The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-10-11
WESTERN UNIONS ANSWER.
Has. Disciplined Those Responsible for
Bogus Cotton News.

President Eckert of the Western
Union Telegraph company 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, Oct /, 1889.
John NJ. Parker, President Cotton Tx
change, New Orleans.
Dear Sir: ] am in receipt OF your
message of yesterday afternoon in which
you charge that the quotation service
last Friday was no less criminal than
if it had been the result of wilful and
corrupt deception, ard in which you
demand that the official or officials
whose neglect of duty permitted such
conditions, and the operator or opera
tors who sent the dispatches without
notice Of change should be known to
the world and promptly dismissed.
In answer thereto, and with all re-
spect to the members and officials OF
your exchange, and with every desire
to give to them assurance of precaution
against the possibility of repetition Of
the circumstances Of last Friday, | beg
to say:
First. That we cannot admit that any
criminality can be attributed to the ac-
tion or omission of any official or oper-
ator 0: the company The explanation
alre@dy sent to you frankly and exactly
states the cause Of the confusion in the
reports and that cause must be free
from any imputation of the charge Of
intentional neglect or wilful mi.repre-
seatation in any form or degree.
Second. 1t is the purpose Of the
Western Union Telegraph company and
its officials to ensure to the New Or
leans cotton exchange, and all other
exchanges, the most efficient and relia-
bic telegraphic service possible. Your
long experience makes you cognizant OF
the intricaces of that service aud will
also confirm the fact that for more i
20 years it has been performed vi
exactness, reliability and promptness.
This result has only been reached by
the education Of men especially adapt
ed to it.
Third. The instant dismissal Of the
men OF any of them who were on duty
last Friday would not accomplish any
good purpose, but might on the contra
ry, by the necessary substitution of in.
experienced men, put the correctness Of
the service in peril, to the equal disad-
vantage Of the exchange and the COM
pany. In the absence, therefore of any
possible suspicion Of dishonesty Of mo-
tive or action, and because of our wish
and purpose to preserve the high quail
ty of the service that has always been
rendered, with the one accidental ex-
ception last Friday, we must request
yvu and the members of your exchange
to believe that we nave applied such
discipline to the officials and operators
in the commercial news department as
will best guarantee the improbability Of
any interruption in any way to the ex-
cellence of the service
Fourth. This decision has been
reached ssfter the most careful exanina-
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 witch dictated your message
we cannot but believe that your own
reconsideration Of the subject will lead
YOU to coincide with Us
(Signed) Thomas 7. Eckert,
President.