yor a
like approximate amount Of business,
and within the first named there has
not been 30 great reduction In tile
Government rates as 70 the general pub
4 lie and the press. Waving entirely the
question OF benefits acCruing 10 the tele.
graphic companies under the act OF 1855,
The Government ought to be put upon
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