The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-03-06
AN APPEAL,
To the Senators and Representatives. of
the 53rd Congress ofthe United States
for the Governmental Ownership
and Control of the Telepraph

/ A@ SSAGASA Va tue
The international Typographi, ,al
Union Of North America, in annual
convention assembled, held in June
last in the city of Chicago, unanimous
ly adopted resolutions calling upon
Congress to establish and control a
system OF telegraph in connection with
the Postoffice Department. The Presi-
dent of the international Typographi
cal Union was directed to appoint a
committee for duty at Washington to
work and watch continually to further
the interests of the measure. Such
committee Is now on the field.
Apart from the direct benefits ae
cruing to organized labor, the general
public will be benefited beyond meas
ure by the Inauguration of such a sys-
tenn; and notwithstanding the benefits
resulting In wages for the employees,
and cheaper rates and better facilities
for the public, by the passage of the
bills IS. 1856 and H. r. 4478] introduced
in this Congress, the intelligence of the
|
to day, by the Associated Press monop-
oily, fact which is of very great i'm
portance to the American people; and
as no dividend for stockholders need
be earned, popular rates could at once
be established and the word limit of
messages be enlarged SO as to make the
service virtually one for telegraphic
correspondence. Under existing con
ditions the telegraph is luxury from
the epjoyment Of which the poor man
i5 excluded. 1t is a gigantic monopoly,
hence its ability to impose upon the
public.
To speak in condemnation OF the
evils to the people resulting from the
present system of private monopoly
would be altogether superfuous. For
many years there has been demand
for the utilization of the telegraph, for
cheaper, speedier, and more accurate
messe ges, and by degrees this demand
has been crystallizing into one for
some method of governmental owner
ship and control, until now it is almost
universal with the citizens of this
country. The first telegraph line in
the United States was built with an
appropriation ofmoney from Congress.
Postmaster General Wanamaker truly
characterized it as an evil hour when
it was surrendered into the hands of a
private monopoly, and also in 1891 he
asserted that rates could be reduced
One-half if run by the PostOffice De
partment. In 1914 Henry Clay opposed
such surrender, and no less emphatic
was Hon. Cave Johnson in 1916, who
was Postmaster General when the sur
render was made. Postmaster General
Alexander w. Randall advocated gov
ornamental telegraphic, and made it the
subject of special message to Con-
gress. Like wise Postmaster General
Creswel in 1871; and in 1879 he de-
clared his department ready to equip
and operate the telegraph in connec-
ton with it's other duties. President
Grant advocated 1T in each of his mes
sages, and it was also urged by the fol-
lowing Postmasters General: Maynard,
in 1880; Howe, in 1889; Gresham, in
1888, and Don NJ Dickinson in 1887.
The late President Garfield also favored
the measure.
The success and equity in all Euro
pean countries, monarchical or repub-
lican, of government telegraph, has
convinced many American statesmen,
past and present, and all others who
have given the subject study, of the
absolute necessity of a similar system
in the United States.
In 1858 the capital stock Of the West,
ern Union was 1886. 700, and it has been
increasing at tremendous rate since,
until in October, 1892, the stock rose
to an even $1OO, 900, 600. This was wa
tered to such an extent by absorption
of other lines. In 1874 dividend was
declared of Ala per cent.
In 1889 there were in Great Britain
175 600 miles of wire, while the West
ern Union in the same year had 647,-
697. vet the latter sent fewer messages
than the former. In all the comparl-
sons that have been made as to the cost
of telegraphing certain specified dis
tances in this and foreign nations where
the government owns and operates the
svstem the route traversed by the mes
sages frequently ran through two or
more countries and over the lines or
several different companies. Confined
to one country, it was clearly proven
+bot the rates on the other side of the