Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1892-10-06
The Republicans Position.

The people OF this county have ]
been favored with several speeches
from prominent Republicans, who
have called the attention of the voters
to the Peoples Party plank regarding
the railroad question. These gentle
men argue that governmental owner
ship of railroads would take out of
taxation one-seventh of the taxable
property of the state, would give the
party in place almost an absolute and
continued reign of power, on account
of the large number of men employed
in railroad work, and the roads
would cost the people if paid for
about $1O,OOO,OOO,OOO The gentle
men have condemned the plank gen
orally, but there is one thing, how
ever, that these speakers fail to refer
to, and that is their party's position
upon telephone and telegraph mat
ters. In the Republican state plat
form is found the following:
I'VE indOrse the recommendation of the post
telegraph and telephone service"
Turning to Postmaster General
Wanamaker's report for the year end
ing June 80. 1891, the reader will
find that Mr.. Wanamaker say s that
zone cent letter postage, three cent
telephone messages, and ten cent tel
egraph messages are all near posi-
bilities under an enlightened and
compact postal system" * x ''The
transfer of the system from the cor
poratons to the postal service would,
we believe, show even more favorable
results in America" = = 1.-The I'M
ion of the two systems has been ad-
vocated at different times by post
master-generals of each of the two
great political parties"
Mr.. Wanamaker also says that the
county seat postmasters who exam
ined the postofices at points outside
of county seats recommend the estab-
lishment of postal savings banks and
the postal telegraph. The report is
full of data showing tho benefits of
governmental telegraph, telephones
and savings banks The principal of
governmental ownership or control of
telephones and telegraph is the same
as that of similar ownership of the
railroad with this difference. There
are but few farmers who use either
the telegraph or the telephone, but
railroad rates enter into every mans
life. Every dollars worth of goods
bought or sold is charged with a Ger.
tain amount of freight. The freight
charge Is added to goods bought or de
Quoted from farm supplies sold. 1
he government absorption of railroad
e would take from tax lists certain prop
a erty so would that of the telegraph o
t thetelephone. Should the railroads re
! quire numberless men to run them
J so would the telegraph and tele
y phone; would it cost billions to bu!
It the roads, 1t would take millions t
e buy the wires.
) The employee part of the objection
y is not good, as the roads could b
y managed by men subject to the sam
It regulations as postal clerks, as the,
e are employed under examinations a
v to their fitness, regardless of politica
* affiliations. The clerks now runnIn
g into Phillipsburg are about equal
d divided between the Democrats an
" Republicans, and the same is true
C new appointees. The matter of CO.
~ is a serious one, but as it has take
n years to build up the postal systel
z to its present efficiency, so too yea
:" could be taken to bring about tn
n change. If the government ca
Il spend thousands in opening up watr
ways to keep freight rates down, IL
same money put into railroads gradl
be ally would soon pay for every In
as now in use. The attitude OF the R
er publicans on this question is that
the man referred to in olden time