Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-06
TeIepost Company Wants to
Establish System Here.
PRESIDENT SELLERS HEARD
Presents Plea to Senate District
Committee in Favor of Bill Al
ready Passed by House.

ASKING Tor franchise from Congress
to lay conduits for wires along the
sreets of the District. H Lee Sellers
president of the Telepost Company, ap-
peared before the Senate District commit
tee this morning
The hearing was given in connection
with the bill, which has passed the
House, to enable the Telepost Company
TO construct and operate it's system in
the District and to make the necessary
connections with other parts Of its sys-
tenn.
In the course of the hearing, it de-
veioped that the company has securad a
right of way practically all the distance
from New York to a point inside of the
District The right of way inside the
District. it was explained, extends as far
as it can. without crossing a public street
Until permission is granted by Congress
the company can come no farther into
the city; and it was for that permission
that Mr.. Sellers argued today
Will Not Pay for Graft.
Graft was the subject of much of the
asserted that it was we'll known that
public service corporations used graft
to get rights of way and other privileges
in cities.
1.-THE Telepost Company does not propose
to pay one cent of graft" declared Mr..
Sellers. THE only way we can accom-
plish our purpose is to take legal steps,
IS we are dong in asking you to grant
this charter for the District. and to secure
popular favor"
What do you mean by graft?" asked
Senator Gallinger. y
II mean the paying of some men in
New York hundreds of thousands of dol
lars to prevent legislation that the PED
pie of the city were crying for replied
the witness.
Several of the senators on the commit
tee came to the defense of the newspa-
pers when Mr.. Sellers declared they
would not publish anything about the
Telepost Company. When he made the
general charge he was asked to explain.
In reply. he asserted that two New York
papers would not print, for money, a
short announcement of tests of the in
struments that were being made, and
that one of the newspapers printed a
twO-cOlumn attack and refused to publish
four-line reply.
That doesn't apply to the press gen.
orally" remarked Senator Gallinger.
there are very few papers that will
that is respectable that you give them
remarked Senator Martin.
Proposed Rates.
The rates which the telepost company
proposes to charge, it was explained to
the committee. are: Fifty words for %
cents. if message is put in post Office at
receiving city; % words for % cents, if
message is delivered by messenger; 10
words for 10 cents, if message is writ
ten on a postal card and mailed at the
receiving city.
Mr.. Sellers strenuously opposed the sug-
gestion that the company desired the
franchise in the District as an asset for
the purpose of selling stock. He main
tained that those back Of the company
have in mind the construction of an in
dependent telegraph system throughout
the country.
Provisions Of the Bill.
The bill provides specially that the Tel
epost Company shall have a right Ito
construct, own and operate an overhead
line of its telegraph from the boundary
line between the state of Maryland and
the District of Columbia, in a southerly
or westerly direction, to a point where it
may be necessary to lay conduits and in
stall underground telegraph lines,
whence SAID company Is authorized
to lay conduits and install underground
telegraph wires therein by any route
or routes which may be approved by
the Commissioners Of the District of
Columbia, to point at or near the
crossing of 18th street and New York
avenue northwest, or other points con-
venient for the city terminus of it's
business, and also to lay similar con-
Quits and install telegraph lines and
wire connections for branch offices, the
location of the same to be approved
by the Commissioners"
The rights granted by the bill are
to be terminated, unless the company
begin It's construction work within six
months and put the system in opera
ton within two years.