The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-06-29

| am indebted to my friend NJ. X
H. Bell. formerly Of the International
Union Telegraph committee, for many
valuable suggestions. and ~especialir
for the following information.
At n Of the meetings OF the Ma
Tional Bcard Of Trade held in the
city OF Washington 4 few years ago
reference was made 10 a line %: tele-
graph connecting Chicago with Nii-
waukee. which line had been construct
81 by ii number OF business men Of tho
two cities Their patience had been
exhausted by the inordinate greed OF
the Western Union. and rather han
tamely submit 10 a continuance Of Tho
robbery they wisely concluded tha, it
would be much better and cheaper to
build. wi and operate Il line OF incl.
own. This they proceeded to do. and
the results were surprising.
Among the interesting speakers on
that debate was Hon X. w. Dunhara,
then a member of congress from nli-
nois and n Of the delegates from the
Chicago Board OF Trade. who sad:
My friend Mr.. Pope has alluded - n
telegraph line running between Chica-
so and Milwaukee. ! happen tn aayc
had some stock in that company from
its commencement 10 this time. L
know what IL has been doing. That
line between Chicago and Milwaukee
So mileS~rvsts about $l4, 600. As Mr..
Pope has stated, ii vas built upon Lsa
highwar. We Were refused permission
TO run along the railroad lines. With
in two years after commencing the
business there was paid back To the
stockholders 90 per cen, of the money
theg had paid. The business had
hem done for 10 cents Il message. o.
cent Il word. After hat time he
company decided 10 be a little more
liberal with their patrons than they
had been in IN start. They said to-
their patrons that from that time on
they would 60 their business in this
way-fOr instance. a party sending a
message TO Chicago or Milwaukee,,
containing an order to transact bust
ness. should pay a cent a word. 4
party in Chicago or Milwaukee desi.-
ing To telegraph simply the market to
a friend at the other end OF the line,
that business could be done for ) cents
Il message. We went further than
that. At the end of each month we
figured up the cost of doing the busi-
ness. deducted I per cent per anni.U
for the stockholders. and then paid
all the balance back 10 the patrons
In my own business over the lines
| have had as high as forty per cent
Jack at the end of the mon after
having paid only ) cents a message
(ApplauSe.D Business went on in THAI
way for about two years. Then tho
stockholders concluded that as some
thing might happen sometime in the
way of unusual expense they would
water the stock Oaughter,) and we
doubled our stock. from $4,000 10
$2S, 900. Still the result is about tho
same. From % to 40 per cent Is still
paid back on the 5 cents a message
paid by the patrons, and We were get
ting our ii per cent on nothing" APP
plause.)
Mr.. Bell says: "A more convlnc-
ing exhibit of the value OF the tele-
graph as a money maker can not very
readily be produced. II a little line
of only So miles, established by a few
Disguised business men, mainly for
their own convenience, has been abfe
10 show such surprising results. what
may not reasonably be anticipated
when we have a government system
connecting every pOSt-ofice in tho
land? With the above statement pc
fore us, it is not very much TO be-
wondered at that the Western Union
octopus in one year declared divi-
dends which reached the astounding
figures of Ala per cent. How much
longer will the people Of this country
submit 10 such high handed and bare
faced robbery in connection with 4
business which is in every way as
much OF a public function as the trans
mission of letters, newspapers, and
percels. so satisfactorily n cheaply
performed by the post-ofice. FIX
change.