The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1897-08-27
TWELVE REASONS.
Why the Pastoftice Should Operate the
Telegraph and Telephones,

why the Postottice Should Operate the
Telegraph and Telephones,
Among the many reasons why the
telephones should be owned and oper
ated exclucively by the postoflices
there are no less than twelve of such
weight that any of them should be
sufficient to cause the adoption Of that
measure by Congress
|. The constitution requires it.
That instrument Art l., see 8 places
theestabIishmentof postal facilities ex-
clusively In the government. Under
that provision, originally, the mail
was carried on horseback, then by
stage coach, then with the advent Of
steam 1t was carried by railroad and
steamboat. When messages began to
be sent by electricity the government
| (lS44-47 therefore logically adopted
and operated the telegraph. When in
fit or economy it was turned over to
private corporations, Henry Clay, the
great Wing leader, and Cave Johnson,
the Democratic Postmaster General,
earnestly opposed this unconstitution-
al action, Leading men in all parties
since, including five Postmasters Gen
erals, have endeavored to restore the
electric mail to the post0ffice, but the
powerful telegraph lobby has been too
powerful in Congress to permit vote
upon the question, although sixteen
out of eighteen committees to whom
bills for that purpose have Sheen re-
ferred have reported in favor of Gov
ernment ownership. One report was
noncOn,mittal and only one was adj
verse.
:. If the government owned the
electric mail, the telegraph or teIe-
phone would be established at each of
the $4,000 pOstoffices, and indeed, their
number would be greatly increased,
where as now the telegraph goes to
only q 900 selected points, for the
private companies, being operated
purely for profit, naturally seek points
that pay well, while the object of the
government would be to serve the
greatest number of people, if possible,
and at bare cOst-no profit being de-
sired. The high rates and restricted
number Of offices now make this great
discovery of no benefit to the great
mass of people.
3. The government, desir ing only
to earn expenses, can give a uniform
low rate of five cents for ten words be-
tween any two points in the Union. !
This is the opinion of experts.
4. The government could run it
more cheaply. There would be no
enormous salaries to the higher |
officials, nor would great sums be paid |
out as now to maintain lobby at |
Washington and at each State capital, |
and to retain editors and lawyers to
influence public opinion. Then the |
governments could save the rent now |
paid by the companies, as it could use
for the telegraph and telephones the |
same building it now owns or rents |
for postoffice purposes at each point
5. The government, while not pay
ing, as the private companies do, enor-
nous sums(from 100000 Gown as
salaries to the higher officials, would |
on the other hand not follow their ex-
ample in giving starvation wages to
the vast body of employees who do the
real work. The object of the govern |
ment not being to earn big salaries |
and dividends on an eight-fold water
ed stock, it could and would pay |
living wage to the operators. Besides |
the increased business would largely |
increase the pay of postmasters at |
country pOsttfices.
6. The operators would have some |
fixity of tenure, being postmasters, and |
hence not liable to be turned out for |
voting their choice. In the last CAM |
paign, we know that the heavy pres |
sure was brought to bear upon the |
employees of the great corporations,
but public sentiment would not have |
PERMITTED the pOstoffice officials to APP
ply the pressure to postmasters.
7. Messages would be, like the |
mails, more secret. Now the business
of every man is at the mercy of the |
heads of a private corporation, which |
is in no wise subject to the control of |
public opinion.
s 1t would emancipate the press,
which is now the power of the private
companies and must take such news /
as they send, and dare not be free in
discussing certain questions.
8. The cheap rates would enable
every weekly paper TO take telegraphic
dispatches. This would benefit print
ers and the public by starting new |
papers and extending the circulation
of old ones. In England when the |
government took over the telegraphs |
aud adopted cheap rates, the number of |
press dispatches instantly increased |
thirty-fold, not thirtyper cent. merely, |
but thirty times the former |
number.
10. All other countries practically, |
except Canada, have the telegraph /
and telephone operated by the gov
ernment and at low rates, and in all |
it has been success for the govern |