Year: 1869

Can Q newspaper which must pay hfteen and
s news compete sn with paps vSoh only % pay
little over one cent 2 wordf Can newspaper
which mas to pay 5000 per month for 500 words Of
pays ssss for i've times that smounti The
idea is preposterous. Energy and enterprise
esse @ Done good s oesi' os' against aaaS neaVs
odds but they cannot accomplish impossi.
for the California Association and making this dis.
elimination you Kill the Herald just eiectually as
though You denied 1t the use OF your lines on any
terms You give the four papers OF the California
Association as complete q monopoly, present and
prospective. as though they had IL by valid legsla


And again. look at the matter merely as affects
your pecuniary interest. You are now receiving
$so,o 900 year irom the combination. and slo,soo
transmission Of 500 words. Besides this the CON-
petition between the papers causes the sending Of
increase your prOft and the gross sum would be be-
fore long Increased BY new papers which would start
IN free Held. But by the monopoll1zng i arrange,
Kill all opposition to the combination, destroy al
composition and get only $4,000 year ior 500
actually undertake to kill the Herald and prevent
future competition, at loss to yourselves; to do
more work for less money for the sake OF giving GER
tain favOrtes monopoly


When the very lowest and most selfish motive is
thus wanting, when you thus consent to crush enter
prise, not merely for no gain to yourselves but at
positive loss To your stockholders, how can your
act on be accounted for except as prompted by the
very luSL OF OVerKOrKeO IuOnOpOly


Look at the equities which ought to subslst be-
tween you and the men who have been led to invest
their capital IN the newspaper enterprise which you
now propose to crush The Herald was not started
until your terms had been hxed and Its projectors
would not have dreamed OF starting 1t had
terms would have been increased You now pro
pose to more than double those terms; to charge
them so radically az to Kill this enterprise before 1t
Is three months Old 10 cause a loss OF every
dollars that has been invested upon your
assurance Such course would disgrace and
lowest huckster would blush to be charged with It,
What then shall be said OF such course on the part
OF the Great Western Union Telegraph Company,
with Its raml1caC0ns extending through all parts OF
the land, performing as it does the most delicate and
important functions with which any corporation can
II you follow this course what eau be said, except
that you have lured men to their own destruction;
have induced them to invest their savings in bus-
ness, which three months after you wantOnly de-
stroyed; have caused others to abandon old stua-
tons and take new ones, only that you might in
three months alter throw them out OF emplOyments


This crushing out OF a newspaper may be q small
thing TO the Great Western Unon-mere pastime to
en wao are 70 snr hv # Yen ay .e
legal penalty, but you will be arraigned be
fore the bar OF public opinion, not only In
where the facts are known. and will be adjudged
guilty without an eXtenuating circumstance. You
may, 1t is true. give convincing proof of your
power over the press but surely this Is not needed
The newspapers OF California, which hardly dare
notice the incorporation of a rival company. and





approve are subServient enough already.


Permit me to say. in recapitulation, that If you
persist In giving the proposed monopoly to the Cali
10rnla Association you will be doing great private
wrong and great public wrong. You Will destroy
q private business enterprise started upon be-
lief in your good faith, as speedily and more COM
petely than earthquake or connagraJlon could do
the WORK; you will crush an able and successful
public journal as thoroughly and quickly as mob
violence could crush 1t. You Will restrain the lib
erty OF the press and prevent the establishment OF
new papers as popular sentiment calls for them as
effeCtualIV law which cOull he devised.
You will say to the largest political party In Caor
MIA that 1t snail have no organ OF its views worthy Of
the name OF newspaper. You will deprive OF employ
ment large nunDer of men, cut of from some Of
them the nope OF an honorable and successful
the positive injury OF your stockholders and as the
risk OF exciting against your company strong and
bitter sentiment. which Will cal loudly for sucn
legislation as that which your president at the last
session OF Congress, so earnestly opposed.


And allow me TO take the liberty OF reminding you
that the telegraph, which has become necessity of
individual and social life, Is not merely private pro-
perty, to be.used to build up certain individuals
or crush others, as whlm, caprice or sell
flsh interest may dictate; 1t Is great public
trust to be administered for the benefit
of the whole community. Especially is this true OF
and OF which you have uncontrolled possession. The
peoples money aided to buld the overland line; but
this money was not voted that crushing monopoly
might be created and energies OF individuals para
lyzed by wealthy combinations.


have not said all tnat mIgat be said in this con-
nection, but have spoken freely, Tor feel intensely
upon the subject. And l protest against your con-
templaed action, not merely in the name OF the pro-
priet0rS OF the San Francisco Herdid, to crush
which your aid has been invoked, but In the name
OF the citizens OF California. love fair play as
keenly as any people under the SUM- and already
know what monopoly Of teegraphic news means; and
In the name OF the whole journalistic profession
the Pacific. for there Is not an editor, reporter
printer upon the coast ieven If employed BY very
papers to whom you propose to give monopoly
VINO does not feel that by thus preventing competi-
ton in the newspaper business you are cIrcum-
scribing his field OF employment ana tending 10 re.
duce Ills earnings.


have thus taken the trouble to lay my views at
some length before you, because cannot believe
that yon nave been rightly lnformea tue iacLs
or have given careful CONSIDERATION to this out
rageous proposition.


Requesting only that you Will act as simple justice
and good faith dictate, l subscribe myself, very
respectfully your most obedient servant


HENRY GEORGE,


Agent San Francisco Hsrdtd.


SINGULAR CASE OF SUICIDE.