Year: 1869




House. q


Tho Modern Agents of Civilixation-The


Rail and the Telegraph.


Among the questions most perplexing to
statesmen, and most intimately connected with
the vital interests of the community, few ex-
ceed in Importance those embracing the juris-
diction Of those great agents of modern civili-
zation, electricity and the rail. The era Of
their introduction is 80 recent, the relations
attending their development have been SO
rapid and SO novel, and the interests affected
thereby are SO widely ramiied that time has
hardly suffced to weigh them duly and adjust
their bearings. In America our needs have
been so urgent and our progress so rapid that
we have not even taken consideration of the
subject. The governments of Europe, accus-
toned to slower concessions to popular need,
have been more cautious and have cast re-
strictions around the grants Of charters and
retained stronger control over them than we
have.


Thus Sir Robert Peel, with a provision
which the community has not yet arrived at,
stipulated in the railway grants that govern
ment should have the right of purchase after
the lapse of certain time; and subsequent
administration prohibited the amalgamation
of competing lines of telegraph, in order to
prevent the evil that has been developed in
this country-the construction of a monster
monopoly, which should be able to defy
,~ol:o I'D lovl sck
tortionate rates of toll. On the Continent
Of Europe the several governments have
retained still more effective control than
exists in Great Britain over the railway
and the telegraph, and with evident advan-
tage to the public. We do not witness there
what we have seen in this country, where
a few gentlemen meeting in private parlor,
years ago, divided the field of telegraphy in
the territory Of the United States into several
Independent and allied organizations, under
what was long known as "the Six Nations
Contract" and which has been so often re-
pcated since 10 the public prejudice In railway,
express and telegraph combinations.


There is great and growing evil to the
public in this neglect Of the general principles
Of Legislation applicable to the great agents Of
be taken to prevent the access of even greater
evils than those which now afflict us. We do
not ask for any hasty and i'll considered legis-
lation on the manifold points which these evils
embrace; but there is one particular which
can and should be covered by an act Of the
present Congress, as the corner stone of future
legislative Developments This particular is
the evil of conflicting State Legislation grow
ing out Of the assumed sovereignty of the
States. As an instance OF the extent to which
abuse Of authority may lead on this point
We win cite only the case where State
assumes the right to grant an exclusive privi-
lege for long series Of years to private
company to land an electric cable on its
shores. This involves vast questions and in
terests in our future, and not distant, develop
ment, all Of which will spring from and be
founded on the right Of domain.


It is this right which should be at once
placed by Congress on stable and well de-
fined footing. There can be no doubt that in
the national government resides the right of
eminent domain, and an act Of Congress
declaraiory of that fact should be the founda-
ton for future legislation. This will be called
for in the natural development Of these great
est Of modern agents, to save the community
from the conversion Of each State into New
Jersey, taxing travel and intelligence passing
through its borders and creating future
Camden.and Amboy monopolsts, which may
everywhere, as these have done, become
really possessors of sovereign rights through
venal control Of petty legislators. The sub
ject is worthy Of the deepest study Of our
legislators, and while they are considering the
subject of Mr.. Washburne's Telegraph bill Il
will be well to ventilate the general principles
which must control the relations between the
public and the greatest agents Of modern civil
lization.