The Advocate and news., 1899-03-15
Regulation" Which
Doesn't Regulate.
Special Session Law Reducing TeIe"
graph Rates Ten to Twenty-Five
Per Cent ignored by the
Companies.
WHAT OF GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP ?

One Of the laws passed at the special ses-
sion provided for a reduction in telegraph
rates in the State and places the telegraph
companies under the jurisdiction OF the
Court of Visitation. The rate was made 10
cents for ten words and l cent for each ad-
ditional word. The act was passed to go
into effect upon it's publication in the stat
ute book, and accordingly became a law on
the first Of this month. Until that time
the regular rate varied from % cents for
ten words and 2 cents for each additional
word to 40 cents and cents for each addi-
tIonal word. The law has been in erect
now for two weeks, but both the Western
Union and the Postal Telegraph companieh
are charging the same old rates, and 1t Is
said they intend to ignore the law entirely
II they do not wish to submit to the
charges Of the present law the companies
have the alternative Of ignoring 1t and ulti-
mately fighting it in the courts or reducing
the wages Of their employees and raising
interstate tariffs in order to make the law
odious. The latter is the usual and SAFER
method in most cases, but in being placed
under the control of the Court OF Vista
ton the companies run against snag
Unlike most laws, under the Clemens law
creating the Court Of Visitation, the en-
ployes are given full opportunity to pro-
test before the court against any unjust
treatment. So that 1t is really safer for the
telegraph companies to pay no attention to
the law and carry any actions brought
against them to the United States supreme
court in order to get the law knocked out
by alleging that the rates 1t establishes are
confiscatory.
II has been claimed by Breidenthal and
great many others, among them the most
radical Kansans, that all attempts to regu-
late the great corporations doing work OF
a public nature would fail and that the
only solution lies in government owner
ship. The telegraph companies furnish
sample of this In speaking Of this matter,
q, C Clemens said yesterday:
The telegraph companies are rapidly edu-
eating the public to look upon public owner.
ship as the only means OF securing decenI
feIegraph service for fair compensation.
The unpatriotic conduct Of the companies IN
unlawfully shifting upon their patrons the
revenue tax imposed to pay tne expenses pS
Of the war has aroused lnolgnaIloh' R1 Hone
the less patent because not noisy. NOW
comes the arrogant disregard, not mere dis-
obedience, Of the laws passed by the special
session Of the Legislature, reducing 20 sorne-
where within reasonaple pounus Lle I4CgS 4of,'
Tor telegraphing, and requiring moderately
fair treatment Of patrons of the telegraph aPn
companies They do not simply violate tne
law That would be too comonplace. Iney
announce their resolution to pay no atten--
tion to It." There are countries where IL
would not be safe for even corporation 70
''pay no attention" to a law; but those are
benighted countries where the people do not
enjoy the blessing Of being ruled by fe6erai
coIlrfa Some of these days, some federal
Judge may insinuate that he Is tired and
would like to back to old times and rest.
He will set the fashion, and 1t will be fol-
lowed. Either that, or there win soon be a
scarcity of federal courts. Then corpora
tions will pay attention to state laws, or
state laws will pay very severe attention 20
them. But, the government will go into the
telegraph business long before that time
comes, and one class OF corporations VIII
be dead, and, therefore, good, and WON'T
have any laws TO pay no attention TO-.
OF course, although new and wild-eyed
Continued on page H.