Year: 1877

POSTAL TELEGRAPHY.


A proposition il before Congress to
create . postal system Of tsissrsphy.
similar TO that in vogue in England and
France. The matter was brought up il
Congress sbout four years ago and only
failed on account Of the enormous price
that Orton wanted for his watsrsd tsls-
graph stock. which paid a dividend Of
three per cent upon the watered figures
last year, equal to seveaty-6ve per cent
on the actual cost of the several lines
comprised in the Western Union Tels-
graph Go. The stock of the Western
Union was first cut up each share into
Eve. and those shares divided BY i've
again. making one of the original shares
equal to twenty i've Of the present ones
The Government was willing to take and
pay for the same in good faith but not
to pay for any such fictitious valuations
as Orton placed upon them.


The exorbitant charges of the tsle-
graph companies is the least objection
to the present system. but it is strong
one. The real objection to them ia the
manner in which they discriminate. For
instance. all during tho war. a combine
ton existed in California, composed of
the Alta and Bulletin in San Francisco,
and Union in Sacramento, which got all
their war dispatches from tho East at
three cents per word, while every other
paper in the State was obliged to pay
for news at commercial rates" This
was done to favor the 30 ca lied Associ.
ated Press Of which J. W. Simonton
was manager; and he was the Telegraph
Company's lobby agent in Congress at
Washington. A monopoly is bad enough
when it treats all people alike; but when
it makes distinctions between John Doe
and Richard Roe, it becomes doubly
bur densome.


If the Government has the right to
carry the mails. it also has the right to
carry the tslegrams and become the
general medium for the transaction of
all business. William Orton has no
more right to carry telegrams than he
has to have his portrait stamped upon
letter envelopes aud to carry the mails.
But he should be paid hberally for his
improvements. though not at any such
fictitious valuations as he has placed
upon the stock of the Western Union
Telegraph Company. Competing lines
of telegraph have failed to
place this great auxiliary of COM
merce within easy reach of the masses,
owing to the trickery of stock-jobbers
uf the stamp of Orton and Jay Gould.
The discrimination in favor OF the
Union. Bulletin and Alta ma do million
aires of the conductors of those news
papers while men Of equal ability we're
obliged to toll along in poverty bes,de
them. We are therefore in favor of
seeing the tslegraphs tass into the
hands of the Government, which will
treat all men alike. We are in favor of
paying Orton and his associates for
their lines. but no hing more than it
would cost to build new lines. Another
thing is. the Government tslegraphic
rights must be exclusive and not be sub
jected to competition on the part Of pri-
vats individuals. There must be NO
cross lines in the cities to cut off any
part ct the national revenue from tele
graphv. The manner in which certain
employees have used the lines for bet
ting purposes and stock speculations.
is the best argument that Government
should own and control all the tele-
graph lines on the Continent.