Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1890-03-07
The President of the Western Union
Speaks Before the Post0fice
Committee.
He Protests Against the Government
Arbitrarily Assuming Control
of the Telegraph.
At the Proposed Rates There Would
be a Deficit of Three Million
Dollars Annually.
The State of the Overflow of the
Ohio River Continues I'm
changed.
The Chippewa Indians,

The Chippewa Indians.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2S.-On Jan. 4, 1890,
Indian Agent Leahy, at Lapointe, Wis.,, in
response to inquiries, informed the Indian
bureau by letter that the Chippewa Indi-
ans on the Lapointe reservation were in a
starving condition and that rations and
clothing should be furnished at once. In
the course of his letter he says 'the thirty
many of these Indians are in a starving
condition, especially the women and chill
dren, aged and otherwise feeble.".s Upon
this representation a resolution was imme-
diately passed by congress appropriating
$75,0OO for the relief of these Indians. A
quantity Of provisions and goods have al
ready been purchased. To-day the Indian
commissioner received the following tele-
gram from Special Agent Turner, who had
been sent to the agency to as
sist in distributing the supplies: agency
Indians refuse to receive supplies or sub.
sistence, unless as g!ratuity: There is no
immediate necessity for making any pur-
chases. Instructions requested" Agent
Leahy also telegraphed as follows: "The
Indians inform me that they will not mort
gage their land or pine for supplies. No
supplies should be purchased" The In
dian officials are unable to reconcile these
statements and have referred the matter
to the secretary Of interior for instructions.
The resolution appropriating $4,000 pro-
vides that the government should be reim-
bursed out of moneys hereafter realized
out of the land or timber now owned by
the Indians seeking aid.
AGAINST U. S. TELEGRAPH.
4 number Of persons interested in pos
tai telegraphy assembled in the room
of the house postoffice committee
this morning to listen to DR.. Norvin Green,
president of the Western Union Telegraph
company. Postmaster General Wana.
maker, with his assistant, Attorney-Gen-
eral Tyner, Gardner Hubbard and repre-
sentatives of different Telegraph companies
were present. DR.. Green began his re-
marks by discussing the merits and de-
merits of the European government tele-
graph system. He said while in instances
their charges were lower than those in the
United States, they we're conducted at 8
loss. He presented a table showing the
telegraph business of the world and ex-
planned the distribution of the Western
Union stock. DR.. Green believed the
United States government had no business
with the management of the telegraph sys.
TEN; it could not manage it as cheaply; it
could not do it better, and none of the
senders of kilograms had asked it.
1t was proposed to make a
rate of one-half the cost of sending
messages, and a deficiency would have to
be made up by 100000 people who did
not use telegraph. If the government
wanted to 90 into the telegraph business,
it should buy lines outright. 1t should not
seek to fix losing rates for existing COM
panies; that would not be fair to the $500
stockholders of the Western Union. The
government would need twice as many
lines as were now in existence to do bust
ness. The movement was IN attempt to
break down the business of existing COM
panies. DR.. Green then made a COM
parison between the American and English
telegraph systems, and maintained that
the free addresses and signatures and
the enormous area of territory COW
ered) much lower than English low
rates. And yet it was proposed to
reduce these rates arbitrarily still lower;
it would require 21,875 miles of wire to
supply a single, connection to the AT
generals plan, and to do business practi-
cally would require at least 100000
tract rates the rental Of this
wire alone would be $s,6o0,OOo. Whoever
undertook to do telegraph business over
this system would do it at a loss. Repre-
the bill was practicable, DR.. Green and the
president Of the Postal telegraph
company both appeared here to con.
tend against it. DR.. Green replied
that it was a serious matter for them;
they did not wish to be placed in cOmpetl-
ton with the United States treasury; the
government could afford to bear loss. Mr..
Anderson, in referring to the postmater-
generals bill, said that it did not contem-
plate the payment of large salaries to Off
GERS. DR.. Green dryly responded that if he
wanted to do a telegraph business he
would have to pay somebody to look after
it, and pay them we'll, too: After all, what
mum amounted to a charge of about one
tenth of a cent per message on Western
Union business. II the postmaster gener-
aPs rates were adopted by the Western
Union, its receipts would fall just three
million dollars below expenditures every
year. Atthis point the committee adjourned
to meet tomorrow, when DR.. Green will
continue his statement.
MORTON WILL TAKE A VACATION.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 28.-After a number
of petitions had been presented to the SEN
ate, a note from Vlce.President morton
was received, which stated that he was
about to leave Washington for an absence
Of two weeks. Ingalls, was then elected
vice-president pro tenn and Immediately
took the oath. Blair then made an attack
on the associated press for not reporting
more fully his speeches. Mr.. Hawley and
others defended the associated press. The
dependent pension bill then came up and
went over without action.
IN THE HOUSE.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 28-After the read
ing of the journal, Henderson of Iowa,
moved that the house 20 into committee of
the whole IN the urgency deficiency appro-
priation bill. After three hours and,a half
the committee rose and the bill passed. It
appropriates 1923, $50, 900, the largest item
being an appropriation of $21 100000 for the
payment of the pensioners of the war of
1872 and the Mexican war.
THE DEBT DECREASE.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 28.-It is estimated
at the treasury department that the de-