The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-06-22
TWELVE REASONS WHY THE
POSTOFFICE SHOULD OWN
THE TELEGRAPH AND
TELEPHONES.

Hon Walter Clark. in Southern Economist
Among the many reasons why the
telegraph and telephones should be
owned ard operated exclusively by
the Postofice Department, there are
no less than twelve of such weight that
any one OF them should be sufficient to
cause the adoption of that measure by
Congress.
1. The Constitution requires it. That
instrument Cart. /, Sec. 81 places the
establishment OF postal facilities exclu-
sively in the government. Under that
provision, originally the mail was a
ried on horseback then by stage coach;
then with the advent Of steam it was
carried by railroad and steamboat.
When messages began to be sent by
electricity, the government Q844-4O,
therefore, logically adopted and oper-
ated the telegraph. When, in a fit of
economy, 1T was turned over to private
corporations, Henry Clay, the great
Wing leader, and Cave Johnson, the
Democratic Postmaster, General, ear
nestly opposed this unconstitutional
action. leading men in all parties
since, including five p~ostmasters gen.
eral, have endeavored to restore the
electric mail to the postofice, but the
powerful telegraph lobby has been too
powerful in Congress to permit a vote
upon the question. Yet, out of eighteen
committees to whom successive bills
for government ownership have been
referred, sixteen reported favorablY,
one was non committal, and only one
was adverse.
2. Ii the government owned the cleo
trio mail, a telegraph, q telephone,
would be established at each of the 75,.
600 postofices, and, indeed, the pum
Der of postofices would be greatly in.
creased, whereas now the telegraph
goes to only 81, 600 selected points, for
the private companies, operating pure
ly for profit, naturally only seek points
that pay well, while the object of the
government would be to serve the
greatest number Of people, the whole
people, if possible, and at a bare cost,
no profits being desired. The high rates
and restricted number of offices now
make this great discovery of no benefit
to the great mass Of the people.
8. The government, desiring only to
earn expenses, could give a uniform
low rate OF five cents between any two
point in the Union. This is the opin-
] ion of experts
mt could operate it
lere would be no en-
the higher officials,
c~ .z ums be paid out, as
EU", ~ Au.nvu.4 @ lobby at Washing
ton, and at each State capital, and to
retain lawyers and editors to infut nee
public opinion. Then the government
could save the rem nov paid by the
compaDies, as it could use fer the teIe-
graph and telephones the same build.
ings 1t now owns Oh rents for p~ostofice
purposes at each point.
5. The government, while not paying,
as the private companies do, enormous
sums-trom 500, 900 down-as salaries
TO the higher officials, on the other
hand, not follow their example in Civ
ing starvation wages to the vast army
Of employees who do the real work.
The object of the government not be.
ing to earn big salaries and dividends
or an eighttold watered stock, it could
and would pay q living wage to the
operators. Besides, the increased bust
ness would largely increase the pay of
postmasters at country postcfices.
6. The operators would have some
t1xity of tenure, being postmasters, and
hence not liable to be turned out for
voting their choice. In the last cam.
paIgn every pressure was brought to
bear upon the employees of the great
corporations, but public sentiment
would not have permitted the p~ostofice
Officials to apply the same pressure to
the postmasters.
z. Messages would be, like the MALE,
more secret. Now the business of
every man is at the mercy Of the heads
OF a private corporation, VIII en- is in no
wise subject to public opinion.
8. It would emancipate the prese,
who are now in the power Of the pri
vate companies, and must take such
news as they send, and dare not be free
In discu ssing certain questions.
9. The cheap rates would enable
every weekly paper to take t~elegraphic
dispatches. This would benefit print