The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-03-02
DR.. GREEN'S STATEMENT.
Continuing Hts Arguments ia Opposition ten
Postal Telegraph.

Continuing HIS Arguments ta Oppo~itio0 to
aP"~ssl Telegraph.
wAsHINGroS, March DIR. Norvin
Grccn. president of the Western Union.
to-day continued his statement respecting
the pending postal telegraph bill before
the house committee On postofiiccs and
isost-roasls. He said he had seen il state !
that the wire ON the Pacific railroad lines
belonged to the government. He did not
So understand IL. and as n matter Of fact
the government had no power To- fix rate.
over these lines.
Respecting rates generally. Dr. Green
said that they were about onc-half as
much as these prevailing - years ago.
The ratio between our own aul British
rates was as - cents to 10 cents. The
postmaster general proposed to reduce
of the fact that the British system had
been operated with "a deficit OF nearly Sl2-
S.SssS,. SS ~ she past years nnd probably
the british system has been instituted
under the solemn pledge that il should be
operators averaged from Sa6 to S.9 per
month. while in New York the average
"malc and female operators" was Ssil.i5,
nioIc than double the British average.
The government could not do business
as ciieaply as the Western Union. All of
the small and new companies were under
much larger propOrtiOnatc expense than
the Western Union. Dr. Green presented
figures tn show that the actual cost tn the
Western Union from handling business
details of the postmaster generals plan,
DIR: Grccn said that AT many Of the post
offices there would not bc sufficient tclc-
graph business :o pay expenses.
lt had been suggested that postmastcrs
az their offices might learn tai work the
wires, hut they would not do as they
were usually business men and employed
i'm caring for their shops. Altogether the
present postotiicc buildings could not bs.
made To accommodate the telegraph sys-
tenn. DIR. Green made "a comparison bs-
tween our domestic telegraph rates with
much lower. Yet" said he, s'tle post
n,astcr general would establish "a uniform
rate for 1, ,!su-rnilc distances. "a distance
over which no single wire had ever bcen
successfully worked. A. to low rates the
Western Union had never fought opI,osi-
tion companies with low rates. Opposition
companies usually b,Ittcd against the
Western Union. The last formidable COM
smash things and had done il. That
company ruined three competing com
pinics, ruined itself and SO nearly ruined
the Baltimors, * Ohio railroad that il had
been obliged to sell its sleeping ears and
construction shops to tide over the Imam
ciai stress. The. postmaster general in
fixing the rates for government business
made an order which the directors of the
order of conHscation of their business.
The doctor became somewhat excited AT
this point. and looking hard mt Po-tniastcr
s"sss.si iss~ s.ss.. NJ e.~snss.,rss. .aWss vet
he says hc IL ON first rat. terms with the
telegraph coinpanics.
Where - Lily Grew.
BIENIN,.uAM. Ala. March, I. A pc.ilcr
who has just returned from Winston
county tells story which. il not true,
cvir'ccs an imaginative power which, mo
one would suppose him to possess.
A farmer named Greene, while in town,
was persuaded to buy u few Chinese lily
bulbs, which will grow placed in a bottle
or jar. They resemble in appearance a
| siiininutivc steers head, and sell ON the
streets for mere trifc.
Farmer Greene took u fancy to then,
and bought "a dozen of them. When hc
reached home lic had no bottle or jar tn
put them i'm and threw them into the hog
lot with ~ bucket of spoiled potatoes.
few days aftcrwarSl one OF his largest
hogs became sick, refusing food. and. lay
ing down in ~ corner grtIntcd as IL i'm con-
| stItut pain. No signs of disease could Ia.
| discovered, but few days later the hos,
in the usual family council around the
supper table. and il was finally concluded
best tn cut up the hog and find ont IL pos
sib1c. whether ar not the disease was con-
| iagio,is.
This WAS done. and the cause of death
was Instantly apparent. The animal had
! swallowed "a Chinese lily bulb whole. and
there WAS sufficient moisture in tire stoni-
ach to cause. IL to grow. The bulb had not
| only swclicti and sproutcd. hut leaves had
| actually formed. The animal was not
adapted to the purpose of Hover
! garden and died.