The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-03-06

of the service. We have not received 8
dollar on account of government telegraph
service since last July. We would moi
| ernment messages in the courts and to dem
onstrate that it had not one-half of the cost
accept the rate. One word more: l don't
know whether | am right, but this is the
| way 1t looks to man up tree. This Is q
government of the people, by the people
and for the people. In England and other
monarchial governments, in Canada lin
the cabinet ministers are members
of the legislative departments
and act as members of the legislature but
in constitutional form of government as
1t is here, the executive legislative ard
| Judicial departments are made indepen-
dent departments. The President may re-
commend from time to time such legislation
as may be needed. This proposed legisla-
tion has failed to receive his recommen-
dation, although submitted in the post
master generals report before his message
| was sent to congress- l have
never heard before that a cabinet
minister may come before a committee to
coach it and help his pet scheme through
where they have not been recommended by
the president"
At this point Representative Anderson of
Mississippi interrupted DR.. Green to call
attention to the hour and added that the
witness answers were argumentative not
| responsive.
Representative Grain of Texas remarked
| that so far as coaching the committee was
| concerned the epostmaster general had never
spoken to him upon the subject.
When he (the postmaster generaD
was on the stand he (Mr. Crain)
| had catechised him as closely as he had DR..
Green because he wanted to vote intelli-
gently upon the proposition.
DIR. Green-!The postmaster general has
between 10000 and 100000 civil appoint
ments to make and every member has two
or three in his district.
Mr.. Crain-I am a Democrat and get
none from him. My only objection to the
postmaster general is his politics.
Then addressing. himself to the subject of
| the pending bill Mr.. Grain asked if DIR.
| Green's objection was not based on the as
sumption that it provided for the erection
and maintenance of government lines?
DR.. Green replied that that was what it
amt united to; that would be the result.
Mr.. Cram asked why the Western Union
opposed the bill while it proposed an i'm
practicable plan.
DR.. Green-Because the fools are not all
dead yet A great many people would
jump in to build the telegraph lines with
out assurance that they could make any
thing.
Mr.. Grain remarked this objection
seemed to be that the Western Union COM
pany would not be helped but the people
would be.
DIR. Green repeated that certain class
of people would be benefited if they could
send messages at 1 cent word or at mill
as originally proposed by the postmaster
| general, but the benefit would be confined
| to one per cent. of the people and that at
| the cost of the government.
Mr.. Grain rejoined that the bill did not
propose that the government should meet
| the cost. The sender of the message was
| to pay the entire expense.
DIR. Green retorted that the bill did not
| propose anything of the sort; that was his
| objection. The sender would pay a fixed
I rate which would be Insufficient; but, said
Mr.. Green, it authorizes the government to
| contract with the telegraph companies for
service at fixed rate. If it was losing
rate the companies would be the Losers, not
| the people.
DIR. Green replied that it was matter of
opinion as to the result, and the commit
, tee would see by experience that his view
was right.
Mr.. Crain--You say the English opera
! tors receive but one half of the salaries
paid to your operators. Don't they employ
| twice as many men to do the work?
| Dr. Green-I say it will take twice as
many in this country if the government
does the work.
The chairman addressing DIR. Green,
| said in reference to the criticism of the
postmaster general: The postmaster gem
eral is here by the same invitation as you
are, to discuss the half dozen bills referred
by the house for its action. The postmas-
ter general has not coached the committee,
nor does the committee propose to be
coached by anyone.
Mr.. Chandler, a committeeman, added
that when the committee found that only
| 100000 out of 40,00O000 people were using
| the telegraph, it believed it to be a matter
| Of duty to see how it's use could be ex-
tended. 1t was an improvement upon the
| older system of mail Communication and
the people should be offered every op-
portunity to use it. 1t seemed to him that
DR.. Green had an unjust conception of the
postmaster-generars position when he
assumed that he was attacking the
Western Union Telegraph company.
The influence which had been in
the committee and probably IN the post
master general was for the attainment of an
advantage higher and more important to
the mass of the people than might be sup
posed from some things that have been
said.
DR.. Green replied that this country was
great agricultural country. The farmers
and artisans had no occasion to use the
telegraph once year. They would not
The bulk of the business was commercial
or speculative.
Mr. Chandler could not agree with this
proposition. He believed that every man
III this city and country was interested in
cheap telegraphy. This concluded DR..
Green's testimony.