The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-12-01
A NEWSPAPER MAN ON THE TELE-
GRAPH.

Editor ROSewater of the Omaha Bee, who
has recently spent soma time in Europe.
studying the postal telegraph system, has
been telling Kate Fields Washington some
of the results of his study.
Besides being practical newspaper man,
with that sharp use OF the faculty of obser-
walton inculcated b. newspaper work, Mr..
R0sewater was for thirteen years practical
telegraph operator. He was for number
of years manager at first for the Western
Union Company and afterward for the
Atlantic and Pacific at Omaha, and was
also in tie military telegraph corps during
the late war. With all these years of expe-
rienee to aid his judgment, he Tost emphlti-
cally declares his conviction that the safety
of this Government demands the control of
the telegraph system by one of its branches.
The dawning OF this conviction in his mind
he traces to his war experience when, on
President LincoIn's proclamation diScOn-
tiuuing all communication by wire between
North and South. circulars were sent by
the Southwestern Company, in whose en-
ploy lie was, to the Northern cities, TO par
ties who we're in sympathy with the SeceS-
sion movement, to Sc their dispatches by
mail to Louisville. and thence they would be
forwarded. No sooner had the war broken
GU +, MI Rosewater recalls, than the West
ern Union exerted its influence to acquire
control of the military telegraph of the Uni
ted States. To that end its General Super
intendent, Arson Stager, was appointed to
take charge of the military lines of the Uni
ted States. Throughout the war he thus
h ED two positions-as General Manager OF
the Western Union system and as Com
mandeT-in- Chief of the United States Mill
tary Telegraph Corps; and Mr.. Rosewater
declares, upon General Stager's own asser-
ton. that his salary as Colonel and Assist
ant QuaTtermaster in the United States
Army was turned over to the Western Union
Company, and he never got any part Of his
salary as an army officer.
After the war, on February q. 1866. a
military order was issued by which the
United States military lines and appur-
teuanees within the States south OF the
Ohio River we're turned over to the several
commercial telegraph companies owning
the telegraph patent rights within said ter
ritory. This was in consideration of the
REIMBURSEMENT by aidtelegraph companies
OF all claims against the United States for
use Of their lines and for the detention OF
the lines and for compensation to said COM
panies for the exclusion of commercial busi-
ness from that portion of their lines. The
Government at that time owned 4.211 miles
of land line and 176 miles of submarine
cable. representing between two and three
million dollars value.
During the last Presidential election the
telegraph company received S88.000 for
selling returns of State elections and Con-
gressional elections at different stations,
peddled out to pool-rooms. delivered at
fbaa A.,
scription, a proceeding as appropriate as
the traffic by the Postoffice Department of
intelligence contained in letters transmitted
through it, or tbs opening by an express
company of packages consigned to its care.
Again, says Mr.. RoseWater, the laws of
the United States require telegraph compa-
MES to transmit Government business
ahead of every other. They did not do this
on the Pacific telegraph line, and they have
not done it on any other telegraph line a
message known as C. n. D., Commercial
News Department is put upon the wire and
has precedence of everything. 1t ranks
everybody's business The Western Union
last year received from the Commercial
News service something like $500 900.
There are 10000 postOffices in this country
that have no telegraphc service. There
are many towns Of several thousand inhab-
itants that have nothing but railroad service.
The evils of this arrangement the country
people Of California can give eloquent testi-
mony to. In most Of the railroad stations
cheap operators are employed. They are
competent to handle railroad business, but
break down on commercial messages. hey
are also bound to do railroad work first.
They get no pay for outside messages,
which are put on the hook, and are, as likely
as not. worthless when they reach their
destination.
In England, according to MI Rosewater,
every place Of 1900 persons has postal tele-
graph service, controlled by the Govern
ment. When this system was first estab-
lished there was deficit, as in the case of
our letter mall when postage was first re-
duced from cents to 2 cents but in 1890
there was an excess of $780, 900. The En-
glish rates to newspapers are / shilling for
70 words during the day, and the same
charge for 100 words at night. This rate
holds good for all Great Britain. In France.
Germany and Austria newspapers have the
use OF wire for any length of time. and
have absolute control during the time allot-
ted. Here wires must be leased by the year
for either day OF night and the company
even then has the right to use these wires
without pay. In Germany press messages
take precedence. Elsewhere in Europe only
Government messages are preferred mes
sageS