Year: 1869

TeIcgrnphic Yankecisn-A Mean Job.
1t is well known to our readers that
French and American telegraphic cable COM
enterprise, have completed their arrangements
for the connection of New York and the
French coast by means Of new Atlantic
cable, and that they are now met, just as they
are ready to commence work, by narrow
minded attempt to interpose distractions to the
landing of their wires on this side Of the ocean,


Under the e'infuence ofthe Western Union Tele-
graphic lobby our Senators and Representatives
at Washington are induced to forbid the land
ing Of any foreign cable on the American coast
without the express consent Of Congress


This dog-in-the-manger policy, SO shamefully
in contrast with the progressive spirit Of the
age, will have the effect to stop the operations
of the French company after their whole
capital has been secured, and will probably
destroy the enterprise. This, at least Is the
hope of the Western Union monopolists, who
desire to shut out all competition and who
are the real opponents Of the French COM
pany, since they foresee that the construction
of the new cable would be the means Of estab-
fishing inland lines in opposition to their own.


There is, however, a yet meaner piece Of
Yankeeism connected with this French cable
business. About two years ago William
Orton, Charles G. Leigh, Charles Harvard
''and their associates" procured the passage
Of a bill through the New York State
Legislature granting them ''the sole and
exclusive right and privilege for the
period of twenty years from the date Of this
act to lay, construct, land, maintain and ope-
rate telegraphic or magnetic lines or cables in
and over the waters, reefs, islands, shores
and lands over which the State Of New York
has jurisdiction, to connect by means of said
telegraphic lines or cables the State of New
York with the empire of France" Now, Viii
liam Orton is the President of the Western
Union monopoly, and neither he nor his asso-
ciates had any more idea of laying cable to
the coast of France than of constructing air
lines to the moon; but information had reached
them of the progress of the French under
taking, and the bill was required in order to
bleed the Frenchmen out of few thousand
dollars. Consequently, in June, 1868, these
enterprising Yankee corporators induced the
French company to buy out their charter,
although they well knew 1t to be worthless,
since the jurisdiction for marine league from
low water mark on all the coast belongs to the
United States, and not to the individual States.
But the victimized Frenchmen paid two thou
sand pounds in gold, or about fourteen thou
sand dollars currency, to the Orton and Leigh
bogus company for a transfer Of all their
''rights, and agreed to pay an additional ten
thousand pounds in gold as soon as the YAM
kee corporators should have secured the opin-
ion Of Chief Justice Chase that the grant of the
State Of New York would actually and
effectually exclude any rival French
company from landing cable in the
State Of New York for twenty years.
The two thousand pounds blood money
was paid by the French company and received
by the Yankee ring in December last, and the
next month Orton and his Western Union
ro"nnpoly lobby proceeded to Washington to
oppose the laying VI tic victinizsd rrouvil-
mems cable and to prevail upon Congress to
declare the grant of the State of New York
null and void. We leave it to our readers to
determine whether In their experience they
ever met with q meaner piece of commercial
smartness in all Yankeedom.


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