Year: 1868

TIE Western Unies Telegraph Company
Its Abuses and Their Remedy.
A correspondent, whose communication is
published in to-dayt HERALD, calls attention
to one OF the many abuses practised BY the
managers Of the Western Union Telegraph
Company, In the prosecution Of their endeavor
to form themselves into q monopolizing news
association, In order to control and trade upon
commercial Intelligence in every part of the
country. Stepping entirely outside their leg IT,
mate business, and violating, as we believe,
the provisions of their charter, the Western
Union Company have formed what they cali a
Commercial Bureau. This bureau is owned and
managed by the company, and our correspond
ent complains that in order to compel persons
to take its reports distractions are placed in
the way OF all outside commercial agents,
their telegraphic messages are delayed or
tampered with, and the news forwarded by the
bureau belonging to the company is given
undue preference anS transmitted over the
lines in advance, in deiancs Of the law which
provides that telegraphc messages must be
sent in the order in which they are received,
with mpartiality ty and good faith.


This business OF commercial reporting is
the pet scheme Of the present Western Union
management The power to control all COM
mercial intelligence, to keep any important
change in the markets or other news that
would be likely to occasion great fluctuations,
secret from the press and the public until it
has been traded on and sold and specuated
with by the telegraph people who happen to
be inside the "ring" is q prolific source Of
profit and it has been the hope OF effectu-
ally securing this means of money making
within their own grasp that has made the
Western Union Company anxious to SEIZE upon
the whole business of press reporting to estab-
lish their own commercial and marine bu-
reaus, and to assume to dictate terms
to the daily journals and to prohibit
them from doing business over any other
lines. If the press had consented to suffer the
telegraph to thus control and monopollze news
it would not only have destroyed its own pros
perity and usefulness, but would have placed
the whole commercial community at the mercy
Of set of grasping and INSCRIPTIONS jobbers.


As our correspondent justly remarks, the
profits Of all this outside, illegtimate business
do not 60 to the stockholders Of the Western
Union. Its effect il to decrease the actual
telegraph receipts by driving customers
whose messages are delayed or tampered with
to other lines A commercial agent who is
sending daily messages to special firms will
not be likely to transmit his business over the
Western Union wires when he knows that the
managers, in order TO promote the interests Of
their own Commercial Bureau. will delay or
tamper with bis reports. Nor will private
individual be disposed to entrust any important
information ne may desire TO forward by tele.
graph to line whose operators and employees
from end to end act in the double capacity Of
telegraphsrs and news pedlers. Thus, while
the illegitmate profits Of the parties concerned
in these outside news speculations may be in
creased, the revenue Of the stockholders must
necessarily fall of, and it is TO this policy of
the Western Union managers that are mainly
owing the decline Of the compsny's stock and
the non-payment Of dividends.


It is fortunate for the public, and especially
the commercial community, that they are no
longer at the mercy Of monopoly, but that
reliable competing lines are now in operation
to most important points, while projects
already under way promise speedily to spread
opposition wires to every part OF the Union.
Tho Atlantic and Pacific Company, with
capital Of five million dollars, has now over
eight hundred miles OF route in operation, and
three thousand miles Of route and seven thou
sand miles Of wire under contract aud con-
struction, touching nearly every point in the
country north Of Mason's and Dixon's line
reached by the Western Union. Their conncc-
tions and contracts with lines ia Canada and
the West and Southwest cover, besides, four
thousand miles of route and about eight thou
sand miles OF wire. Their connection with
the Franklin line for Washington and the Eas.
and with the New York city line affords them
peculiar facilities for doing . good through
business. Their receipts have steadily in
creased 10 December, fourteen per cent over
the preceding month; in January, an addi-
tional nine per cent and thus far for the present
month. an additional fifteen per cent The
New York City Telegraph Company, which
has forty five miles OF wire 10 operation, is
rapidly monopozing AL the city business
hitherto pretended to be done by the Western
Union, and forms through connection with
all Eastern and Western opposition lines. The
receipts Of this company are nearly doubling
every week, and ts managers are constantly
adding to their stations and wires to supply
the public demand. The Franklin, the Bank.
ers' and Brokers', tho Pacific and Atlantic and
all the existing opposition lines show similar
symptoms Of success, while the National TeIe-
graph Compsny-a mos, important project,
now making good progress and intended 10
build competing lines to all paying points
reached by tho Western Union--promses soon
80 be in the held. This latter company, with