Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-07-18
w 7ashington
Wv LETTER
BY H. p. WALKER
NEW MEMBER Has IDEA
Star stan Correspondents.
Star Bureau,
Metropolitan National Bank Bldg,
WAsHINGTON. Julv IA

Can you keep a secret?'' asked my
friend the new congressman, as he
backed me into a dark corner of the
House lobby the other day. A fine,
enthusiastic little man is the new
congressman, and working hard on
his job. "Can you keep a secret?"
said he.
probably not If It's worth writ
ing" admitted, but you might try
me-"
Were going to pass bill for gov
eminent ownership of telegraphs,
maybe telephones, too,' he volun-
teered excitedly Going to put the
acknowledgement in charge of it all,
build new lines, put in new inven-
tions, cut the rates away down so
everybody can afford to telephone
and telegraph, and make every post
office in the. country telegraph Of
flee and telephone central as well as
depot for collecting and distrib-
uting postal cards, letters and parcel
post packages"
Fine" l said. Tell me more"
Here's the Idea," He Says.
Here's the idea," he proceeded to
particularize. 1.-THE postoffice is es-
tablished for the exchange and dis
semination Of intelligence, transmits
sion of news, facilitation of commu-
nication and all that, you know.
When it was first established in this
country of course there wasn't any
means of communication except by
written messages. The old system
Of carrying letters was expensive. So
the postotfice was created to provide
for the carrying and delivery of let
tiers at cost.
Right" said /, Ego on"
1.-THE postoffice not only cut down
rates in mail natter" he went on,
but in order that it might be sue
cessful, and that 1t could give
everybody in the country the same
chance for good and cheap service,
the law was made to forbid anybody
but the government to carry letters
yes" I said, land it also forbade
anybody else to carry any packets or
other mail matter, and provided a
big penalty but the law wasn't en-
forced, and as result the postoffice
has to keep up high rates, shows an
annual deficit and the express COM
panies make big profits"
"Just as Necessary as Postals."
why" said he, "this is the new
idea. Nowadays the telegraph and
telephone are just as necessary and
important means of communication
as letters and postal cards. Instead
of leaving these modern means of
communication in the hands of pri-
vate monopoly and compelling the
public to pay high charges to enable
the monopolies to make big profits.
we're lust going to make them part
of the postal service. Other countries
have done this and reduced the rates
very greatly. Don't you think IT VIII
be a good thing and fine for busi-
ness?'
"Sure," said, tits a fine scheme.
Who thought of it?'
"Well," modestly admitted the new
CONGRESSMAN, nsome of us have been
talking about 1t for quite little
while now, and a lot of members
are in favor of it. We think the
postmaster-general is in favor of it,
and some of us have talked to the
President about It. He hasn't said
definitely whether he's for it or not,
but we think he will be, for you
know he's always for anything that
will be good for the people"
Postmaster General Recommended 1t.
"Dld you know that Postmaster
General Hitchcock recommended gov
eminent ownership OF telegraphs in
one of his reports?" l asked.
"Why no, l didn't. but then of
course he didn't mean it." retorted
the new congressman. How could
he? He was Republican, and the
Republican party has been for the
trusts and monopolies, hasn't it?''
USUALLY" I admitted. land then
Hitchcock only put 1t in his report
one year, and not the next year. But
did you know that the first tele-
graph line built, between Washington
and Baltimore, was built by con-
gressional appropriation. and that
Cave Johnson, the postmaster-genera
at the time, made a mighty howl
when Congress sold the line and the
telegraph privilege to a company a
few years later?"
mo, I didn't know that" admitted
the new congressman. "but that's
only another good argument for buy
ing the lines back now. isn't it?"
Maybe so' said l. land how are
you going to buy them back?"
why" said the new congressman.
well Just pass a law taking them
over and letting the Interstate Com
merce Commission or somebody else
decide what we should pay for them.'
Before or after you take them
over?" 1 queried.
''Wouldn't Be Fair to Lines.''
"Oh. before, of course explained
the new congressman. "It wouldn't
be fair to take the lines until we'd
paid for them, would it?"
II don't know" I said, but / do
know that Great Britain took over the
telephone lines without even talking
about price, and fixed the price after
wards. How long do you think it
would take to agree on a price IL you
started to do 1t before you took over
the lines?"
ooh. maybe year or two," sug-
gested the new congressman.
Whats your guess?"
Anywhere from twenty to thirty
years before you get through in all
the courts l guessed.
You're a pessimist, declared the
new congressman.
"Whatever that is" l dubbed
1--WE been called worse names. Some
people have called me a Socialist, but
al the other Socialists object"
"How Else?" Asks N. G.