The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1895-10-17

stock Of $50 milliOns--ten times the &c
tusl value of its plant. Besides, this
sy stem II unjust, for the private mo-
nopoly naturally selects the best pay
ing districts, and . large part Of the
people are denied the advantages Of
modern Post Office. In every country,
save ours alone, the power Of monop-
oily has failed TO maintain . system 30
and 50 opposed to the
best interests OF the public. Hence In
every country except ours, the tele-
graph and telephone are constituent
parts of the Post Office, with the double
result that the Post ONCE facilities Of
the telegraph and telephone are ex-
tended to the country Post Offices, and
the postal revenues show . profit in
stead Of Q loss. Notably Great Britain,
which has most widely extended the
use Of the telegraph and telephone Is
. part Of its Post Office, shows large
annual profit from its Post Office in
stead OF the deficit which was usual
before the telegraph and telephone
were added to that department by Mr..
Gladstone in 1870.
But there are those who say that the
telegraph and telephone would cen
tralize the government. Yet it would
be hard to BEE why an efficient postal
service Is more centralizing than an
inefficient one, or why mail sent by
electricity or pneumatic tubes (Which
should be adopted in the large cities }
is more centralizing than mail sent by
horseback or by steam. 1t is a puzzle
to understand why ownership of tele-
graph or telephone wires costing less
than $40 per mile should imperil the
government, more than the ownership
Of gunbOats, or postOfiice buildings, OF
postal cars. IL it were the question OF
ment, rs the ownership Of railroads
and the carrying Of freight and pas
sengers, this argument would be
the Constitution has already turned
over the exclusive duty Of transmits
sion Of mail to the government, there
can be no argument Of this kind prop
erly used against the introduction OF
the most improved methods for the
transmission of the mail, whether by
electricity or pneumatic tubes.
| Telegraphic dispatches would be as sa
cred in the hands of government en-
plOyees as other mail is now, or as thu
kilograms are in the hands Of the EN-
| plOyees of q private corporation. Be
sides government employees, especial!
under civil service rules, and subject t.
the supervision of public opinion, wOult
be less capable of using the telegraph
for partisan purposes, as has been dom
under corporation ownership, and a.
was fagrantly attempted to be done il
the first Cleveland election, as ever.
one remembers.
With telephones at all cOuntr,
post offices, and all villages ant
smaller towns, few additional EN-
plOyees would be required, and thOs
few would be added at centers whicl
require the telegraph and where civil
service rules obtain. The telephone
and telegraphs would be put in tn
postOffice buildings already owned O
rented by the government, thus savin,
the rent of all the buildings now use,
by the private companies. This, an,
the saving of the salaries of the Off
Gals of the present corporations, an,
the dividends on their largely watere
stock, would enable the government t.
reduce its tolls to the uniform rate O
ten cents per message independently
Great Britain (by the official repOr
made to this government in the Unite
States Consular Reports for Apri
1880 the increase since the govern
ment has taken over the telegraph an
telephone has been tenfOld in privat
messages, and thirtyfold in press mes
sages; and the improvement il
prOmptness of delivery has been frOr
an average of two to three hours I'm
der private ownership, to an averag
Of nine minutes under government
This wonderful increase in bushes
has been due to the threefold cause Q
cheap rates, extension of the lines t
all pOstOffices, and greater prOmptnes
in delivery. With wire costing les
than SO per mile, there is no reaso
why the government should not own
line to every Post Office in the Unior
There should be no dicker with privat
companies about leasing or purchasing
In 1866 they only asked for five year
to close up, but when the five year
were out they had formed the presen
great trust and have ever since defie
the public. They have had thirty year
notice to abandon their use of branc
of the governmental functions.
that time they have received hundred
of millions Of profits illegally extorte
J from the toiling masses. They have n
; claim to extract another dollar by leas
; or sale of their antiquated or worn
out Instruments. Let the government
give the actual value of such wiz
, and poles as it may wish to use an
J take complete and exclusive possessio
of the duties lOf Post Office. Cel
!, tainly these corporations are entitle
to no compensation for franchise, c
; loss Of expected profits, since unde
. the act Of 1856 every telegraph lin
has been built under q contract that
, should be turned over to the govern
ment upon payment of the assesse
value of the material. The franchis
has always been the property of til
government, and was only temperate
permitted to be used by the privat
/ corporations.
Every postmaster who can talk ca
use the telephone; and where a tel,
graph office is required, the govern
ment can employ an assistant as op,
I rator, as easily as any other cler
: Other countries, without exception
, are doing this good work of furnish
ing electric facilities at cheap rates [
all its people, in the country as we'll s
I in the town. Why should this govern
ment, alone Of all the world, whic
: claims, par ercellance, to be a govern
ment of the people and for the poop
: fail in this constitutional duty of ful
nishing proper postal facilities and ,
:, all it's people? The only proper post,
7 facilities for the American people al
3 those which shall extend to ever
nook and corner of the republic, whic
; shall be the best which the latest a,
: vances in science can offer, and whic
are furnished as near the exact cost
: the service as is possible and witho,
: profit. Such postal facilities tt
!, American people are entitled to d,
] mand as . right. They should re-
8 contented with nothing short of thi
WALTER CLARK.
RALEIGH, NC
The Botheration of Frenchman,