The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-02-19
TIE POSTAL TELEGRAPH BILL.
Postmaster General wanamuGcr E,p,al,

It's sFchtures-OthcrG Gcntlsmcn's Views.
| WARRINGTON, Feb. 1S.-The Hout
Committee on. Post Offices aud POI
Roads continued It's consideration OF
limited postal telegraph service. Til
meeting was public and Postmas.e
General Wauamaker, Mt. A. B. Char
dler, the President Of the Postal Telt
graph Company, and Mr.. D. II. Bate
formerly identified with telegraphic In
terests, were present. The session {
the committee was occupied in Questior
I iug Mr.. Wanamaker and Mr.. Cdandle
concerning the bill prepared by til
Postmaster General. 800
Mr.. Wanamaker introduced the sub
ject by saying that no never had an,
trouble with tho Western Union Tele
graph Company. His first hope, he said
had been to persuade the Western
Union Company to look at the matte
OF telegraph rates as he saw them. Bu
he had failed in that. He said he want
cd 1t distinctly understood that ther,
was no personal feeling in bis cominI
before the committee, and he had Offered
tho present bill simply rs a study for th,
committee. He said It would be agreca
bic to him to have Section seven OF tn,
bill-that fixes rates-amended 80 as t
vest the Postmaster General with the
power Of fixing the rates and allowin.
him to change them from time to time
He also said he thought the Civil Ser
vice Commission should control the PRO
posed new service, and he would alst
recommend that the bill be amended st
as to prevent the use OF the wires fol
political purposes by employees ant
others.
In response to questions, Mr.. Wana
maker said that the difficulty Of getting
q contract flexible in its character, SC
that the Government might take the al
vantage OF new inventions OCCURRING
during the ten years Of the contract, wa,
not so troublesome as it might seem. HI
then reiterated his statement that he
wanted it clearly understood that there
never had been and could not be any
feeling between himself and the Wcs:
ern Union. He was not making any ~
Election on the telegraph companies on
account Of rates, as that was purely &
business matter. The day WAS coming
when there would be uniform postaI
system reaching over the entire coun,
try and the initiative must proceed in
the line now proposed. The present
machinery OF the Postoftice Department,
should be used. He would start the
system with the free delivery OF.
fees, believing that before Con.
gress adjourned it would greatly
increase thatservice. His whole aim in
using the employees now engaged was to
obviate the objections which had been
raised that a postal telegraph would take
great deal OF money from the Treasury
and would bring in new army OF EN-.
ployes. He knew the telegraph people
thought his scheme visionary. lie in.
sisted that it was not new thing 10,
capitalists to organize telegraph compa-
MES. The present instance would ole,
great inducements to capitalists, as it
would not require so much money as
starting new telegraph companies did in
olden times. The offices were already
provided and large amount Of business
was already assured. II the Government
should fail to get satisfactory contract
he contended nothing would be lost by
TIE experiment. :
Mr.. Chandler was the next witness
He said that his company could not dc
the work proposed at the maximuu
rates provided in the bill without loss
No other company could do it without
loss. OF course, if the Government fur
nished the facilities, the employees, etc.
it would greatly relieve the compan,
doing the work at large expense. He
however, had not gone into II detailed
examination OF the bill. The PROPOSED
new rates would cause q greal deal more
business. 80 4
Mr.. Chandler said he was very mucl
in sympathy with the Postmaster Gen
eral in bis desire to serve the public il
their interests, but not to the exten
that he was, because the Postmaste
General was a public official and he (NIr
Chandler) was not.
"We want" he said, ito favor tho in
terests Of the Government in every p1o
per way, but we do not want to see
Government telegraph established, o.
the beginning ola Governmenttclegrapl
that will destroy seven or eight milion
dollars which we have invested in thi,
property and make it valueless. We dt
not think tho Government has right t,
do that; and if 1t has that right, W,
think, it would be unjust and very un
reasonable to exercise it." f:s