The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-06-09
THE TELEPHONE AND TELE-
GRAPH.

Mr.. EDITOR Responding to your
kind invitation I will say that 1T seems
to me the plainest dictates Of common
sense and Imay say of common justice
that the telephone and telegraph
! should be adopted as a means OF dis
seminating intelligence by the Post
Office Department. These agencies,
properly handled, would bring the
p~ostofice up to the requirements OF
this age. To leave them in the hands
| of private monopolies is for the post
Office to abandon progress and abdicate
proper functions and to leave the
masses dependent upon the wealthy
few for the post facilities appropriate
to this day and time. The most glgan-
tic trust known is that which controls
the telegraphs of the country, and 1t
is really the most hurtful becauseit lays
a tax upon intelligence and the dissem-
nation of information,
I believe that government exists for
the people and not the people for the
government The government exists
to fill public needs and serve public
wants. 1t has never shown itself
modest or backward in calling upon
the people for funds to supply its
wants, and there is no reason why the
people should be modest or backward
in demanding that the government,
the public agency, should fulfill its
duties and supply their just demands
upon it.
When the Postofice Department of
our government was first established
the mails we're carried on horseback
and in mail coaches. When railroads
and steamboats, came into use the
Postofice Department availed itself Of
the quicker means of communication,
and there is no reason why the same
should not be done with telephones and
~telegraphs, which are the public post
of the ear-at-hand twentieth century.
The telephone patent expires next
March. The government should put a
telephone at every country ~postoffice
in the Union and double the number
of country postofices. This would be
doing something for the convenience
and comfort of the farmers who bear
so great a part Of the burdens of gov
eminent and receive so few of it's ben
cts. It would save farmers sending
teams over bad roads for freights which
often have not come. Many a witness
or party to a suit could save useless
days hanging around the court house.
Information of approachingfrost could
be promptly sent out to the districts.
In case of sickness a doctor could be
promptly summoned, and many other
uses would be found in practice. An
would pay all expenses and would add
in fact to the postof1ce revenue. By
the adoption of the "nickle-in-the-slot"
apparatus postmasters could readily
keep the accounts and no special train
ing is necessary to use a telephone. ,
The telegraph ought long since to
have been made apart Of the Postofice
Department. Why it has not been is
known to every man of ordinary in
telligence, and the reason for the fail
ure reflects no credit on the methods
which control our National Legislature.
In every civilized country, with the
sole exception of ours, the telegraph
has for many years belonged to the
people, and the days of it's monopoly
for the enrichment of a few men is a
relic Of barbarism surviving only in
this country. In England and France
by the government telegraph messages
are delivered promptly and reliably at
one cent per word, in Germany at one
and a fifth cent per word, and in all
three the telegraph pays a consider
able and a steadily increasing profit to
the government Notwithstanding the
telegraph there extends to country
postofices. I have the figures before
me for those and for other countries,
but will not worry your readers with
statistics. With the adoption of the
telegraph by our postofice, rates
would not only be reduced to. ten
cents per message, as is now the case
in other countries, but probably ulti-
mately to five cents, and lower rates
to the press would give the Geographic
news to country papers. There is no
reason why this should not be. Wires
and poles cost only $15 per mile, and
chemicals are cheap. No freight would
have to be paid to railroads and horse
routes as on the carriage of letters. Is
it not certain that if the present tele-
graph monopoly had the same mo-