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Show TELEGRAPH TOLLS SHOULD BE LOWER Congressman Smith of Michigan Believes Cost of Messages Can Be Reduced. COMPANIES SHOULD USE MORE MODERN METHODS Effort Will Be Made to Secure Legislation on This Important Im-portant Point. Special to The Tribune. WASHINGTON, July 15. Congressman Congress-man S. W. Smith of Michigan, who has pending a bill Jn the House to force a reduction of telegraph rates throughout through-out the country, says there Is not a shadow of a doubt that If the telegraph tele-graph companies would use the modern mod-ern Ideas and Inventions which hava been perfected they could largely cut down the prices now charged for the transmission of telegrams. He made one speech on the subject during the last session of Congress, and is preparing pre-paring to make another next winter, and since Congress adjourned, while locking for material bearing on tho subject, he has made tho discovery that Hon. Don M. Dickinson of Michigan, Michi-gan, while Postmaster-General under Cleveland, held the same views that Mr. Smith Is now exploiting. In November, No-vember, 1S8S, Mr. Dickinson wrote Into his annual report the following significant signifi-cant statements: Problems Can "Be Solved. "If the correspondence of the country coun-try Is to continue to be under tho charge and protection of the Government, Govern-ment, the vast and increasing volume conducted by telegraphy and the right of the great body of the people to be afforded facilities for the best and quickest transmission at rates within the means of all, will press this subject sub-ject upon the attention of the Congress Con-gress with more and moro urgency. The chief difficulties in the way are tho great cost of present methods and the absence of safeguards, which, according ac-cording to tho theory of tho present mall service, should protect the privacy of correspondence. I have given the pubject consideration, and I believe that tho inventive genius of this country coun-try has reached a stage In discovery in electric science when these problems may be solved, Tho subject Is of such great Importance to the people that T believe an opportunity should be given for the presentation and examination of Inventions which have been informally presented to the committees of Congress, Con-gress, the .department, and ;ho public, and that a stimulus should be given to Inventors t3 turn their attention to the Improvement of old methods. I recommend rec-ommend the appointment of a commission commis-sion of competent and disinterested men, learned In the science, who may examine Inventions and invite others, who shall be authorized to erect short experimental lines, and who shall report re-port to the President or the Congress the result of their investigations." Will tJso These Suggestions. "1 shall incorporate Mr. Dickinson's suggestions In my speech In the Housr-next Housr-next winter," said Mr. Smith, In a conversation con-versation on tho subject, "and I Intend In-tend to call particular attention to thrpo of his statements tho great, cost pf present methods, the desirability .of asking inventors to study the question, ques-tion, and th extreme likelihood that, new inventions can be made toolvo tho question of cheaper transmission of telegrams. I am prepared tt demonstrate dem-onstrate to the House. and to th- country coun-try that Invention In this particular field hRfl now progressed far on -ugh tjg. , make good all that Mr. Dickinson predicted pre-dicted eighteen years ago. There are devices which if used by the telegraph tele-graph companies would vastly reduce, not only tho cost of transmitting telegrams, tele-grams, but the time of transmission as well. The telegraph companies do not use them for the reaspn that If thgy. did it would be too apparent thjUjaBMj are and lon havr boen ohH the American people. r"HH It it Hfll an or occupniVjH hlclJHH |