The evening times., 1895-10-21
Government Ownership and Con-
troll Of All Telegraph ,lpes.
NEXT CONGRESS- MAY. ACT
BiIl Could Not Pass the Senate But u
Precedent Would Be Established.
Western Union nDd Postal People
TO Fight the scheme With Strong
Lobby Reed May Object.

that governmental control OF telegraph
| lines will he a subject OF serious cunsfdera-
ton by the ifty- fourth Congress.
For years there has been little OF no
| headway made in this direction, but the In
dications now are that a new impetus will
soon be given to agitation OF this charac.
| ter.
Economic questions and other matters
| ofurgent Importance have heretofore served
as a clog to restrain those who sought to
champion such proposition as that the
| government should extend its Proprietary
| interests.
IL is well known that during the last Con-
| gress there were many able men of both
| parties who desired to ma ke n issue nf this
! question. The Populists, of course, have
adopted this idea as one of their cardinal
| principles. Many OF the more Progressive
| Democrats, such as Tom johnson, Of Cieve-
| land were strongly In favor oft.
A large proportion or the far Western
members believed that both railroads and
tel,graphs should be managed entirely by
thegovcrnment Everymeinber of the Cali
fornia delegation, with the exception of
Mr.. English, prepared bill enlbodying
theirideas. Jerry Simpsonandbi
were ready ind anxious to render every pos
sible assistance when such measure should
come up for action. But those In charge OF
legislation proved a bic contr heir forces,
and, so far as surface Indications are con-
cerned, no perceptible progress in this di-
rectioH was made.
ATTITUDE OF COAST MEMBERS.
But, whatever ma have been the success
OF Mr.. Crisp In preventing discussion con
cerning the amalgamaticn of postal and tel
egrapli service under governmental super
vision 1T is certain that the phantom vii.
IL
down at the humping of a gayel, or even
the splinteriDg OF a desk.
The coast members have not changed their
views or this subject, and IL IL known That
Judge Magulre, of the Fourth California
district, will lead In a movement To secure
legislation Of remedial character.
The first efforts In this direction Will be
made when the troublesome question OF
funding the debt OF the Pacific Railroad
comes up for consideration. The heavy
losses sustained ny the government In sub
sidizing these roads viii be used as an
objectlcsson TO Indicate the necessity for
the government controlling transportation
and communication. l~4
II will be- urged as a protection in time of
war. and n safeguard to the people in
periods dsofpeace. The argument o:economy
VIII be used. and the fact pointed out that
the postal and telegraph seryic.s are SO
closely allied that they should be com
bincI under one executive management.
The Congress which convenes next De-
cember will afford a more favorable OPP
portunity for agitation OF this character
than has been given In many years As
stated, legislation regarding tho Pacific
railroads, which has now become ahso-
lutely Imperative, Will furnish q con-
venient anchorage for the affixing OF j
definite plan for a postal telegraph.
IN EAVGP OF TT.
There are a sufficient number of re-
elected members, whose views are known
TO DE pronounccdly in favor OF such plan,
to bring the matter prominently forward
and obtain i respectful hearing. The
Populists In the next House Will un-
doubtedly sustain any movement in this
direction.
The next House will be an unusually
anomalous body, difficult TO control and
spasmedic in its action. More than one
third OF tho members are not verscd in
legislation.
Many II them are from the rural dis
tricts and honestly believe that the govern
ment could in various ways largely con
tribute to the prosperity OF the common
people without dctriment or loss. Such
will take kindly to the argu-
ment that while the postal telegraph in
England results in financial loss ia the
government, 1T Is because SO many of the
employees are pensioned after a certain
period of labor aud that with more cconomi
cal management 1T would be seifsustain-
lug.
As a matter of fact there are evidences |
OF a reasonable probability that postal |
bill may pass the House during |
the coming session. without any reference |
to Mr.. Reeds opinions on the subject, or |
tbe efforts that he may put forth to pre- |
t-npf "A ion of In ft1rna
is scarcely a fighting chance that it would |
pass the Senate. but it would serve for the |
of a precedent.
There are many Senators who favor the
proposition, hut the lcaven Of enlig htenment |
and conversion Will not work sufficiently
To affect majority OF the whole body.
The two leading telegraph companies, the
Western Union and the Postal. will bitterly
lntagonize any attempted legislation look
ing to the purchase of their plants by the
general Government, or the construction
Df rival lines in connection with the postal
service to be used in handling commercial
business.
CLAIM OF THE COMPANIES.
Although paying fair dividends on stocks,
both claim TO be compelled TO exercise the
most rigid economy in order To avoid
ictual deficits.
They argue that the minimum has been
cached in the reduction OF tolls, and the
public has been given every possible benefit
n that direction They point out the facts
hat all revenues now derived from handling |
business, at rates fixed by
he Postmaster General, W would be lost, as
Ill official dispatches would be entitled
o free transmission; to save rentals all
main offices would be removed 10 Govern
nent buildings, thus rendering them, in
many instances, inaccessible to customers
md curtailing the volume of business; to
,bviate this disadvantage 1t woald be
TO expend considerable sum
q the establishment OF convenient branch |
,ffices; the lines can be utilized by the
Federal authorities in time of war without
purchase; a large force of operators " ould
,e entitled to the usual privilege of q
months leave with full pay and this would
aggregate material loss, and In addition
he Government would of necessity be
for years in the practical
peration of the postal telegraph by reason
Il new and inexperienced edexecutiyeo officers
Without any reference to the merits or
allicies of telegraph service supervised
" the Government, it Is apparent even at
his early day that the subject W i'll be dis
used and agitated to an unprecedented
xtent during the Fifty-fourti Congress.
While actual legislation appears impos-
ible SO far as the Senate is concerned the
[ous6 will either accomplish or closely |
pproximatesomething definite.
Whether II will be the Inauguration of
steadily growing movement that will
be successful, or enly a tempo
ary cbullition due 10 peculiar conditions,
annot be foreseen until another Congress
nall have been chosen.
Senate PostOffice Changed.
The Senate postoffice at the Capitol
as been changed from the hallway, which I
has occupied for several years, TO an
djoining room. The room is the extreme
orthcast corner OF the building. Work |
making the change win be completed !.