Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1892-03-05
LET THE PEOPLE CONTROL
EDITOR ROSEwArER,S VIEWS on
rRE TELEGRAPH SYSTEM.
what Re Says OF Government Control
His Impressions AbrOad-Amer-
eas,s Inferior system.

gathered within It's spacious parlors AZ I
II East Tweuty-second street such .
number OF distinguished electricians 4
ana Ielegraphers as assembled there /
last night 10 listen to and take part in
discussion OF the question OF govern
control OF telegraphs.
BY request OF President Samuel Iu-
sui, Vice President Erastus Wiman,
VINO was once an operator, presided.
Among those present were: \. 3.
Chandler president OF the Postal Tel
graph company; K. w. Pope, secreta-
~ OF the Electrical Engineers ana
editor OF Electric Power; c. W. Price,
editor OF the Electrical Review; John
Il. SeeleT Allen L. Foote. special
agent for electrical industry in the
Census bureau; Joseph We,zier editor
OF the Electrical Engineer; II. /.
StorSe, general manager OF the Huc-
son River Telephone company; George
G.. Ward. general manager OF the Com
mereial Cable company; Alfred ;.
Brown, superintendent OF construction
OF the Western Union Telegraph COM
pany, w. j. Dealy, manager OF the
Western Union Telegraph Office; II.
Ward Leonard, G.. H. Usher OF the
Postal Telegraph company; George NJ.
Phelps, I. C. Martin, W. d. Sergeant
OF the Brooklyn telephone system, and
f. 4. Leslie, Manhattan Electric Light
company.
The discussion was opened by Mr..
T. Rosewater editor OF the Omaha
Bee, in paper entitled Tine Govern
ment Telegraphs OF Europe Mr.
Rusewa,er recently made a semi-oth-
ciai investigation OF the government
telegraph systems OF England ana the
continent ana he came home firm
believer in government and postal
teIegrauhy. MIR. ROsewater spoke as
follows:
POSTAL HISTORY REVIEWED.
The founders OF our republic con-
ferred upon congress the power TO es-
tauiisn postoffices and post roads. 1t
is scarcely conceivable that it was
their intention TO limit the national
legislature to the conveyance of the
mails in post coaches running over
wagon roads. The manifest scope OF
the constitution touching the exercise
OF the power to establish and maintain
a postal system Is to facilitate COM
mercial intercourse between the PEG.
pie by the use OF every device that will
insure the speedy and economic trans.
mission OF Intelligence. The century
that mas elapsed since Benjamin Frank.
lin assumed charge OF the first post.
office in the United States has wit.
-
stage coach, the pony express and Tn {
carrier pigeon to the fast mail tralr
drawn across the continent AZ the rate
OF mile a minute; from the "sixt!
days across the Atlantic packet sal
boat to the six days from New Yorl
10 Southampton or Liverpool" twil
screw steamer. But our postal system
cannot attain its full measure Of use
fU.ness and efficiency until the electro
telegraph and long distance teleDnon
have oeeu made an integral part Q
our postal facilities with the pneu
nfitt.e tu3s post as an auxiliary 70
conveying letters ana messages in ou
great yopuious centers.
Evesy cody familiar with the histor
OF tas telegraph knows that Prot
Morse offered mis- invention to the gov
egl..neI.J for the paltry sum OF 800, 90
ana urged the postmaster general
construct ana operate telegraph line
as an adjunct Of the mail service.
is also historic that the monument;
mossbacK who occupied the Dositio
peremptorily declined the offer OF Pro
Morse on the ground that in his jud!
ment such thing as transmitting me
- 10.
wire was preposterous and impossible
In due time Prof. Morse prevailed upC
congress TO appropriate $50 600 for tr
construction Of an experimental line
telegraph, and with this money ii
first wire built and operated in Anne
lea was erected between Baltimore ar
Washington. So the telegraph at
very inception owed its successful
PRODUCTION in America TO the mum
cence OF the government and by righ
il should have oeen operated as pa
OF our postal system from the outset.
In 1862 congress was again invok
to aid in the extension OF our telegral
facilities. At that time the most rap
communication between the people ca
OF tine Mississippi aud those on u
Pacific coust was by the overland sta
and pony express. A bonus OF S40l
600, payable in ten annual insialimen
WAS voted to the company organized
build the Pacific telegraph line. III
extension OF the telegraph across t
continent from the Missouri river
Sacramento involved the construct
OF about ! 700 miles OF pole line. Z
bonus OF S235 per mile not only d.
for the whole line, out left very CT
siderable margin. Inc promoters
the enterprise within five years re
lied 50 Tor every Is cents they had
tually invested. / have recalled tn,
historic facts merely to disaouse I
minds OF many who labor under the
lusion that our telegraph system.