Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-03-12
WEDNESDAY. MARCH II. 1S9
A liovarnmant Telegraph.

We are rather surprised to learn that 80
enterprising and far-seeing an editor rs Mr'
HALsrEAD Is opposed to the establishment
of Government telegraph. But so II Is
Not only does he not favor such teie-
graph. but he advances old-fogy, eigh-
teenth-century arguments against IT,
Among those arguments, however. there
is. unfortunately for him. one which may
be termed a boomerang argument. Here
1t is:
I'm Is47 il was undertaken 10 transmit
Presidents message from Washington. 1t
was done. after a fashion. but IT required
the greater part Of two DAYS and two
nights TO do the work We mention this
10 show what the system was at that time:
Now n Presidents message Is transmitted
in two hours. This marvellous progress is
the result of private enterprise, ana out or
this has grown nearly every. Invention IN
the field of electricity. With all this the
Government has had nothing to do except
20 issue patents. II did not and 70 the ex-
tent of dollar. The progress has been
made independent OF 1t.
docs any mortal suppose that II the
Government of the United States had as
sumed control Of the telegraph system
even twenty years ago any conslderAoie
improvements would have been made ~
Considering that it is proposed to make
the telegraph part Of the postal system
Mr.. HALsTEAD's question answers itself.
and tells every man how he may turn 1t
against the questioner. The history OF the
Post-Ofice Department, which has always
been part of our national Government,
shows that nothing else in this country has
been such q grand success Gs the Govern
ment postal system. In 1890 the number
Of post-oftces in the United States was
eeventy-fve. Now the number is sixty
thousand. In 1890 there were 1875 miles
of post-roads. Now there are more than
four hundred thousand. In 1890 the cost
of transportation Of the mails was S22,0S1.
Now it is thirty-two millions OF dollars. In
1880 the postal revenue was S37, 935. Now
il is ffty-six millions. In 1872 the Govern
ment postal expenditure was $32, LAG. Now
At is sixty-one millions of dollars. Allow
us then in our turn 10 ask Mr.. HAL
STEAD, docs any mortal suppose that If
the Government of the United States had
ssot assumed control of the postal system
that system would have ever been able to
boast of such results as we have just refer
red tor"
At the organization Of the Post-Office
Department the rates of postage were:
For single letter under 40 miles, cents;
under 90 miles, 10 cents; under $50 miles,
I2I< cents: under 800 miles, II cents; un-
der 500 miles, 20 cents; over 900 miles, %
cents. Now the Department carries letters
hnx
many thousands Of miles, for 2 cents
each. Where is the private enterprise
which can point to such a wonderful i'm
provement upon Its beginnings!
In the beginning, the charge for carry
eng papers in the mail was very heavy, and
each subscriber, no matter how many
thousands of them there were, was COM
PEELED to pay the postage on his own pa
per. We can recollect when the postage
on daily paper was, if our memory does
not mislead us, over dollar year. Now
the publisher pays the postage for all his
subscribers at the rate of two cents a
pound-not many cents per annum for
each subscriber.
We need not go further into these de-
tails. They constitute q conclusive, I'M
answerable reply to Mr.. HALsTEAD's ques-
tions. They show that the Government
postal system has grown to its present pro-
portions out of incIpient conditions very
much like those in which Mr.. HALsTEAD
would leave the telegraph system. If the
Government had left the postal system to
private enterprise there would to-day have
been twenty different rates of postage
upon letters. Between Philadelphia and
New York the rate might possibly, but not
probably, have been reduced to two cents.
Between Richmond and New York the rate
would have been four or five cents. Be
tween New Orleans and New York the rate
would have been say ten cents. Between
the Pacific States and New York the rate
would have been twenty or perhaps fifty
cents. Why not? The telegraph charges
are much heavier than these, and vary as
the distance varies Shall we restore the
postal system to like condition. or shall
we bring the telegraph up to the condition
IF the postal system?