The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-10-06
THE BOGUS COTTON REPORTS.
LETTER OF PRESIDENT ECkERT TO
CHAIRMAN PARKER.
His Effort to Exonerate the Telegraph
Company without Giving any valid
Reason for the Mistakes i'm the Liver
pool Quotations-His Assurance that
the Mistake VIII Not Occurs Again.

New York, October 4-President
Eckert, of the Western Union Tele-
graph Company, today telegraphed
the following statement TO President
Parker, of the New Orleans cotton ex-
change, in reply to the communication
of the latter official published this
morning.
New York, October 4, 1899.
John NJ. Parker, ? esidenr Cotton
Exchange, New Orleans:
Dear Sir:-I am in receipt of your
message @, yesterday afternoon in
which you charge that the quotation
service of last Friday was no less
criminal than if it had been the result
of wflfu1 and corrupt deception and IN
which you demand that the official or
officials whose neglect of duty permit
ted such conditions, and the operator
or operators who sent the dispatches
without notice of change should be
known to the world and promptly dis
missed
I'm answer thereto, and with all re-
spedt to the members and officials or
your exchange, and with every desire
to give ito them assurance Of precautlon
against THE possibility of repetition
of THE circumIs tanceS Of Ta5t Friday,
beg to say:
'1st-Thalt VIE cannot admit that
any criminality can be attributed to
the action Or omission of amy official
or operator of the company. The ex-
pilan'ation already sent to you frankly
and exactly states THE cause of the
confusion i'm the reports and that cause
must be free from amy fmputaltion II
the charge of international neglect or
wilful misrepresentation in any form,
or degree.
2nd.-It is ttlhe purpose of the. Western
Union Telegraph Company and it's of
! ficialS to ensure to the New Orleans
cotton exchange, and aid other ex-
changes, the most efficient and relia-
! bile teTegraphic 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 perform
| ed with eXactness, reliability and
promptness. This result has only beer
! reached by THE education Of men es.
pecialQy adapted to lit.
"3rd-The instant dismissal of the mel
or any Of them who were on duty las
| Friday would not accomplish amy. good
| purpose, but might, ON the contrary
by the necessary substitution of in
| experienced men, put the CORRECTNESS
| of THE service in peril, to the equal dis
| advantage of THE exchange and tht
! company. In the absence, therefore
of ony possible suspicion of dishonest!
of motive or action, and because of ou
| wish and purpose ITO preserve the higl
| quality of THE service that has alwayi
| been rendered, with the one Academia
exception of last Friday, We must re
quest you and the members Of your ex
| change to believe that we have aireald.
applied such discipline to THE official
! and operators in the commercial new
department. ais will best guarantee tn,
| improIbabiEity elf amy interruption il
| amy way to the excellence of the ser
| vice.
-"4th.-This decision has been reache,
after Hti1e most careful examination o
| aIll concerned in the service of Friday
and with due consideration of the i'm
portance of the service to your ex
change.
"W1hIle appreciatinsc the condition!
| which dictated your lessage, we can
rot but believe Jhat yOur own recon
sideratfOn of the subject will lead yo1
to coincide with us.
! THOMAS T. ECKERT, President.