El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-04-01

70 charge 65e-fth for giving the worst service
nown the history of modern communications is bit
her ineon upon the public and resentment IS certain
consequence.
If it were apparent that any effort Is to be made to
give patrons value for the higher charge there would be
little complaint but consideration IS to be given to
good service so far as IS ascerainaDe Inc postmaster
generals order says no Word concerning It. MS interest
apparently centsred solely in getting the money
PEOPLE Who make frequent Of the telegraph need be
told nothing Of the wretched service Of the costly delays
OF the bunders in transmission and Of many other short
c5ungs which 20 to make up total Of netcency Inc
telegraph Service is not much more than half as efent
as In fact It has degenerated to the Level OF
the postal service Of which Mr. BuTeson is also the mead
and the postal service than it IS today
That telegraph employees should receive pay coHnnln
surate with the higher cost Of living IS TO be taken IS
matter Of If that involves 20 percent lnceas IN
rates. cannot be helped and the public which has aad
burden after another heaped upon II N the past rev
years would take on that also without complain
there we're effort to give moneys worth Inc WoI ana
The sacrifice should not all be on one SIRE r.. /,
The truth Of this is recognized by Walker D. tlnes,
dirscorgenera of railways He has issued stateat ID
which he virtually admits the railroads have been eEne
verse service particularly in passenger ansPoItao Ior
higher charges. He owns up 10 that ouL olsCl@--s =
sbiEtv Of the railroad administration de says VA con
ditioH responsible. He means so many Trans Ia y
e used for troop movements and tram soheuules y
6e saced to such extent to allow Tor the Pssse OF
"eI 1lal IelEht and army passenger trans Js gOoI
now On the railroad administrator VII devote evey eff
fort to giving the public the kind Of service It should
have. IA
war conditions cannot be made an excuse f6 Jae poor
telegraph service under government control for the lines Is
not taken until after the armisos signed
It Is fact, though, that the wire lines nezcusably
burdened all during the with Of government P
propaganda sent out daily nightly the newspapers in
all parts Of the country, much Of which would have G
reached the waste basket Just surely If less quickly, had
it been sent BY mil Not that the newspapers fell short
IN patriotism; paper could have printed half the prop
ganda sent out BY the press agents Washington bu II
Ieaus would people have read It had been printed a
This propaganda wired by every department Of the
government, charged to the government and the
tioH millions Of dollars when the people being pressed
al sides to save every possible penny Bureau chiefs
Used me wires TO send ont propaganda to benefit them
sci and their forees to advocate legislation they wished
pas 1 etc The labor bureau, for instance spent thou
sa Of dollars wiring its representatives, in the field and Is
having them wire individuals officials and commercial I
bodies everywhere at government expense asking that
uence be brought to bear upon congress continue the
money in fling all these nofcaln messages and &
hamperng Of legmata business that might have been t.
permitted to 60 the wires but for this government
business that must have night of way.
And when this not being DONE the censors were G.
holding messages for hours on the slightest pretext 50
that It was impossible to get messages through in any
hing Ike proper tine Press messages filed 70 The Her
aid at Austin at u5ont1 o'clock here-have often not
reached The Herald until o'clock in he afternoon Mes
sages fled to The Herald at the same tine IN Kansas
City took about The length time to get over the
Tres to their destination Other people suffered in the
same way. 8
The government control Of the telegraph wires has been
determination ana the greatest argument against govern
eut ownership that The Herald can possibly think Of
Since the government has taken the wire lines