Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-03-01
ALL M00NSHINE. "
Norvir Green's View of Wan
anaker's Idea.
VIGOROUS ATTACK ON THE SCHEME

Uncle sam Advised TO Go into Coal or
Wool Rather Than Lightnfng-some
Alleged DIFFICULTIES In the way-A New
York Company to Catch Seals In Beh-
ring sea for Twenty Years-The Hunt
for the senate Leak Suspended.
WASHINGTON, City, March l-Postmaster
General Wanamaker, Judge Tyner (the as
sistant attorney general for the postoffice
Department., and number OF prominent
telegraph men were present at the meeting
Of the house committee on postoffices and
post-roads yesterday 20 hear DR.. Norvin
Green, the president Of the Western Union
Telegraph company. address the committee
In opposition TO the proposition Of the post
master general to establish limited postal
telegraph system In this country. DR. Green
sAid that everybody knew that the European
governments owned and operated telegraph
Lines, hut none OF them had opsr.ted them
10 chenply and satisfactorily as a corpora
ton could The governments had assumed
control Of the European lines to protect the
government, in this country the people
needed 70 be protected from the govern
ment
No Business with the Telegraph.
He said that the Western Union controlled
ten-elevenths Of all the wires in this country
and the Posta, Telegraph company the re-
mainder His position was that the govern
ment Of the United States had no business
with the telegraph. 1t certainly could not
do the srvice better than the Western
Union. The peop,e certainly were not ask
ing for the change. Not more than 900 900
people, out Of the total population Of the
country used the telegraph in any one year.
Forty-six per cent. OF the amount of the
telegraph business was purely speculative
The pool rooms and horse races in New
York city paid the company $3.50. 900 last
year. Very much better would the gov
eminent take the coal mines and the rail-
roads because the people have more need Of
them. Very much better to take the wooden
clothing industry in charge, because all the
people need wooden clothing.
A Bigger Plant Needed.
II the government wanted to 90 into the
telegraph business IL would need not only all
the existing lines but twice as many more
These 10000 miles of wire would not be half
enough for the requirements OF such a bust.
ness as the government proposed TO estab-
fish. DR.. Green illustrated some OF his
statements by means of map To estab-
iish a single circuit under the proposed bill
II would take q, SIS miles of wire The map,
DR.. Green said, showed the AT postoffices at
which il was proposed to establish postal
telegraph offices. Three-fourths of the tele-
graph business was done in a small area of
the whole country.
heavy Loss Declared Certain.
The general proposition submitted in the
bin could Be carried out II the government
would foot the loss But no combination of
any sort could send messages under the pro-
posed rates without great loss to SOMEBODY'S.
The proposition Of the postmaster general
was to send messages at one-half the rate
that existed ia England How coull this be
done in this country, where the operators
received double the salaries OF the English
operatorsl
The social" Business
Concerning the social business that the
postmaster general proposed 70 establish,
DR.. Green said that about ~ per cent Of the
telegraph business iii England was social.
This included race horse and sporting bust
ness. In this country We did not call this
business social. About per cent. of the
Telegraph business ia the country was So
cial The doctor said limited postal tel
egraph was all mOonShne
DR.. Green devoted much Of his time to ex-
planning figures and facts connected with
the business OF the Western Union to show
that the postmaster generals scheme was
not practical one. He had not finished
this explanation when o'clock arrived, and
the committee adjourned