The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-10-05
WESTERN UNION MAKES REPLY
Admits no Criminality in the Denorali-
cation of the Cotton Market.

Admits no Criminality in the Demorali-
cation Of the Cotton Market.
New York, October 4.-President Eek
ert, of the Western Union Telegraph
Company, today telegraphed the follow
ing statement to President Parker, OF
the New Orleans Cotton Exchange, IN
reply to the communication of the lat
ter official published this morning:
New York, October 4th, 1899.
"John NJ. Parker, President Cotton
Exchange New Orleans, La
Dear Sir:
Il am in receipt of your message or
yesterday afternoon in which you charge
that the quotation service of last Fri
day was no less criminal than if it had
been the result of wilful and corrupt de-
ception, and in which you demand that
the Official or officials whose neglect
Of duty permitted such conditions, and
the operator or operators who sent the
dispatches without notice of change
should be known to the world ana
promptly dismissed
I'm answer thereto, and with all re-
spect to the members and officials OF
your exchange, and with every desire
to give to them assurance or precautlon
against the possibility of repetition or
the circumstances of last Friday, / beg
to say:
"First-That we cannot admit that
any criminality can be attributed to the
action or omission of any official or
operator of the company. The expla-
nation already sent to you frankly and
exactly states the cause of the cOnfu-
sion in the reports and that cause must
be free from any imputation of the
charge of intentional neglect or will
full misrepresentation in any form or de-
gree.
''Second-It is the purpose of the Yves
tern Union Telegraph Company and its
officials to insure to the New Orleans
Cotton Exchange, and all other eX-
changes, the most efficient and reliable
telegraphic service possible. Your long
experience makes you cogniZant of the
intricacies of that service and will also
confirm the fact that for more than
twenty years it has been performed
with exactness, reliability and prompt
ness. This result has only been reached
by the education Of men especially
adapted to it.
'Third-I'hc instant dismissal Of the
men or any of them who were on duty
last Friday would not accomplish any
good purpose, but might, on the con-
trary, by the necessary substitution of
inexperienced men, put the correctness
of the service in peril, 70 the equal dis
advantage of the exchange and the COM
pany. In the absence, therefore, of any
possible suspicion of honesty of motive
or action and because Of our wish and
purpose to preserve the high quality of
the service that has always been rem
dered, with the one accidental exception
of last Friday, we must request you
and the members of your exchange to
believe that we have already applied
such discipline to the officials and oper-
ators in the Commercial News Depart
ment as will best guarantee the impossi-
bility of any interruption In any way
to the excellence of the service.
"Fourth-This decision has been
reached after the most careful examina-
ton of all concerned in the service
of Friday, and with due consideration
Of the Importance of the service to
your exchange While appreciating the
conditions which dictated your message.
we cannot but believe that your own
reconsideration of the subject will lead
yon to coincide with us.
(Signed)
THOMAS T. ECKERT,
president"