OCR Text |
Show POSTAL TELEGRAPH. Among the leading measures to be d'scued during the present session of " o wress tho question of tho absorption of the telegraphic system of the country coun-try by tho povcrDiucnt will undoubtedly stand prominent. Upon ibis subject there arc many points to be presented b'th r ro and cou. Telegraph men, employers and employed, array them-solves them-solves almost solidly against such an abarMtion, while the press is divided. Ammc business men thcro is a strong Teeiing in favor of a change of some kind and a jrrowicg iocliaation toward (ho postal telegraph scheme. There are too many sidos to the question to admit of its thorough consideration in a single newspaper article and we shall have occasion to refer to tho subject frequently as it comes up in congress. con-gress. Meanwhile the following ideas from Wm. Orton, president of the Western Union telegraph company com-pany will present some new points to our readers. Mr. Orton argues that thero is ro postal character to the telegraph tele-graph wire and no parollol between it and the railway. The difference briweoo the cost of ten tons of mail matter fioini by train between New York and Washington, and loO ton?, in scarcely appreciable. The train is destined to go; the capacity of none of our railroads is tested with mail-matter; the oost of going: is increased in-creased littlo or nono. But, when wo have a wire between the same points, and have 500 messages in a day for transmission, the fulf capacity of ona wire, and an additional 100 messages are offered, the increase amounts to the eamo as if the railroad were obliged to lay new track and fret new equipment and men; for, when one wire gets moro business than it can do, another wire is required Now, none of the railroads are taxed to the utmost with mail-matter; mail-matter; but the wires of the Western Union company aro taxed to the full every day, and our extensions aro in old territory, multiplying facilities, rat her than m new and distant territory, lelgrapby meets its largest profits in territory ter-ritory where it has educated the people to Us use for many years. The percentage per-centage of cost for doing onr business now, when it amounts to $9,000,000 a year, is quite as great as six years ago, when the business amounted to $5,-000,000. $5,-000,000. It does not, therefore, follow fol-low that, crowding down the postal wires with nnirersal business, the cost ot telecraphy would be hardly computable com-putable The government, as the monopolizer of telegraphy, might save something, as it would not 'have to pay dividends and would not bo liable to be sued or be taxed; but the asscr- ( tton tbar it can send aoy more messages mes-sages at less cost, is entirely erroneous, 1 admit that the government, under the law of 1S06, may take our lines. I do not see the need or good policy of do-ng u. If it be done, wo expect manly and generous treatment; for we have exerted ourselves to do our whole duty responsibly, and with tho fullest citizen and mercantile enterprise. |