Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-26
A POSTAL TELEGRAPH
Advocated by Representative
Samuel w. Smit....
HISTORY OF TELEGRAPHY
How 1t Has Been Developed Since the
First Line.
ON GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP
How 1t Has Worked in Australia
Lesson Taught Not a
New One.
ON GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP

Mr. Samuel w Smith in the House today
made a speech advocating a postal tele-
graph. He said in part:
In these days of rate making and state
making l would like to invite your candid
and careful consideration to the subject OF
postal telegraph and to the arbitrary
and eXorbitant telegraph rates that we are
paying IN this country. l maintain that 1t
is the duty of the government. under the
Constitution, to establish postal telegraph
system.
The Constitution has placed the post Of
flee in the hands of the government and
conferred upon 1t exclusive operation.
In 1886 John c. Calhoun said: 1t must
be borne in mind that the power of Congress
over the post office and the mails is
elusive power This language has been
approved by the Supreme Court.
Gardner G. Hubbard than whom there
was higher authority on the subject OF
telegraph and its relation 10 the govern
ment used these words. That Congress
had no more right to delegate the power of
transmitting intelligence than the power to
coin money or declare war
The Senate committee on post offices and
post rOa0S OF 1873, winch numbered among
its members such men as Hannibal Ham
lin and Alexander Ramsey, said, in its re-
port on the telegraph: The Constitution
devolves upon Congress the duty OF trans
hitting all correspondence. including that
by telegraph as well as that by mail.
The First Telegraph Line.
THE first telegraph line was built between
Washington and Baltimore by a congress
sonal appropriation of 1000 and the tele-
graph belonged to the government from 1874
to 1S47, when, under mistaken notions OF
economy, it was turned over to private
ownership. OF the public men who ear
nestly protested against this course were
Henry Clay, the great whg leader, and
Cave Johnson, the Democratic Postmaster
General.
I'VE provide for carrying the mails by the
swiftest known methods-steam, electric
railways and pneumatic tubes. Why deny
the right to use the telegraph? We carry
the mails al loss. Why not use the tele-
graph, not only as a convenience and bless
ing to all our people. but In order to help
wipe out the annual postal deficit? Who,
in this intelligent and progressive age,
doubts that the telegraph is an essential
part of an efficient postal service?
A First-Class Postal Telegraph.
I'VE should have a first-class postal tele-
graph in the United States in connection
with our splendid postal facilities and the
rates can be reduced at least one-half, leaV-
ing a sufficient amount to dispose of the
deficit and have money left to extend the
rural service to practically every home and
pay the city and rural carriers a compensa-
ton fitting their services and expenses In
fact the surplus could be used In many
ways to the great advantage OF the general
public.
THE Western Union Telegraph Company
has repeatedly asserted that rates are a
fI.~t Ban lfGt TOM COG.
are greater here than in England France,
Belgium and Switzerland, and tables OF dis
tances and charges have been presented
from time to time for the purpose of prov
ing this assertion, but l Will be glad to
know what reply they have to make in this
connection when rates. distances and popu-
lation in Australia compared with rates.
distances and population in America.
Government Ownership in Australia.
1.-THE people of Australia own their own
telegraph system, and 1t is managed as a
part of the postal system of the country.
The choice lay between telegraphs con-
structed and managed by the government
and no teegraphs at ALL and the people of
Australia adopted a system of government
ownership. Lines were made, and after
ward extended. in districts where the de-
mand seemed to be small and where the
population was certainly scanty, to an ex-
tent which would not have commended
itself to the business instincts of a great
corpora ton, and could not have been ex-
pected to yield large return on the capital
invested The result has been that Aus
tralia, more than any other country in the
world, presents field for investigating the
effects that may be expected to flow from
the public ownership of a great public con-
venience like the telegraph system of today.
THE telegraph lines now owned and oper-
ated by the federal government for the peo-
pie of Australia have length of fully 49,
600 miles, while the length of the wires is
considerably more than hundred thousand
miles. There upward of 5000 telegraph
stations kept open for the convenience of
population which does not exceed four mil
lions; and the revenue derived from mes
sages is shown to be sufficient to defray the
cost of operating and maintaining the lines,
well as defraying the interest charges
the cost of construction at the annual rate
of per cent.
Under the circumstances 1t would be
natural to suppose that the charges for
Geographic service in Australia must be
very high.
The Rates Now Adopted
But in no part of Australia has the cost
of telegraphy ever been high, and the rates
now adopted as those which will secure the