Year: 1872

The most important portion OF the annual re-
port Of the Postmaster General relates to the
subject Of Postal Telegraphy. Mr. Creswel is
80 entirely committed to the project Of joining
the telegraph system Of the country to the mail
sTBtem, placing both alike under Government
control, that he even opposes the proposed Or
ganization Of q National Company to do the
taleg1sph business in connection with the postal
stations as too conservative, and openly advo-
Gates the immediate assumption Of exclusive
privileges by the Government itself. In pre-
aenting this measure to the consideration OF the
present Congress, Mr.. Creswel argues his Case
with reference to the people at large and the
newspaper press in particular. In the
former case, he makes the broad statement
that the measure has been urged generally
by State Legislatures. Boards Of Trade, COM
mercial Conventions, the independent press,
and private persons prominently identified with
the practical workings Of the telegraph. The
impression which this statement is likely to
leave is not correct for, though there may have
been Individual instances Of approval among the
classes named, there has been no such general
action as Mr. Crcswen seems to indicate.


The Postmaster Generals report mentions
four objections to the incorporation Of the tele-
graph with the postal service OF the Govern
ment: 1. That it is q private interest, and
should not be controlled by Government in a
Republic 2. That it would be dangerous po-
litica instrument in the hands OF the controlling
party; 8. That Government management would
be more expensive and less efficient; and 4.
That the cost would be more than the country
cen afford. Mr. Creswen does not make any
effort to controyert these objections in detail,
but is content to regard them as more than
counterbalanced by the advantages Of Postal
Telegaphy. He makes general answer that
the business Of telegraphing is substantially the
same .as that Of carrying the mails, and herein
ignores the very essence OF the opposition to
the project. There can be no business in which
the interests Of the whole people are so united
as in that Of letter-carrying. Everybody writes
letters; even those who do not know how to
read OF write do 80 by proxy. Thoroughness
and cheapness Of 1etter-carrying are more IN the
interest Of the masB of the people than OF the
wealthy minority, and there is no other business
in which Government control could find any
thing like the game common support. The tele"
graph business is precisely the opposite. Those
who support it at all may be divided into three
classes:


1. The newspaper press. The interest which
this class has in the telegraph is well Alus-
trated by the fact that the money which it Faye
for dispatches is the largest item in its entire
expenses.


2. A class composed Of bankers, produce and
stock brokers, the nature OF whose business de-
mands the despatch which can be found only IN
the telegraph. One Of the largest items in the
expense account Of this class is in its bills for
telegraphing.


8. The general mercantile class who use the
telegraph frequently, in business emergencies,
but not regularly.


comparatively small in numbers, is the great


mass of the people with whom telegraph de-


spatch is an event, who do not make any use OF


the telegraph except in social matters, and the
argrecate of whose messages would not average
| once 8 7ear for the entire adult population Of


the country:


! # this classification be correct, the PROPOSE
ton that tha Government shall assume new ex