The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1892-01-12
THE TELEGRAPH AND TELE
PHONE.
Properly Parts ofthe Posteffcs System
A Wide Difference Between this Idea
andthat and the Government Own
ership of the Railroads.
Correspondence Of the Landmark

correspondence or tho Landmark
In framing the Federal Constitution,
it was wisely provided that Congress
should have the power to establish
pOstOffi3es and post roads," OCOnstitu-
ton y. S., Art. 1, Sec, s. This has
always been interpreted as not only
cOnferTi ing the power but imposing the
duty Of establishing and maintaining
an adequate and efficient postal service
for the country, and to that end adopt
ing the means which experience aud
the progress of invention should prove
best adapted for the purpose. There
is nothing in this clause of the COnsti-
tuition which restricts Congress to the
use Of the methods or the facilities
which were in use at the time of the
adoption Of the Constitution.
When cheaper postage and al uni
form rate were demonstrated to be ad-
vantageOus by the example of the Eng
lish pOstoffiCe under Sir Rowland Hill,
Congress promptly applied the same in
u own postal service. In like man
ner followed the use of postage stamps,
the introduction of free delivery into
cities, the adoption of the money order
system, the issuance of postal notes
and many other improvements in the
handling and distribution of the mail
None Of these things were dreamed of
by the trainers Of the Constitution.
They were details wisely left to be
worked out by the progress and intelli-
genCe of succeeding generations. When
our p~OstOffice was first inaugurated
mails were carried on horseback, or, in
a few instances, by mail coaches.
When steam was introduced, the
pOstOtfice promptly awaited itself Of
the new agency. In fact every appli-
ance and every Improvement to facili-
tate the social and business intercourse
of the public have been laid hands on
and been made subservient to that pur-
pose, save one. Why the department
has been forced to stand still in the
presence of the agency which is most
especially adapted for that purpose,
and after having awaited itself of the
potent energies Of steam has refrained
from the Use Of the more potent agency
of electricity. is well KIN HWn to all men.
The telegraph and the telephone are
the pest Of She rapidly advancing and
near at hand twentieth century and it
may be we'll 10 consider why the Post
office Department has not adopted
them and why it should do so.
It has not failed to adopt them he
cause it is unconstitutional to do 80.
This is too plain for argument. 1t
would be easy to fill pages with eta
tions o. legal authorities showing its
cOnSGitutiOnalitv. Indeed, it could be
better said that it Is unCOns itutiOnal for
the government not to adopt them for
the purpose Of giving the people the
best and cheapest aud speediest postal
facilities which the most improved
methods known to science can afford
The clause of the Constitution is under
stood to be mandatory upon the Ma
tiOnal Government to establish and
maintain a proper postal service, since
in the face of that provision neither
States nor private companies can do SO.
Besides, the first telegraph established
was in fact a part of our p~OstOffice and
it's continuance as such, at time when
the government was in the hands of
strict cODstructioniSts, was recon
mended by Hon. Cave Johnson, the
then Postmaster General. This wise
recommendation was not acCeded to
simply because Congress, not fOresee
ing the value and Importance of the
invention, deemed the price asked by
the inventor too great and in an evil
hour permitted this great agency to
pass into private hands. The public
interests. the popular will and the con
stitutisnal provision, all alike require
its restoration to its original function
as a part of an enlightened and pro
gressive postal service.
Nor can it be said that it would be
an experiment. Every civilized cOun-
try with the sole exception of ours has
long since made the telegraph part of
it's postal service and in all it has
worked satisfactorily. The rates in
Great Britain and Ireland are, like
postage. uniform for all distances and
are one cent a word. In Germany, the
rate is about the same. and in Austria
less. In France and Belgium, the rate
is under ten cents (half a france for ten
words between any two points. No
department of the ~pOstOffice in any
country pays better than the telegraph.
In most countries the telephone, too,
has been added.
1t is very certain that the telegraph
and telephone as parts of postal
service would not only wonderfully
improve the means of intercourse but it
is believed that a very cheap uniform
rate-prObably five cents a message
would pay a handsome ven to the
government,
In the presence of exOrbitant rates to
which we are accustomed this will seem
hazardous, but reflection will show
that it is not. Telegraph wire costs
less than So per mile; poles in u
country are not expensive, the cost of
erecting them light; the chemicals for
use of the wires are inexpensive.
Where. then, is the cost! The govern
ment pays freight to railroads, steam
boats and star routes and sends letters
across the continent at two cents and
around the world for five cents. The
last Postmaster Generals report states,
that while, owing to the cost Of heavy
packages and matter carried free, there
is a deficiency ia the p~ostofice, yet on
the carriage of letters there is a net
revenue annually of $50, 0o0, 900. Why,
then, is it chimerical to state that mes