,,the                                   
,,proposed ,,union                      
,,of ,,the                              
,,telegraph ,,and ,,postal ,,systems4   
,,statement                             
,,of ,,the                              
,,western ,,union ,,telegraph ,,company4
                                        
,,cambridge3                            
,,welch1 ,,bigelow1 ,,and ,,company1    
,,printers ,,to ,,the ,,university4     
#ahfi4                                  
,,contents4        ,,review ,,of ,,hon4 
,e4 ,b4 ,,washburne',s ,,paper ,,on     
,,the ,,union ,,of ,,the ,,telegraph    
,,and ,,postal ,,systems4               
,page     ,a merited ,compliment to     
,professor ,morse                       
#a     ,congressional ,aid              
#b     ,erroneous ,charges against the  
,american ,telegraph ,system            
#c     ,brief ,statement of ,facts      
#d     ,statistics of the ,telegraph in 
,europe and ,america for the year       
#ahff1 from ,official ,reports          

#e     ,the ,complaint of ,indifference 
to ,public ,convenience without         
,foundation                             
#e     ,official ,statistics of the     
,telegraphs in ,europe for the year     
#ahff     #g     ,statistics of the     
,western ,union ,telegraph ,company1 of 
the ,united     ,states1 and of the     
,montreal ,telegraph ,company1 ,dominion
 of     ,canada1 for the year ending    
,june #cj1 #ahfg                        
#g     ,the asserted ,union of the      
,postal and ,telegraph ,systems in      
,europe     an ,error                   
#h     ,the ,shortcomings of ,british   
,telegraphs                             
#i     ,the ,telegraph ,system of the   
,united ,states ,unparalleled for its   
,extent and ,efficiency                 
#aj     ,asserted ,effect of            
,governmental ,control on ,belgian      
,telegraphs        #aa     ,early       
,belgian ,rates contrasted with         
,american                         #ab   
,natural ,increase in ,telegraphy       

#ac     ,unfortunate ,effects of ,low   
,rates and ,competition                 
#ae     ,american and ,european ,rates  
compared                                
#ae     ,the ,peculiarities of the      
,belgian ,telegraph ,service            
#ag     ,belgian ,officials acknowledge 
the ,imperfections of their ,system     
#ah     ,instructive ,history of        
,belgian ,telegraphs                    
#ai     ,singular ,idea that a ,small   
,telegraph ,system is more ,difficult to
     ,manage than a ,large ,one         
#bj     ,necessity for the ,unification 
of the ,telegraph ,system               
#bb     ,estimate of the ,cost of       
,building ,telegraph ,lines             
#bd     ,doubts regarding the ,estimates
 of ,telegraph ,experts as to ,cost of  
,constructing ,lines                    
#bg     ,incorrect ,assertion that      
,american ,telegraphs are not           
constructed     according to            
,specifications                         
#bi     ,cost of ,american ,telegraphs  

estimated by ,european ,data            
#cj     ,value of ,western ,union       
,telegraph ,property1 based on ,european
 data    #cb     ,erroneous ,estimate of
 the ,value of the ,western ,union      
,telegraph     ,company's ,property     
#cc     ,the ,organization of the       
,western ,union ,telegraph ,company     
#ce     ,financial ,statistics of the   
,western ,union ,telegraph ,company     
#cf     ,stations1 ,lines1 and          
,employees of the ,western ,union       
,telegraph     ,company                 
#ci     ,english and ,american          
,telegraphs compared                    
#dj     ,acknowledged ,superiority of   
the early ,american ,service            
#da     ,remarkably ,low ,tariffs of the
 early ,american ,telegraphs            
#db     ,no ,similarity between the     
,telegraph and ,postal ,systems         
#dc     ,collection and ,delivery of    
,telegrams by ,letter-,carriers         
,impracticable                          
#de     ,mr4 ,washburne's proposed      

,experimental ,line                     
#dg     ,london ,district ,telegraph    
,company                                
#ej     ,telegraphs under ,government   
and ,private ,control compared          
#ea     ,the ,telegraph and the ,press  
#eb       ,,review ,,of ,,mr4 ,,gardiner
 ,g4 ,,hubbard',s ,,letter ,,to ,,the   
,,postmaster-,,general ,,on             
,,the ,,european ,,and ,,american       
,,systems ,,of ,,telegraph4             
,erroneous ,statements relative to      
,belgian ,telegraphs                    
#ef     ,belgian ,telegrams delivered by
 ,post                                  
#eh     ,want of ,uniformity in ,rates  
#eh     ,assertion that ,commercial     
,messages are transmitted at a ,loss    
#fa     ,correction of ,erroneous       
,statements                             
#fb     ,tariffs not ,increased by      
,consolidation of the ,lines            
#fc     ,erroneous ,assertion that a    
,large ,proportion of the ,offices are  
at     ,railroad ,stations              

#fd     ,american and ,european         
,telegraph ,tariffs compared            
#fe     ,rules of the ,european         
,telegraphs                             
#ff     ,rules of the ,western ,union   
,telegraph ,company                     
#ff     ,statement showing the ,minimum 
,rate for ,telegrams from ,london to    
,principal ,cities in ,europe1 and from 
,new ,york to ,principal     ,cities in 
,america                                
#fg     ,singular ,notions of ,practical
 ,telegraphy                            
#fh     ,absurd ,theories regarding the 
,working ,capacity of ,telegraph ,lines 
#fi     ,impossibility of ,utilizing the
 ,telegraph ,lines by ,night as well as 
,day                                    
#gj     ,proposed ,incorporation of the 
,united ,states ,postal ,telegraph      
,company                                
#gb     ,messages delivered within a    
,mile of the ,office free               
#gc     ,european ,charges for          
delivering ,telegrams                   

#gd     ,telegrams to be placed in the  
,street ,boxes                          
#ge     ,privileged ,persons to have    
,priority in the ,use of the ,wires     
#ge     ,proposition to operate         
,telegraphs at a ,loss1 and ,make ,money
 by it    #gf     ,speculative          
,telegraph ,schemes                     
#gg     ,more ,startling ,inventions for
 ,rapid ,telegraphing                   
#gh     ,erroneous ,table of ,european  
,statistics                             
#gi     ,european ,telegrams counted    
,several ,times                         
#hb     ,labor the ,principal ,element  
of ,expense in operating ,telegraphs    
#hb     ,prevailing ,error of all       
,theorizers on the ,business of         
,telegraphing   #hc     ,statistics of  
,traffic through the ,atlantic ,cables  
from ,july #bh1     #ahff1 to ,november 
#a1 #ahfh                               
#hf              ,,progress ,,of ,,the  
,,electric ,,telegraph ,,in ,,america   
,,and ,,europe4     ,the ,united ,states

                                        
#hg     ,proportion of ,telegrams to    
,letters                                
#hg     ,early ,history of the          
,telegraph in ,america                  
#hh     ,evils arising from ,separate   
,organizations                          
#hi     ,the ,unification of the        
,telegraph accomplished                 
#ij     ,telegraph ,companies in the    
,united ,states                         
#ia     ,statistics of the ,telegraph in
 the ,dominion of ,canada               
#ib     ,statement showing the ,progress
 of ,telegraphy in ,austria             
#ic     ,statement showing the ,progress
 of ,telegraphy in ,belgium             
#id     ,bavaria                        
#ih     ,denmark                        
#ih     ,statement showing the ,progress
 of ,telegraphy in ,great ,britain and  
,ireland                                
#ajj     ,decrees regulating the ,use of
 the ,telegraph in ,france              
#ajb     ,peculiar ,character of the    

,french ,telegraph                      
#ajc     ,statement showing the         
,progress of ,telegraphy in ,france     
#ajd     ,increase in ,telegrams not due
 to ,low ,rates                         
#ajd     ,greece                        
#aje     ,prussia                       
#aje     ,statement showing the         
,progress of ,telegraphy in ,prussia    
#ajf     ,russia                        
#ajf     ,switzerland                   
#ajg     ,statement showing the         
,progress of ,telegraphy in ,switzerland
         #aji     ,royal ,decree        
relating to ,telegraphs in ,spain       
#aaj     ,turkey                        
#aaa          ,,reasons ,,why           
,,government ,,should ,,not ,,enter     
,,into ,,competition ,,with ,,the       
,,people ,,in ,,the ,,operation ,,of    
,,the ,,telegraph4     ,political       
,reasons why ,government should not     
,control the ,telegraph   #aac     ,the 
,post-,office ,department not ,competent
 to manage the ,telegraphs   #aad       

,government assumes no ,responsibility  
#aaf     ,the ,proposition to ,erect    
,competitive ,governmental ,telegraphs  
,unfounded in ,public ,necessity        
#aag     ,the ,telegraph ,bill proposed 
to be enacted by ,congress without      
,national ,example                      
#aah                                    
,,review                                
,,of   ,,hon4 ,e4 ,b4 ,,washburne',s    
,,paper ,,on ,,the ,,union ,,of ,,the   
,,telegraph ,,and ,,postal              
,,systems4      ,in the second session  
of the ,fortieth ,congress1 #ahfh1 a    
bill was  introduced and a paper        
submitted by ,hon4 ,e4 ,b4 ,washburne1  
of ,illinois1  relating to the 8,union  
of the ,telegraph and ,postal ,systems0 
in the  ,united ,states1 which has      
naturally attracted public attention1   
and  especially of that large class of  
our citizens who are identified with    
the ,telegraph interests of the country4
 ,the paper bears upon its face  such   
evident marks of care1 and the case is  

presented with so much  earnestness and 
apparent sincerity1 notwithstanding the 
frequency of its  errors and the        
illusory character of its appeals to the
 practice and  experience of foreign    
nations1 that it cannot fail to produce 
upon the  public mind an unjust         
impression that the usefulness of this  
great  invention is injuriously         
restricted1 and its operations          
unfaithfully  managed1 by the           
organizations having it in control4     
,to correct these erroneous impressions 
by calmly and respectfully  criticising 
the statements thus presented1 and      
proving the honesty and  fidelity with  
which the ,telegraph service is         
performed in this country1  is the      
object of this paper4                   
,a ,,merited ,,compliment ,,to          
,,professor ,,morse4    ,in the         
acknowledgment made by ,mr4 ,washburne1 
in the opening of his  paper1 that 8the 
world is indebted to the genius of a    
citizen of the  ,united ,states for the 

practical development of the electric   
telegraph as  a means of communication10
 we heartily concur4 ,that citizen is   
still a  member of the ,company to which
 his great discovery gave birth1 and on 
whose success he largely depends for    
support4 ,to it he gives his ripened    
genius and matured wisdom1 justly       
priding himself upon the success of  his
 invention1 and desiring for it the     
largest and widest use4    ,but         
,professor ,morse needs more than the   
simple honor of making a great          
discovery and of placing it at the      
disposal of his fellow-men throughout   
the world1 and when it is considered    
that the effect of the system  proposed 
to be inaugurated by ,mr4 ,washburne's  
bill would be the  inevitable           
destruction of all existing telegraph   
investments1 and  possibly the          
impoverishment of the great inventor    
himself1 the  compliment seems a barren 
one indeed4                             
,,congressional ,,aid4    ,congress1 it 

is true1 aided the introduction of the  
,telegraph by an  appropriation of      
thirty thousand dollars for a public    
experiment and  test of its capacity4   
,but it may well be questioned whether  
this  appropriation was not1 after all1 
an injury rather than a benefit1 both   
to the inventor and the people4 ,it left
 no property to enrich its  possessors1 
and no models to guide them in erecting 
new structures1  while it was obtained  
by sacrifices which have cost the       
inventor  infinite sorrow1 and clouded a
 score of years with litigation4 ,the   
time  occupied by ,congress in the      
consideration of the offer of the       
invention  to government for one hundred
 thousand dollars 7which was rejected7  
consumed nearly two years of the patent1
 and exposed the inventor to the        
endurance of a most annoying            
uncertainty4    ,government1 however1   
most effectually insured its successful 
extension1  when1 contrary to the       
practice of ,european powers1 it        

declined to assume  the control of the  
,telegraph1 and referred its inventor1  
after the  thorough investigation of the
 ,postmaster-,general1 to the people as 
the  proper recipients of his discovery4
 ,it was the healthy act of a           
government which recognized its duty to 
protect1 instead of absorbing1  the     
enterprises of its citizens4 ,that duty 
is as clear to-day as it was  then4     
,when government rejected the control   
and ownership of the ,telegraph1        
although offered for so paltry a sum by 
the inventor1 it was accepted by  the   
people as a legitimate enterprise1 and  
they have given to it all the  capital1 
skill1 and labor required for the       
fullest development of its  usefulness4 
,although many years elapsed after the  
introduction of the ,telegraph in  this 
country during which it maintained but a
 feeble existence through  numerous weak
 and limited organizations1 that        
rendered the business  expensive and    
precarious1 it now begins to crystallize

 into strength and  harmony2 and the    
projectors and promoters of the         
enterprise feel that  they have a right 
to expect the fruit of their labors1 in 
the proper and  legitimate return which 
the humblest citizen receives for his   
work1 and  which government was1 in part
 at least1 organized to secure4 ,we     
therefore pronounce the ,washburne bill 
an unwarranted and unjust  measure1     
which1 while proposing an ostensible    
public good1 essays to  provide it by   
the destruction of vast private         
interests for which it  proposes no     
compensation4              ,,erroneous  
,,charges ,,against ,,the ,,american    
,,telegraph ,,system4    ,to the charges
 made by ,mr4 ,washburne1 in the        
prefatory sentences of his  paper1      
against the management of the ,telegraph
 system of the ,united  ,states1 little 
need be said4 ,they are without the     
shadow of proof1 and  require no other  
answer than an explicit denial4 ,yet    
,american telegraph  companies may      

justly complain that a public man1 while
 ostensibly  performing a service in the
 interests of the people1 should deem it
  necessary to traduce a vast interest  
by the use of terms so broad as to      
attract to it1 even without proof of    
their justice1 unwarranted              
disparagement and suspicion4    ,mr4    
,washburne's statement that 8the        
telegraphic system has made less        
progress toward perfection1 and has been
 practically of less value to  the      
masses of the people in our country1    
than in any other civilized  country on 
the globe10 is so sweepingly erroneous  
as to excite our  profound astonishment1
 which is increased by the still broader
 assertion  that1 8while in nearly every
 country in ,europe the telegraph has   
become  a speedy1 certain1 and          
economical medium of communication1 the 
inestimable benefits of which are       
extended to the inhabitants of small    
towns and communes as well as to the    
great centres of trade1 in this  country

 telegraphic communication has always   
been uncertain and  expensive1 and      
limited to chief towns and cities40     
,,brief ,,statement ,,of ,,facts4    ,in
 reply to the above we desire to present
 the following facts4    ,the population
 of ,europe at the last authentic census
 was #bhh1jja1cfe1  nineteen twentieths 
of which belonged to the ,caucasian     
race4 ,it contains  thirty-nine cities1 
each possessing more than one hundred   
thousand  inhabitants1 and the          
accumulated wealth of nearly two        
thousand years of  civilization4    ,the
 ,united ,states has a population of    
only #ca1adh1jdg1 and contains but  ten 
cities of one hundred thousand          
inhabitants1 while its utmost  civilized
 history reaches back scarcely two and a
 half centuries1 and  the accumulated   
wealth of its civilization cannot       
average fifty years  throughout its     
cultivated area4    ,the population of  
,europe being nearly ten times greater  
than that of the  ,united ,states1 as is

 also its accumulations of years of     
civilization1  while1 according to ,mr4 
,washburne1 its telegraph facilities    
vastly  outstrip ours1 it should1 of    
course1 possess far more than ten times 
the  number of telegraph offices4       
,but1 in truth1 there is not even an    
approximation to this provision of      
telegraphic convenience based on        
population2 for while the ,united       
,states  alone possess #d1abf telegraph 
offices1 all ,europe contains but       
#f1dej1 of  which #b1aea1 or more than  
one third of the whole number1 belong to
 ,great  ,britain1 where the telegraph  
has heretofore been free from government
  control4    ,it is significant of     
,american enterprise that continental   
,europe1 with a  population of          
#bfj1jjj1jjj1 possesses but one hundred 
and seventy-three  more telegraph       
offices than the ,united ,states1 with  
her #ca1jjj1jjj of  widely scattered    
people4 ,while in the ,united ,states   
there is a telegraph  office to every   

#g1edi of its inhabitants1 in           
continental ,europe there is  only one  
to every #fj1bdi6    ,the following     
table will serve to show the proportion 
of telegraph  offices to population in  
the principal countries of ,europe and  
of the  ,united ,states1 the number of  
miles of line1 and amount of telegraph  
business of each4                       
,,table ,a4       ,statistics of the    
,telegraph in ,europe and ,america for  
the year #ahff1 from                    
official reports4                       
,miles  ,miles ,total ,number           
,proportion    ,,countries4 ,number of  
of    of   of ,messages ,population4#aof
 ,offices               ,stations4,line4
  ,wire4 ,transmitted4                  
to                                      
,population4      ,austria              
#hefbd1fah #gc1hed   #b1ejg1dgb         
#ci1daa1cji       #a to                 
#df1caa   ,belgium          #cef #b1ahg 
#f1adf   #a1abh1jje     #d1ecj1bbh      
#a to                                   

#ab1daf   ,bavaria              #b1aae  
#d1ide                                  
,denmark           #hi        #b1eae    
#cjh1aej     #a1fhd1jjd       #a to     
#ah1iba   ,france         #a1bjibj1fbh  
#fh1fhg   #b1hdb1eed    #ch1cjb1fbe     
#a to                                   
#ca1fha   ,great                        
,britain      #b1aeaaf1ehh #hj1dff      
#e1gha1ahi    #bi1eia1jji       #a to   
and                                     
#ac1gej     ,ireland                    
,italy            #ebi #h1bjj #bj1abj   
#a1gfj1hhi    #bd1eej1hde       #a to   
#di1jjj   ,norway            #gc        
#bfi1cge     #a1dcc1dhh       #a to     
#ai1ggc   ,prussia          #echah1chf  
#ee1adi   #a1ifd1jjc    #ag1gci1iac     
#a to                                   
#cb1iee   ,russia           #cjhab1jac  
#bb1bad     #hch1fec    #fh1bbd1hcb     
#a to                                   
#bba1ejh   ,switzerland      #beb #a1heh
  #c1gae     #ffh1iaf     #b1ecd1bdj    
#a to                                   

#aj1jjj   ,spain            #adb #h1hga 
#ag1gdc     #ecc1cgf    #af1cjb1fbe     
#a to                                   
#ajj1jjj   ,united                      
#d1abffb1ghbabe1efd  #ab1ijd1ggj        
#ca1adh1jdg       #a to     ,states     
#g1edi   ,dominion of      #chb #f1gdg  
#h1ice     #egc1bai     #c1igf1bbd      
#a to     ,canada                       
#aj1djj       ,footnote #a3      ,from  
the ,annual ,cyclopdia4 ,new ,york3 ,d4 
,appleton  ,co4 #ahfh4    ,in large     
sections of the ,united ,states the     
proportion is much greater4  ,thus1 the 
,pacific ,states embrace an area of     
#fjj1jjj square miles2  ,belgium1       
#aa1jjj4 ,the former provide an office  
to every #b1ejj of their  population2   
the latter1 one to every #ab1daf4 ,thus1
 the ,pacific ,states  sustain five     
times as many offices in proportion to  
population as  ,belgium1 to say nothing 
of the great disparity in the condition 
of  service by the vast range of wild   
territory occupied by the one1 and the  

fine roads and cultivated area of the   
other4    ,in view of the facts shown in
 the preceding table1 how can it be said
  that in ,america the telegraph is less
 practically provided to the people     
than in any other civilized country on  
the globe8      ,,the ,,complaint ,,of  
,,indifference ,,to ,,public            
,,convenience ,,without ,,foundation4   
8,instead of an auxiliary to the postal 
system1 controlled1 like it1    by the  
state1 sought1 like it1 to be made      
useful to the great masses    of the    
people without regard to the pecuniary  
profit to be secured1    as in nearly   
every civilized country in the world1 we
 see the system    in this country in   
the hands of rival companies1 anxious   
only for    profit1 extending their     
lines only to prominent places where    
such    profits are to be secured1 and  
too indifferent to the public           
convenience4 ,in short1 the popular     
verdict of the people of this           
country1 if it could be heard1 would be 

that the telegraphic system1    in view 
of what it is in other countries and    
might become in this1    is practically 
a failure40    ,the above complaint is  
without the least foundation4 ,in no    
country in  the world is there so vast a
 system of lines under one control as in
  this2 in no country is the business   
done so well or so cheaply2 and  nowhere
 else has there ever been so earnest an 
endeavor made to serve  the people      
faithfully and satisfactorily4    ,a    
great majority of the towns in this     
country having even less than five      
hundred inhabitants are already supplied
 with offices1 and they are  rapidly    
increasing4 ,during the past two and a  
half years more than one  million of    
dollars have been spent by the ,western 
,union ,telegraph  ,company alone in the
 construction of new lines1 and during  
the same  period it has opened more than
 eight hundred new offices4 ,this it is 
constantly doing1 as much to satisfy    
existing public wants as for the        

promotion of its own future interest4   
,over one hundred offices have long     
been sustained at a loss1 because needed
 to protect the lines built  through    
comparatively desert regions to reach   
distant points of  intercourse1 and     
several hundred more are maintained     
which barely pay  expenses4 ,in fact1 it
 is a standing rule of the company to   
open and  maintain a telegraph office at
 all places in the ,united ,states      
reached  by its lines1 on a guaranty    
that the receipts shall be equal to the 
necessary expenses2 and1 by associating 
the duties of the telegraphic  service  
with other productive labor1 they are   
often rendered extremely  light4 ,it    
also offers to extend its lines to any  
place not reached by  existing lines1   
where the inhabitants will advance the  
cost of building  them1 the money so    
advanced to be refunded to the          
contributors in  telegraphing at        
ordinary tariffs4 ,under this           
arrangement a large number  of offices  

have been opened and extensive lines    
built1 to the  satisfaction of all      
parties4    ,into such arrangements the 
government could not enter with any     
similar  rapidity1 or by so healthy and 
economic processes accomplish a like    
amount of substantial benefit to the    
people4 ,the fact that there is         
scarcely a community to be found        
anywhere in ,america where the people   
are unable to meet these offers of the  
,telegraph ,company1 is the best  reason
 why government should not furnish at   
public expense what the  people are so  
able to provide for themselves4    ,in  
reply to the statement that our company 
is anxious only for profit1  and that   
its charges are exorbitant as compared  
with those of other  countries1 we      
respectfully call attention to the      
following table1  showing the average   
cost of telegrams in ,europe and        
,america for the year  #ahff4           
,,average ,,cost ,,of ,,telegrams ,,in  
,,europe ,,and ,,america ,,for #ahff4   

,official ,statistics of the ,telegraphs
 in ,europe for the ,year #ahff4        
,total ,number                  of      
,messages        ,name of               
transmitted1     ,country or            
including        ,company4      inland1 
international1                 and      
transit4       ,austria                 
#b1ejg1dgb   ,belgium                   
#a1abh1jje   ,bavaria                   
,denmark             #cjh1aej   ,france 
#b1ejg1dgb   ,great ,britain            
#e1gha1ahi     and ,ireland             
,italy             #a1gfj1hhi   ,norway 
#bfi1cge   ,prussia           #a1ifd1jjc
   ,russia              #hch1fec        
,switzerland         #ffh1iaf   ,spain  
#ecc1cgf   ,submarine                   
,telegraph         #daj1gfj     ,co4    
,malta                                  
,alexandria         #bh1jfg     ,t4 ,co4
                      ,mediterranean    
,extension          #gg1djj             
,telegraph                     ,co4     
--------------                          

#ah1fhc1gbg                             
,name of                                
,value in ,u4 ,s4,value in ,u4 ,s4      
,country or            ,receipts        
,gold ,coin4   ,currency4#b             
,company4                               
,austria      ,florins #a1fdd1gdb x     
#j4dh    #ghi1dgf4af #a1afh1dbd4ga      
,belgium      ,francs    #ifa1aab x     
#j4ai     #ahb1faa4bh    #bgj1bfd4fi    
,bavaria      ,florins   #cbb1hhf x     
#j4da     #acb1chc4bf    #aie1ibg4bb    
,denmark      ,dollars   #cjh1aej x     
#a4ji     #cce1hhc4ej    #dig1ajg4eh    
,france       ,francs  #g1gjg1eij x     
#j4ai   #a1dfd1ddb4aj  #b1afg1cgd4cj    
,great ,britain         #eab1gjg x      
#d4hf   #b1dia1gef4jb  #c1fhg1gih4ij    
and ,irelandsterling                    
,italy        ,lire    #d1abj1caa x     
#j4ai     #ghb1hei4ji  #a1aeh1fca4de    
,norway       ,dollars   #cdc1fde x     
#a4ji     #cgd1egc4ae    #eed1cfh4bf    
,prussia      ,thalers #a1bge1ghe x     
#j4gb     #iah1efe4jj  #a1cei1dgf4bj    

,russia       ,roubles #a1hgb1fei x     
#j4gg   #a1dea1caj4gb  #b1adg1ici4hf    
,switzerland  ,francs    #fhd1dga x     
#j4ai     #acj1jdi4di    #aib1dgc4bd    
,spain        ,dollars   #eed1dge x     
#a4jd     #egf1fed4jj    #hec1ddg4ib    
,submarine                              
,telegraph  sterling   #fj1cfh x  #d4hf 
#bic1cch4dh    #dcd1bad4ie     ,co4     
,malta                                  
,alexandria sterling   #eb1adb x  #d4hf 
#bec1daj4ab    #cge1jdf4ig     ,t4 ,co4 
,mediterranean                          
,extension            #ca1bjj x  #d4hf  
#aea1fcb4jj    #bbd1dae4cf              
,telegraph  sterling                    
,co4                                    
----------------------------------------
----------------                        
#aj1cbh1iid4cgae1bhf1iia4fa             
,average cost of telegrams in ,europe   
#ha cents4  ,footnote #b3      ,the     
,commercial and ,financial ,chronicle   
gives the lowest price of gold    in    
#ahff as #abd1 and the highest #afg1    

making the average #adh1 which    we    
have adopted as the standard value for  
that year4     ,statistics of the       
,western ,union ,telegraph ,company of  
the ,united ,states   and of the        
,montreal ,telegraph ,company1 ,dominion
 of ,canada1 for the year               
ending ,june #cj1 #ahfg4          ,name 
of ,company4   ,total ,number of        
,receipts4    ,united ,states           
,messages4                              
,currency4         ,western ,union      
#aj1jfg1gfhc                            
#e1gch1fbg4if     ,telegraph ,company   
,montreal ,telegraph                    
#egc1baibeh1jjj gold      #cha1hdj4jj   
,company                                
,average cost of telegrams in the       
,united ,states             #eg cents4  
,average cost of telegrams in the       
,dominion of ,canada        #ff cents4  
,footnote #c3      ,these are exclusive 
of railroad messages1 of which this     
company sends    many millions per      
annum4 ,in fact1 the safety of all the  

roads in the    ,united ,states is      
largely due to the free use of our wires
 in running    trains4    ,the total    
receipts of the ,western ,union         
,telegraph ,company for the above  year 
were #f1efh1ibe4cf2 but of this amount  
#eba1eji were received for  transmitting
 regular press reports on contract1 and 
#cjh1ghh4dj from  other                 
sources1--leaving only #e1gch1fbg4if for
 telegrams4    ,of the #aj1jfg1gfh      
messages sent during the year1          
#h1jjd1ggj were on  commercial and      
social matters1 and #b1jfb1iih          
containing special press  news1 the     
latter amounting to #ge1cei1fgj words4  
,of the regular reports there were      
delivered to the press #bid1ejc1fcj     
words1 which1 allowing #bj words to each
 message1--the ,european                
standard1--would amount to #ad1gbe1aha  
telegrams1 in addition to the  number   
given in the table4 ,the average        
telegraphic tolls on these  reports were
 three and one half cents for a message 

of #bj words1 or one  and seven tenths  
of a mill per word4        ,,the        
,,asserted ,,union ,,of ,,the ,,postal  
,,and ,,telegraph ,,systems ,,in        
,,europe ,,an                           
,,error4    ,in referring to the action 
of ,european governments1 in their early
  recognition of the telegraph system1  
,mr4 ,washburne says3--      8,at once1 
after the invention and successful      
establishment of    electric telegraphs1
 every government in ,europe where lines
 were    built1 except that of ,great   
,britain1 established a telegraphic     
system in connection with its postal    
system4 ,anticipating1 as they    might 
well do1 that in private hands it might 
be so constructed as    to draw to it1  
by its speed1 safety1 and economy1 a    
large proportion    of the              
correspondence1 and thus become a rival 
of the post1 these    governments1      
acting in the interests of the people1  
have made the    system part and parcel 
of the postal system1 and have thrown   

around    it all the safeguards which in
 every civilized country the postal     
system enjoys40    ,the above statement1
 with the exception of that portion     
printed in  italics1 is remarkably      
incorrect4    ,in no country in ,europe 
does it appear that the telegraphic     
administration is connected with the    
post-office4#d ,in ,france and ,spain   
the telegraphs are under the control of 
the ,minister of the ,interior4 ,in     
,russia1 ,prussia1 and ,italy they      
belong to the ,ministry of ,public      
,works4  ,in ,belgium the telegraph1    
railways1 and the post-office form a    
general  division under the ,minister of
 ,public ,works1 but are kept distinct4 
,in  ,austria the administrations of the
 telegraphs and the post-office were  at
 one time united1 but it was found      
expedient to separate them4 ,in         
,switzerland the telegraphic            
organization is nearly the same as      
,prussia's2 the post-office1 customs1   
and private establishments supply  the  

elements of an auxiliary staff1 but all 
the persons employed in the             
transmission or delivery of telegrams   
depend on the administration of         
,telegraphs for their compensation1 and 
in the annual budget an  appropriation  
is made for that service distinct from  
the post4    ,footnote #d3              
,telegraphic ,journal1 7,london3        
,truscott1 ,son1  ,simmons17 ,volume    
,,xi4    page #aca4    ,an effort was   
made in ,france in #ahfd to consolidate 
the post-office and  telegraph service1 
but1 owing to the strong opposition     
evinced on the  part of the chief       
functionaries of both services to such  
amalgamation1  it was relinquished4     
,it was not until several years after   
the introduction of the electric        
telegraph in ,america that it was opened
 to the people by any ,european         
government4 ,even in ,france the        
electric telegraph was established as   
late as #ahea1 and its spread throughout
 the empire was exceedingly slow4  ,the 

semaphore telegraph1 a defective and    
inefficient system of conveying         
intelligence by the exhibition of       
signals1--introduced by ,napoleon at the
  beginning of the present century1--was
 still in use1 and1 notwithstanding  the
 manifest advantages of the electric    
telegraph1 as shown by ,arago to  the   
,house of ,deputies1 government long    
refused to employ it1 and1 when  finally
 adopted1 it was for some time used in  
connection with the old  system4        
,,the ,,shortcomings ,,of ,,british     
,,telegraphs4    ,mr4 ,washburne says of
 the ,british telegraph3--      8,in    
,great ,britain1 as in the ,united      
,states1 the telegraph was left    to   
private enterprise and competition4     
,only a few weeks since1 after    a     
twenty years' trial of the system in the
 hands of private    companies1 the     
people of the ,british islands1 with    
singular    unanimity1 demanded to have 
the telegraphic system placed under the 
control of the postal authorities1 and a

 bill was introduced by the    present  
government for that purpose40    ,it is 
complained of ,great ,britain1 which    
provides one quarter of all the         
telegraph offices in ,europe1 that the  
telegraph companies there have  left    
eighty-eight places in ,england and     
,wales having a population of two       
thousand and upwards1 and even whole    
districts1 without an office4           
,whatever may be true of the meagreness 
of the provision of telegraphic         
facilities by ,english companies1 and   
which these companies vigorously  deny1 
no such complaint can1 with justice1 be 
made in the ,united ,states1            
notwithstanding the vast ranges of      
territory which must be traversed to    
meet the communities which need and ask 
for them4    ,without intending any     
disrespect to the postal authorities of 
the ,united  ,states1 it may be said    
that the post-office system of ,great   
,britain1  because of the superior      
character of the control which long and 

careful  study has enabled it to secure1
 is far in advance of our own4 ,in fact1
  there is nothing more apparent to an  
,english visitor than the low  status of
 our postal arrangements1 as compared   
with that of his own  country4 ,it is   
natural1 therefore1 seeing the postal   
system so admirably  managed1 that      
,english merchants1 whose tendencies are
 all toward  governmental direction in  
matters of this character1#e should     
desire to  see the experiment of a      
similar control of the telegraph4 ,in   
fact1 it is  only this class of citizens
 who have asked for the change1 the     
memorial  having gone solely from the   
different ,chambers of ,commerce        
throughout  the kingdom1 no appeal on   
the subject having ever been made to or 
by the  people of ,great ,britain1 and  
therefore the assertion that the people 
with singular unanimity demanded it is  
not sustained by the facts4    ,footnote
 #e3      ,witness the proposition      
recently so much discussed in ,england1 

that    the government should assume    
control of the railways also4           
,,the ,,telegraph ,,system ,,of ,,the   
,,united ,,states ,,unparalleled ,,for  
,,its ,,extent                          
,,and ,,efficiency4    ,mr4 ,washburne  
says1 8,there is abundant reason to     
believe that the  telegraphic system of 
,great ,britain1 which is declared a    
failure on such  high authority1 is1 in 
all respects1 greatly superior to our   
own02 but  he fails to give any of his  
reasons for this belief1 and we are     
compelled to assert that it has no      
intelligent explanation except in a     
strangely morbid hostility to this      
company1 which exhibits itself on  every
 offered occasion4 ,in all respects the 
telegraph lines of this  country are    
equal to those of any other1 and in some
 important ones  superior4 ,they extend 
from the ,gulf of ,st4 ,lawrence to the 
,gulf of  ,mexico1 and from the         
,atlantic to the ,pacific ,ocean1       
connecting in one  unbroken chain more  

than four thousand cities and villages1 
forming a  system by which every event  
of importance happening in any section  
of  our vast territorial limits is      
published within a few hours in every   
other2 through which verbatim reports of
 the speeches in ,congress are          
transmitted from the capital to the     
metropolis1 and full abstracts of  them 
to every considerable town in the       
nation1 on the day of their  delivery2  
which supplies the metropolitan journals
 with more telegraphic  news every day  
than is contained in the combined press 
despatches of  ,europe4 ,such a system1 
in its vastness1 skilful manipulation1  
and the  rapidity of its unceasing      
development1 we believe merits the      
public  approbation1 and is not unworthy
 of the ,american name4    ,our system  
of telegraphy is unique4 ,nowhere else  
can there be found such  an extent of   
lines under one control4 ,the lines of  
the ,western ,union  ,telegraph         
,company1 extending throughout the      

,united ,states and portions  of the    
,dominion of ,canada1 enables it to     
transmit messages between every  section
 of the country1 without undergoing the 
delay of checking or  booking at        
intermediate points2 and between most of
 the large cities  without              
retransmission4 ,this work1 over a      
territory so vast1 although  only two   
years have elapsed since the            
confederation of lines was  effected    
which made it possible1 is fast         
assuming1 under increased care  and     
enlarged experience1 the certainty and  
uniformity of mechanism4 ,in  all its   
effective features1 the world may safely
 be challenged to  produce anything to  
compare with it4 ,the extent of lines   
and wire  belonging to the ,western     
,union ,telegraph ,company is more than 
twice that  of ,france1 three times     
greater than that of ,prussia1 and      
equals the  aggregated systems of       
,austria1 ,prussia1 and the lesser      
,german ,states1  ,italy1 ,spain1       

,belgium1 and ,switzerland1 and it is   
increasing in larger  ratio than any    
,european system4 ,the ,western ,union  
,telegraph ,company  alone has added to 
its lines1 during the year #ahfh1 more  
than five  thousand miles of wire1 or as
 much as the entire system of ,belgium1 
leaving unsatisfied demands for an equal
 extension in the year to come4         
,,asserted ,,effect ,,of ,,governmental 
,,control ,,on ,,belgian ,,telegraphs4  
,mr4 ,washburne says3--      8,in       
,belgium1 where the telegraph has always
 been under the control    of the       
government1 the charge for telegraphing 
twenty words    throughout the kingdom  
is half a franc1 or1 say ten cents of   
our    money4 ,in ,switzerland the      
charge is the same4 ,in both these      
countries offices are opened in nearly  
every town and village2 in    both      
telegraphing is reliable and certain2   
complaints of delays and    errors are  
almost unknown1 and the lines in both   
countries yield    large profits4#f     

,footnote #f3        ,see official      
acknowledgment of inefficiency on pages 
#ah and #ai2      also1 on page #if1 an 
admitted loss in performing the service 
at      established rates4      8,in    
,belgium1 in the year #ahec1 with an    
average charge of #e francs    and #g   
centimes1 or say #a4jb for twenty words 
to any part of the    kingdom1 the      
number of messages sent was #eb1jej1    
yielding1 francs1    #bfe1ecf4 ,in the  
year #ahff1 with the charge reduced to  
about #ag cents    for twenty words1 the
 number of messages had increased to    
#a1abh1jje1    yielding1 francs1        
#ifb1bac4 ,the same remarkable increase 
is found in    the statistics of the    
telegraphic system of all countries     
where the    telegraph is under         
government control40    ,if by the      
latter clause of this statement it is   
designed to convey the  idea that       
government control1 per se1 stimulates  
the use of the  telegraph1 or that even 
a reduction of rates1 without this      

control1 is  incapable of producing this
 result1 it may justly be challenged as 
utterly unsustained by the telegraphic  
experience of this country4 ,the        
coupling together of these two          
influences seems designed to prove that 
the one necessarily involves the other1 
whereas the question of rate is         
altogether independent of management1   
whether government or individual4       
,,early ,,belgian ,,rates ,,contrasted  
,,with ,,american4    ,respecting the   
,belgian tariff of #ahec1 of #a4jb in   
gold per message1 for  a distance not   
exceeding fifty miles1 it must be       
regarded as  prohibitory1 except to     
those whose necessities compelled its   
use4 ,the  ,american charge at the same 
period for even greater distances was   
twenty-five cents4 ,instead1 therefore1 
of any surprise at the  comparatively   
limited use of the telegraph by the     
,belgian people under  the              
circumstances1 it may well be regarded  
as extraordinary that it was  used so   

much4    ,had private companies in the  
,united ,states attempted to impose such
 a  tariff at the period named1 public  
opinion would have compelled an         
immediate reduction4 ,while there can be
 no doubt that1 within certain  limits1 
a diminished tariff will usually be     
followed by an increase in  the number  
of messages1 experience has demonstrated
 that this cannot be  relied on as      
invariably true1 except where the charge
 has been  unreasonable or exorbitant4  
,it must be remembered that1 when a     
tariff  has been reduced one half1 there
 must be an increase of more than one   
hundred per cent in the number of       
despatches1 to yield the same revenue1  
meet the cost of added labor1 and       
provide the necessary additional means  
of transmission4 ,so great an addition  
in the number of messages1  unattended  
with a corresponding increase of wires  
and operators1 would  result in such    
delay and inaccuracy as to render the   
service of no  value4                   

,,natural ,,increase ,,in ,,telegraphy4 
,it should be remembered1 too1 that an  
increase follows the supply of  more    
ample facilities1 when these have been  
inadequate to the wants of  the         
communities for which they are provided4
    ,there is also a large natural      
increase1 altogether irrespective of the
  charges for transmission1 which must  
be allowed for1 before the  legitimate  
effect of the inducements presented by  
cheapness1 or the  opportunities        
furnished by the multiplication of wires
 or increased  capacity in the          
machinery1 can be estimated4 ,thus1 in  
,december1 #ahdh1  which in the ,united 
,states bears a fair comparison with    
,belgium in #aheb  as to date of        
telegraphic introduction1 at the office 
in ,buffalo1 ,n4 ,y41  the receipts     
amounted to #ccj4ed2 while in the same  
month of #ahfg1 with  no decrease in the
 tariff1 the receipts were              
#e1cib4jg1--;an increase of  over #a1fjj
 per cent1 and exceeding by #djj per    

cent that which in ,belgium  was caused1
 as claimed1 by reducing the tariff from
 #a4jb to #ag cents1  but which1 in     
,buffalo1 resulted from simple natural  
increase caused by  the growth of the   
country and enlarged telegraphic        
facilities4 ,the  annual gross receipts 
of the ,magnetic ,telegraph ,company1   
extending  between ,new ,york and       
,washington1 were as follows3--         
#ahdg1 #cb1haj                          
#ahdh1  #eb1beb                         
#ahdi1  #fc1cfg                         
#ahej1  #fa1chc                         
#ahea1  #fg1gcg                         
#aheb1 #ajc1bcb    ,up to the close of  
#ahdh the above company had a monopoly  
of the  telegraph service between these 
two cities1 but in ,march1 #ahdi1 the   
,house ,printing ,line commenced        
operations between ,new ,york and       
,philadelphia1 and1 together with       
,bain's ,chemical ,telegraph1 was       
continued through to ,washington in the 
autumn of that year1 so that from  #ahdh

 to #aheb the above statement only shows
 the receipts of one of the  three lines
 doing business between these places4   
,if the receipts of the  other two      
companies were as large1 it exhibits the
 remarkable increase  in the amount of  
business done1 in five years1 of more   
than #ijj per  cent1 without any        
reduction in rates4    ,the number of   
messages transmitted by the ,magnetic   
,company in #aheb was  #bec1heg1 at an  
average cost1 according to the receipts1
 of forty cents  each4    ,the average  
cost of the ,french telegrams for the   
same year1 according to  the official   
tables furnished by ,mr4 ,washburne1 was
 #aa4bh francs1 or  #b4be each4    ,for 
the year ending ,november #a1 #ahfh1 the
 ,western ,union ,telegraph  ,company   
transmitted over the same territory     
embraced by the lines of the  ,magnetic 
,company in #aheb1 #a1eef1jjd messages1 
the gross receipts upon  which were     
#edf1bfb4je1 being an average of        
thirty-five cents per  message4 ,there  

are two rival companies operating lines 
between ,new ,york  and ,washington at  
the present time1 so that the comparison
 between the  business for the past year
 and that of the previous year above    
given is  quite complete4    ,the gross 
receipts of the ,new ,york and ,boston  
,magnetic ,telegraph  ,association for  
the year ending                         
,july #ca1 #ahdh1 were #cd1hce4ad       
#ahec1      #hb1bad4af                  
#ahed1      #gi1fhc4gc                  
#ahee1     #aja1cjg4ih                  
#ahef1     #ajb1aea4gh                  
#aheg1     #ajc1acd4jf                  
#aheh1      #ih1jig4gc                  
#ahei1      #if1acf4jf    ,in #ahdh the 
above company had a monopoly of the     
business between these  places1 but in  
#ahdi two rival companies constructed   
lines over this  route and divided the  
business with it4    ,in #ahdh the      
tariff between ,new ,york and ,boston   
was fifty cents for the  first ten      
words1 and three cents for each added   

word2 and to  intermediate points       
twenty-five cents for the first ten     
words1 and two  cents for each added    
word4                 ,,unfortunate     
,,effects ,,of ,,low ,,rates ,,and      
,,competition4    ,in #ahdi the rate was
 reduced between ,new ,york and ,boston 
to thirty  cents1 in #ahej to twenty    
cents1 and in #aheb to ten cents4 ,none 
of the  lines1 however1 paid their      
working expenses from the time of their 
construction up to #ahec4 ,even in      
#ahdh1 when there was no opposition1 the
  expenses exceeded the receipts by     
#a1aii4jj4 ,one of the three lines was  
sold at public auction twice within     
three years after its construction1  to 
pay the debts incurred in operating it4 
,in #ahec two of the lines were  united 
under one control1 and an amicable      
arrangement entered into  between the   
two remaining companies1 by which the   
rates were advanced  approximately to   
those of #ahdh1 and they remained       
unchanged for the next  ten years4      

,,american ,,and ,,european ,,rates     
,,compared4    ,in #ahea1 when the      
tariff between ,new ,york and ,boston   
was twenty cents1  the average ,french  
rate was #a4ef1 and the ,belgian1 for   
less than one  third the distance1      
#a4ef4     ,in #aheb1 ,new ,york and    
,boston1 tariff1                        
#aj cents4           ,french1 average   
#b4be              ,prussian1           
#b4ce              ,belgian1            
for less than one   #a4ba               
third the distance1           ,austrian1
                                        
#a4ee         #ahff1 ,new ,york and     
,boston1                                
4#cj              ,french1 average1     
4#hc              ,prussian1            
4#fe              ,belgian1             
for less than one    4#be               
third the distance1           ,austrian1
                                        
4#df       ,when the ,belgian lines were
 opened to the public1 an act of the    
legislature1 dated ,march #ae1 #ahea1   

established a charge of #b francs for  a
 message of twenty words1 if transmitted
 within a circle of #ge  kilometres     
7i4e4 #ej cents in gold for a distance  
of about #df miles71  and five francs   
7one dollar gold7 for any distance      
beyond the limit of  #ge kilometres4    
,the increase from #eb1jej messages in  
,belgium in #ahec to #a1abh1jje in      
#ahff is1 no doubt1 in part justly      
attributable to the reduction of the    
prohibitory tariff of the former year1  
but it is not greater or more           
remarkable than the increase during the 
same period in ,america1 where no       
reduction from the early rates has been 
made1 and where1 nevertheless1  the     
business has improved year by year until
 it has grown into its  present volume1 
exceeding that of any nation on the     
globe1 on whatever  basis the comparison
 be placed4    ,belgium transmitted     
#ad1jbe messages in #ahea and #eb1jej in
 #ahec1 being an  increase of nearly    
#djj per cent in three years1 although  

the tariff had  been reduced less than  
#bj per cent4 ,from #ahec to #ahfb there
 was an  increase of over #ejj per cent1
 with a reduction of tariff of about #eb
  per cent4 ,from #ahfb to #ahfg there  
was an increase of less than #djj per   
cent1 although the average tariff had   
been reduced from #b4jg to #j4he        
francs1 or about #fj per cent4    ,other
 suggestive illustrations are contained 
in the tables furnished by  ,mr4        
,washburne4 ,thus1 in ,switzerland1 in  
#ahec1 at an average cost of #a4ee      
francs per message1 the number sent was 
#hb1ehf4 ,in #ahed1 at an average  cost 
of #a4fb francs1 #abi1afg were sent1    
showing an increase of #df1eha  messages
 at a higher tariff4 ,in #ahee1 when the
 cost per message was  almost identical 
with that of #ahec1 the number had      
increased to #afb1hea1  or about #ajj   
per cent4 ,in #ahei1 when the cost of   
messages was #a4dh1 as  compared with   
#a4ce in #aheh1 the number had increased
 from #bdg1ajb to  #bhf1hgf1 and in     

#ahfa1 at the average charge of #ahei1  
had increased from  #bhf1hgf to         
#ccc1icc4 ,in #aheg and #ahfb the       
charges were exactly alike1 yet  the    
increase in the number of messages in   
the latter year was #aac1bhh1  or over  
#dc per cent over the former4 ,the      
tables furnished by other  countries    
show similar results4 ,in ,prussia1 in  
#aheb1 #dh1gea messages  were sent at an
 average cost of #b4ce1 while in #aheh1 
at a cost increased  to #b4ie1 #bdg1bib 
messages were sent1 or an increase of   
over #djj per  cent4    ,the effect of  
the policies of the two nations thus    
shown to be so  dissimilar are          
instructive4    ,when ,belgium1 finding 
it necessary to reduce her tariff to one
 franc1  thereby first attempted to     
popularize the use of the telegraph1 it 
was  done1 notwithstanding all its      
advantages of free rents1 absence of    
taxes1 and labor vastly cheaper than in 
the ,united ,states1 at a loss to  the  
state of #da1dag4ai francs4 ,and when1  

upon the idea that a still  lower tariff
 might so develop the public use of the 
lines as to render  them                
self-sustaining1 the ,belgian government
 in #ahff reduced the tariff  one half1 
its expenditures were increased thereby 
from #fec1bhj francs in  #ahfc to       
#a1bag1dif francs1 entailing a loss of  
#bee1bhb1jjj francs1 as  shown by ,mr4  
,washburne's report4 ,in the ,united    
,states1 by keeping the  tariff at the  
lowest paying rates1 the system has been
 extended to every  part of the country1
 touching the extreme limits of         
civilization1 and  its realm of         
usefulness is yearly increasing4        
,,the ,,peculiarities ,,of ,,the        
,,belgian ,,telegraph ,,service4    ,the
 telegraph business of ,belgium is      
peculiar4 ,half of it only can be  said 
to be ,belgian at all1 the other half   
being messages in transit1 or           
international1 which are sent at        
comparatively little cost1 and for the  
transmission of which it makes terms    

with other nations4 ,on the inland  or  
,belgium business proper1 the only class
 which can with any propriety  be used  
in the argument in hand1 there was1 as  
has been seen1 a loss in  #ahff of      
thirty-four per cent1 and in #ahfg of   
thirty-seven and a half per  cent4 ,the 
greater cost of an inland message arises
 from the fact that it  is received1    
forwarded1 and delivered in the kingdom1
 requiring the  various service         
connected with such duties2 while       
transit messages  simply pass through   
the state1 and impose no expense for    
labor in  transmission1 reception1 or   
delivery1 and international messages    
require  no delivery in the country     
sending them4    ,but besides its annual
 losses to government1 there exists a   
serious  drawback in the value to the   
people of the reduced tariff4 ,the      
diminished rate in ,belgium is          
accompanied by no promise of prompt     
delivery4 ,despatches at a half-franc   
each must take their chance of          

transmission1 and submit to the delay   
caused by other service4 ,speed  rates  
are established to compensate for loss  
by the reduced tariff4  ,thus1 a message
 requiring immediate transit is charged 
three times an  ordinary message1       
reversing the plan of the ,western      
,union ,company1 which  transmits       
promptly and indiscriminately at        
ordinary rates1 but makes an  immense   
reduction when the night hours can be   
used4 ,of course business  men1 to whom 
time is money1 are obliged to pay an    
extra franc to secure  that promptness  
and certainty of transmission without   
which the  telegraph is of little value 
for all important transactions4 ,the    
tariff  has been1 therefore1 practically
 increased to one and a half francs1 or 
forty-two cents for distances which     
cannot average more than  seventy-five  
miles1 and probably do not exceed fifty4
 ,the cheap messages  take their chance4
 ,in ,america1 a repeated message is    
charged half a rate  more than the      

ordinary tariff4 ,in ,belgium it pays   
four single rates4  ,cipher messages are
 also charged four times the price of   
ordinary  messages1 while here they are 
received at ordinary rates4    ,were the
 ,united ,states government to construct
 lines under the ,washburne  bill1 and  
adopt this ,belgian system1 its tariffs 
between ,washington and                 
,baltimore--about the average distance  
of the ,belgian service--would be1  for 
prompt delivery such as our telegraph   
companies perform1 forty-five  cents1   
instead of the existing charge of ten   
cents2 for messages to  which no        
assurance of promptitude is given1      
fifteen cents2 and for  repeated        
messages1 sixty cents1 instead of our   
present rate of fifteen  cents4 ,if1    
now1 with all its advantages of cheap   
labor and the profits  arising from     
international and transit messages1 the 
,belgian government1  on these bases of 
charge1 admits a clear loss in #ahff of 
#bee1bhb francs1  how will it be        

possible for ,mr4 ,washburne to secure a
 profit to  government large enough in a
 few years to pay the cost of the line1 
on a  common tariff of fifteen cents for
 all classes of messages8               
,,belgian ,,officials ,,acknowledge     
,,the ,,imperfections ,,of ,,their      
,,system4    ,as ,mr4 ,washburne claims 
for ,european telegraphs speed1         
certainty1 and  economy1 it is well to  
be able to read ,belgian official       
testimony on the  same subject4 ,the    
last report of the ,belgian department  
of public works  has the following      
paragraph3--      8,imperfection has    
existed at all times and in all places4 
,it is in    vain to attempt to obtain  
equally rapid and exact transmission    
under    all circumstances4 ,delay will 
occur1 whatever may be done to prevent  
it1 by the blocking up of lines1 by a   
temporary influx of business2    and1 in
 a country where distances are short1   
that delay may equal1    and sometimes  
even exceed1 the time that would be     

occupied in    transmitting by railway40
    ,official truthfulness and modesty  
thus lifts the veil from a system held  
up for our admiration1 and reveals its  
weakness4                               
,,instructive ,,history ,,of ,,belgian  
,,telegraphs4    ,the history of the use
 of the telegraph in ,belgium is        
instructive4    ,during #ahea1 the first
 recorded year of its existence1 there  
passed  between the offices of the whole
 of that kingdom1 as shown by ,mr4      
,washburne's tables1 twenty-one messages
 per day4 ,if we may suppose1 what      
seems scarcely credible1 that only five 
of her chief cities were at that  time  
connected by the wires1--,ghent1        
,antwerp1 ,brussels1 ,bruges1 and       
,liege1--it exhibited the remarkable    
spectacle of a telegraph line opened  by
 government 8in the interest of the     
people10 used to the extent of  about   
four messages per day at each of her    
five chief cities6    ,even after four  
years more had been used in the         

extension of her lines1  the daily      
transmission only increased to          
fifty-five messages per day for  the    
whole kingdom1 showing how slowly and   
jealously the lines were given  to      
public employment1 and how utterly      
futile is the assertion that the  public
 interest1 at that time at least1       
controlled the state in their           
management4    ,the tariff1 which had   
averaged during the first year #a4bf per
 message1  and had not1 so far1 been    
practically reduced1 showed still more  
clearly  that only the rich used it1 and
 that it was1 on account of its cost1   
practically beyond the employment of the
 people4 ,the truth is1 as ,mr4         
,washburne states1 that the ,belgian    
government1 fearing its use in  private 
hands1 and suspicious that by private   
energy the telegraph would  be made to  
rival1 if not ruin1 the ,belgian post1  
seized and held it from  popular        
control4 ,there is certainly nothing in 
the first five years of  its existence  

in ,belgium which proves that           
government1 as is claimed1  desired to  
give the fruits of a great invention to 
the ,belgian people4  ,during all of    
these years1 however1 and in marked     
contrast to the lines  under government 
management everywhere1 hundreds of      
thousands of  messages were passing over
 the telegraph lines in the ,united     
,states1 at  a tariff which made them   
available to all its citizens1 and      
showing a  daily record in some of the  
smaller of its inland towns greater than
  that of all the ,belgian offices      
combined4    ,when in #ahff the ,belgian
 government1 by the radical reduction of
 the  tariff to half a franc1 endeavored
 to render the service more generally   
useful to the people1 it did so at the  
expense of the public treasury2  since  
on each of the #b1ahj inland messages   
transmitted per day a loss of           
thirty-eight centimes1 or more than two 
thirds the established rate1 was        
sustained2 and1 as we have elsewhere    

stated1 this loss would have been  much 
greater1 but for a profit derived from  
international and transit  messages1    
which went to the credit of the whole   
service4      ,,singular ,,idea ,,that  
,a ,,small ,,telegraph ,,system ,,is    
,,more ,,difficult ,,to ,,manage        
,,than ,a ,,large ,,one4    8,it appears
 to be tolerably clear10 says ,mr4      
,washburne1 8that1 in order  to assert  
the superiority of a system on a small  
scale1 it requires even  more care and  
greater attention to cope with an       
increased traffic than  an establishment
 whose ramifications embrace a larger   
sphere40    ,this remark is made with   
reference to the necessity of great     
promptitude  in the delivery of messages
 in ,belgium1 where the places connected
 are  contiguous1 and conveyance by     
railroad rapid and frequent4 ,it is made
  also to show that it is more difficult
 under such circumstances to cope  with 
an enlarged use of the telegraph than in
 the ,united ,states1 where1  by reason 

of distance and the comparative         
infrequency of transit by  railroad1 the
 necessity of promptitude is presumably 
less urgent4    ,at first the argument  
seems fair1 but when examined1 it has no
  foundation except in the general fact 
that distance and infrequent  transit by
 rail may render the telegraph valuable 
and desirable1 even  without the        
promptness essential where transit is   
rapid and frequent4    ,the weakness of 
the argument is evident when it is seen 
that1 as  distances decrease1 all the   
elements of cost and maintenance of     
lines  and the difficulties arising from
 elemental disturbances1 lessen in the  
same proportion4 ,this admits of easy   
illustration4 ,look for a moment at     
,belgium1 of which ,mr4 ,washburne      
treats so copiously4 ,located centrally 
in that kingdom1 in the form of a       
triangle1 and separated from each  other
 by about thirty miles each1 are her    
three chief cities1 ,ghent1  ,brussels1 
and ,antwerp4 ,to connect either two of 

these a line of  telegraph thirty miles 
long is required1 which government      
builds upon  its own property and       
protects by its own police4 ,however    
thoroughly  built1 its cost is          
necessarily small4 ,there is no trouble 
or uncertainty  in working it4 ,its very
 shortness renders its perfection in the
 use of  all the appliances which       
science and experience have shown       
desirable  readily and cheaply          
attainable1 and it is easily kept in    
order4 ,when  increased public use      
imperils promptness by the limited      
provision of  wires1 ten men1 in a      
single week1 can erect another4 ,in all 
this the  very proximity of the points  
to be connected facilitates and         
economizes  every step required in      
meeting the enlarged necessities4       
,the management of such lines1 short1   
well-guarded1 and permanent1 is  almost 
solely confined to the arrangements for 
transmission and  delivery4    ,in      
,belgium1 therefore1 which contains only

 two thirds as many offices as  the     
,western ,union ,telegraph ,company     
maintains in the ,state of ,new ,york   
alone1 with her commercial centres near 
together1 with an average of  less than 
three wires on her poles1 with her      
#b1bcb miles of line on  government     
property and protected by its authority1
 want of promptness  would be           
inexcusable1 because so easily effected4
 ,were ,new ,york and  ,chicago only    
thirty miles apart1 and all the messages
 of the ,united  ,states1 now           
approximating thirteen millions per     
annum1 required to be  passed between   
them at the rate of #cf1jjj per day1 and
 within an average  of fifteen minutes  
from the time of their reception1 as is 
now done  between the ,chambers of      
,commerce of these cities1 it could be  
accomplished with comparative ease1 and 
especially so were the land  which the  
wires traversed the property of the     
company1 and the lines  guarded by the  
nation4 ,once render it easy and        

inexpensive to provide a  reliable      
outward structure1 and the work of the  
telegraph becomes a  matter of simple   
internal organization1 except as        
competition and the  necessities of     
extension in a land so vast as ours adds
 to the ordinary  cares of              
administration4 ,the immense distances  
between our centres of  commerce1 the   
multitude of far separated radiating    
centres of business1  the great exposure
 and defective protection of our lines1 
and constantly  increasing system of    
wires which are constructed as rapidly  
as new  demands for their extension are 
made1 render the management of this     
company one of the most arduous and     
complicated of private enterprises4     
,there is nothing in ,europe or         
elsewhere which bears any proper        
resemblance to the ,american telegraph  
system1 nor with which it can be        
properly compared4    ,between the      
systems of ,belgium and the ,united     
,states we witness the  following marked

 contrast4 ,the companies here have only
 one tariff for  transmission1 and all  
take their turn4 ,the payment of an     
extra franc  cannot1 as in ,belgium1    
purchase priority1 or give one advantage
 over his  neighbor4 ,this is an        
imposition of the government1 similar   
to1 and even  less defensible1 than that
 which in ,england requires four        
postages to  secure the safety of a     
letter4 ,here the companies offer to    
guarantee the  public against error by  
an extra payment of one half the        
ordinary  tariff2 but the public1       
because of their confidence in the      
company1 do  not avail themselves of    
this provision1 to an extent of one in  
ten  thousand6 ,messages sent in cipher1
 for which no extra charge is made in   
the ,united ,states1 can only be sent in
 ,europe by the payment of four         
ordinary tariffs1 and in some states in 
,europe1 and among others ,france1  the 
government will not permit their being  
sent at all4               ,,necessity  

,,for ,,the ,,unification ,,of ,,the    
,,telegraph ,,system4    ,it is curious 
to observe that the reasons assigned for
 the advantages to  be gained by        
governmental control are precisely the  
same which led to  the consolidation    
under one management of the great mass  
of the ,american  lines1 and which has  
led to the unjust charge of monopoly as 
the work of  unification has progressed4
    ,mr4 ,scudamore says3 8,when ,i     
began to collect the information on     
which  this report is based1 ,i was not 
free from doubts as to the propriety of 
the scheme2 but1 after patiently        
collecting and considering all the data 
which ,i could obtain1 ,i found myself  
driven1 by the mere force of facts1  to 
the conclusion at which ,i have arrived4
 ,this conclusion1 indeed1 is  almost   
identical with that to which the        
directors of the ,electric and          
,international ,telegraph ,company came 
in the year #aheb1 and which they  thus 
stated to their stockholders3--    8,the

 delays1 inaccuracies1 and expense of   
the continental telegraphs are  an      
exemplification of the great advantage  
to the public of the  administration    
being under a single management4 ,this  
circumstance  alone admits of the       
establishment of a low and uniform      
tariff4444 ,the  telegraph has already  
become a most powerful and useful agent1
 and has1  in a measure1 been adopted as
 a means of communication by persons    
employed in commercial pursuits1 but1   
owing to the want of proper  arrangement
 and facilities1 and the fact of the    
management of the lines  being divided  
by several companies1 without unison in 
action or  interest1 the public         
generally have been debarred from       
benefiting by the  immense accommodation
 and advantages the telegraph is capable
 of  affording40    ,in presenting the  
same idea1 ,mr4 ,washburne1 with a      
looseness of  statement for which we    
know of no proper justification1 remarks
 as  follows3--      8,there can be no  

doubt that the superiority of the       
continental    system over every other  
is due to the fact that the telegraph   
there    is a government institution1   
while in this country it is left to     
private enterprise4 ,individual and     
associated effort have done much1       
but1 with the confusion of our          
telegraphic system before us1 it        
would be folly to shut our eyes to the  
inherent weakness of all    joint-stock 
enterprises4 ,absence of responsibility1
 waste of labor1    irresolute councils1
 expensive management1 want of effective
 control    over subordinates1 are among
 the evils of such associations1 to say 
nothing of the imperative demands of    
stockholders that dividends    shall be 
made and that none shall be hazarded4   
,under government    control one        
governing body would do the work now    
done by twenty1 and    the obligation to
 realize profits would not interfere to 
prevent the    reduction of rates or the
 proper extension of the system40       

,passing over the charges of 8waste1    
irresponsibility1 and irresolute        
councils10 which serve to round the     
paragraph in which they occur1 the      
focal idea is the efficiency secured by 
a united control4 ,that is the  very    
basis of this company's organization4   
,discarding as false and  perilous any  
general assumption of the enterprises of
 the people by the  government1 and     
accepting its refusal to attach the     
telegraph to its  administration1 when  
offered to it by its inventor1 as for   
the best  interest of the nation1 this  
company early saw that united action    
between the extremes of our territorial 
limits was as essential to its  own     
success as to public convenience4 ,with 
numerous companies1 of  limited         
jurisdiction1 and tariffs on all        
bases1--which had to be added  and      
dovetailed to each other whenever a     
despatch passed between two  distant    
places1--there was neither certainty of 
correctness1 promptitude1  nor the      

possibility of a low and uniform tariff4
 ,to secure all of these  the leading   
telegraph organizations combined4 ,it   
was a step necessary  alike for public  
usefulness and success1 and is          
accomplishing all that  could be        
desired4 ,the system has penetrated     
farther1 and compassed more  territory  
than separate organizations could have  
attempted or than even  government      
itself would have been willing to       
undertake4 ,its  administration is vast1
 harmonious1 liberal1 exact1 economical1
 and  just4 ,it uses its revenues       
largely to extend its realm of          
usefulness to  the people of every      
section of the country4 ,it seeks to    
secure the  highest skill and character 
in its employees4 ,its aim is to give   
the  wires to the use of the whole      
people on the lowest terms consistent   
with  proper self-support and the just  
return which capital and skill demand4  
,it will accomplish all the nation      
requires of it1 if allowed to solve  its

 own problem1 making the wires the      
accepted right arm of the public        
industries1 and the emblem of universal 
unity and good-will4                    
,,estimate ,,of ,,the ,,cost ,,of       
,,building ,,telegraph ,,lines4    ,mr4 
,washburne says3--      8,any one at all
 familiar with the prices of materials  
and labor in    the various countries   
will see that1 as to materials for the  
construction of lines1 they are cheaper 
here than in any ,european    country1  
and that the whole cost of constructing 
telegraphic lines    must be less here  
than in ,belgium or ,switzerland4 ,in   
the latter    country a large proportion
 of the lines are erected upon iron     
posts1    the prime cost of which with  
the stone base is from #f to #i each1   
or from five to seven times the cost of 
the posts usually employed    in        
,america4      8,as to the exact cost of
 constructing lines in the ,united      
,states it    is difficult to procure   
reliable data4 ,there are few questions 

apparently so simple upon which so many 
conflicting opinions have    been       
printed4 ,so simple a matter as the cost
 of posts1 say thirty    feet long1 the 
placing of them in the earth1 furnishing
 and placing    the necessary iron wires
 and insulators and the fitting up of   
stations with instruments and furniture1
 ought not1 one would    suppose1 to be 
a difficult thing to fix4 ,yet persons  
claiming to be    experts1 and even     
authorities in all matters relating to  
telegraphs1    have differed very       
widely4 ,mr4 ,prescott1 a telegraph     
superintendent1    and the author of a  
work on #8,electric ,telegraphs1'       
estimates the    cost of a mile of      
telegraph1 built as they ordinarily are1
 at    #fa4hjg4444    ,footnote #g3     
,this statement was written in #ahei1   
and the object of the author      was to
 show the inferior manner in which a    
majority of the lines      were         
constructed at that time4      8,this is
 about the cost of construction of a    

majority of our lines1    but if built  
as they should be1 they would cost #aej 
per mile4 ,if    additional wires are   
added1 each wire put up would be1 per   
mile1    #cb4hj40    ,mr4 ,washburne's  
statement1 that telegraph lines can be  
built cheaper in  the ,united ,states   
than in ,europe1 is entirely incorrect4 
,labor1 wire1  machinery1 insulators1   
and every appliance peculiar to the     
telegraph1  are very much cheaper in    
,europe than in ,america1 and large     
importations  of wire are constantly    
being made from ,belgium and ,england1  
notwithstanding the heavy duty4    ,the 
difference in the cost of labor in      
,europe and ,america is very great4     
,the most recent authentic publication  
on the subject#h states that the        
general average rates paid for all kinds
 of labor in the ,united ,kingdom  are  
as follows3 ,for adult males1 in        
,england1 #d4if per week2 in  ,scotland1
 #d4eb2 in ,ireland1 #c4af4 ,for boys   
and youths1 under twenty  years of age1 

in ,england1 #a4dd2 in ,scotland1 #a4gj2
 in ,ireland1 #a4ch4  ,for adult women1 
in ,england1 #b4gf2 in ,scotland1 #b4cb2
 in ,ireland1  #b4jf4 ,for girls1 under 
twenty years of age1 in ,england1 #a4hh2
 in  ,scotland1 #a4hj2 in ,ireland1     
#a4fb4 ,these rates are stated to be    
high1  as compared with other countries 
in ,europe4    ,footnote #h3      ,wages
 and ,earnings of the ,working ,classes4
 ,by ,leone ,levi1 ,f4 ,s4 ,s41 ,f4     
,s4 ,a41 ,professor of the ,principles  
and ,practice of ,commerce in ,king's   
,college4 ,london3 ,john ,murray4 #ahfg4
    ,in ,belgium1 coal-miners earn from 
#cc cents to #a4jj per day1 the average 
being #ef cents4 ,in iron-furnaces1 a   
puddler earns from #ib cents to  #a4aj1 
and the under hands from #ej cents to   
#fb cents per day4 ,in  iron-foundries1 
a moulder earns from #dd cents to #fb   
cents per day4 ,in  ,paris1 the average 
for adult male labor is #gf cents per   
day1 and for  women #ch cents2 but in   
the interior of ,france the price is    

much less4 ,in  ,prussia1 first-class   
engineers earn #a4aj1 and second-class  
#hc cents4    ,among the working classes
 in the ,united ,kingdom are included   
all who1  whether as workers for others 
or as workers for themselves1 are       
employed  in manual labor1 be it        
productive of wealth or not2 and they   
are divided  into five classes1 viz4    
professional1 domestic1 commercial1     
agricultural1 and industrial4 ,the total
 number of workers is estimated  at     
eleven millions1 and the average weekly 
earnings in the ,united  ,kingdom are3  
,men1 under twenty1 #a4ei2 from twenty  
to sixty1 #d4ah2  women1 under twenty1  
#a4gb2 from twenty to sixty1 #b4da4     
,average weekly  earnings from every    
avocation in ,great ,britain and        
,ireland1 #c4af4    ,thirty per cent of 
the people of the ,united ,kingdom live 
in houses the  rental of which is less  
than #ca per annum1 and seventeen per   
cent in  those under #de per year4      
,in the preparation of the following    

table we have consulted ,professor      
,levi's work on ,wages and ,earnings in 
,england2 8,government and the          
,telegraphs0 7,london1 #ahfh72 8,special
 ,report on the ,electric ,telegraph    
,bill02 8,publications of the           
,statistical ,bureau at ,washington02   
and the  official records of the        
,western ,union ,telegraph ,company4    
,statement showing the ,average ,cost of
 ,labor in ,england and the ,united     
,states4               ,prices paid per 
,day4            ,england4     ,united  
,states4       ,carpenters and ,builders
                       #a4ad            
#c4be   ,dock ,laborers                 
4#fh            #b4be   ,engineers      
#a4cb            #c4he   ,farm ,laborers
                                   4#db 
#b4jj   ,iron ,founders                 
#a4aj            #c4be   ,moulders      
#a4be            #c4ej                  
,letter-,carriers#i                     
4#gd            #b4ah   ,printers       
#a4jb            #b4ej   ,policemen     

4#he            #c4jj   ,railroad       
,conductors                             
4#ib            #c4he   ,soldiers       
4#bb             4#fb   ,servant-girls  
4#af             4#dh   ,telegraph      
,employees#aj                           
4#da            #a4bi       ,footnote   
#i3      ,the number of letter-carriers 
employed by the ,british ,post-,office  
,department for the year #ahff was      
#aa1ddi1 and the total expenditures     
for the same #b1ffd1jjj1 being an       
average of #bcb4fh per annum for    each
 man4      ,the number of               
letter-carriers employed by the         
,post-,office ,department    of the     
,united ,states for the year #ahff was  
#hfc1 and the total    expenditures for 
the same #ehi1bcf4da1 being an average  
of #fhb4gg for    each man4    ,footnote
 #aj3      ,the cost of labor of        
telegraph employees is obtained by      
dividing the    total amount paid for   
labor by the number of persons employed 
of all    kinds4 ,the average price per 

day for operators in the ,united ,states
 is    #b4be1 and in ,england #fb cents4
    ,with a knowledge of the great      
difference in the cost of labor and     
material in ,europe and ,america which  
the above statistics show1 we  cannot   
comprehend the propriety of ,mr4        
,washburne's assertion that the  whole  
cost of constructing telegraphic lines  
must be less here than in  ,belgium or  
,switzerland4    ,even our poles are    
purchased in the ,dominion of ,canada1  
and paid for in  gold4 ,the cost of     
transportation from the ,st4 ,lawrence  
to ,new ,york  cannot be much1 if any1  
more than the cost of their delivery at 
,london1  ,havre1 or ,brussels4    ,in  
the ,united ,states1 telegraph-poles are
 of cedar or chestnut1--more  generally 
of the former4 ,in ,england1 the larch  
is the most common2 in  ,russia1 the    
pine2 in ,france1 pine1 alder1 poplar1  
and other white woods2  and in ,germany1
 spruce and pine4#aa    ,footnote #aa3  
,telegraph ,manual4    ,the cost of a   

telegraph line depends1 like the cost of
 a house or any  other structure1 upon  
how it is built1 but ,mr4 ,washburne1 or
 any other  intelligent man1 ought to   
know that the price appropriated in his 
bill  for a four-wire line from         
,washington to ,new ,york cannot        
possibly build  it1 even should         
government build such a structure as    
those which a dozen  years ago cursed   
the enterprise1 and made it a reproach  
and shame4 ,when  government builds a   
line of telegraph on the plea of public 
necessity1  it should require that its  
structures at least be equal to those of
 its  citizens4 ,it is not strange that1
 with the crude and cheap ideas formed  
by ,mr4 ,washburne of telegraph         
structures1 he disparages and           
undervalues  the properties of the      
existing companies1 and ridicules the   
estimates  furnished ,congress in their 
communications4         ,,doubts        
,,regarding ,,the ,,estimates ,,of      
,,telegraph ,,experts ,,as ,,to ,,cost  

,,of                                    
,,constructing ,,lines4    ,we quote    
from ,mr4 ,washburne's paper3--         
8,in ,february1 #ahff1 when1 in view of 
the establishment of an    experimental 
government line of telegraph1 the       
,postmaster-,general    was called upon 
for information #8in regard to the      
feasibility and    usefulness of        
establishing1 in connection with the    
,post-,office    ,department1 telegraph 
lines1' c41 #8to be opened to the public
 at    minimum rates of charge1 444 and 
such statistics and exhibits            
predicated on cost of construction and  
capacity of transmission as    will best
 illustrate its practicability1' he sent
 to ,congress    lengthy statements1 all
 of them prepared by persons believed to
 be    interested in or officers of     
existing companies1 in which the cost   
of a telegraphic line with six wires is 
put down by one writer at    #a1djj per 
mile1 by others at #ffe1 exclusive of   
river cables and    lines through       

cities4      8,among other statements so
 furnished is an amended one by ,mr4    
,prescott1 whose statement1 when made   
part of a work intended as    authority 
in telegraphic matters1 is quoted above4
 ,for reasons not    explained his views
 underwent a marked change between #ahfj
 and #ahff1    and he makes haste to    
refute his own previous statements4 ,his
    revised statement is as follows3--  
8#8,it is well known by every person who
 has any knowledge of      telegraphy in
 this country previous to the           
publication of my      work in #ahfj1   
that comparatively few lines had been at
 that time      even tolerably well     
constructed2 and one object which ,i had
 in      view in writing it was to call 
attention to this prevailing      fault1
 and endeavor to get a better system    
inaugurated4        8#8,since then there
 has been a very marked improvement in  
the      construction of telegraph lines
 in this country4 ,small poles1 of      
inferior wood1 which required renewing  

every few years1 have      given place  
to large and more enduring ones of      
chestnut and      cedar1 and small iron 
wire1 which offered great resistance to 
the passage of the electric current1 has
 given place to      zinc-coated wire of
 larger size and greater conductivity4  
8#8,but while the quality of the lines  
has greatly improved under      the     
experienced and liberal management of   
the telegraph      companies1 the cost  
of constructing lines has kept pace with
 the      increased cost of everything  
else1 and has more than doubled         
within the past six years1 so that lines
 which could have been      built in    
#ahfj for #aej per mile could not now be
 constructed for      twice that amount4
 ,a substantial telegraph line1         
constructed      on the line of a       
railroad1 with cedar or chestnut poles  
thirty feet in length1 and six inches at
 the top by twelve at      the butt1 set
 forty to the mile1 with most improved  
form of      insulator and best         

galvanized wire1 would cost #djj per    
mile for      a single wire4 ,if        
forty-foot poles were used 7which would 
be      necessary if many wires were to 
be placed upon one set of      poles71  
it would cost #fjj per mile for a single
 wire4 ,when      fifty-foot poles are  
used1 the cost is very greatly enhanced4
        8#8,mr4 ,brown estimates the    
total cost of all the telegraph         
property in the ,united ,states at 8a   
little more than      #b1jjj1jjj40 ,now1
 if we estimate the present cost of the 
lines      and their equipment at the   
moderate price of #cjj per mile1 and    
the number of miles of wire in the      
country at only #aej1jjj1 we      have a
 total cost of #de1jjj1jjj1 without     
reckoning the value of      the patents1
 franchises1 c4        8#8,mr4 ,brown   
states that 8telegraphs properly        
constructed1 the      timber well       
prepared and wire protected1 will last  
for #bj      years40 ,this may be true1 
but it remains to be proved4'0    ,we   

fail to discern any refutation by ,mr4  
,prescott of his previous  statements4  
,his reasons for a change in the        
estimates for building a  telegraph line
 in #ahff over those of #ahfj hardly    
need be stated4 ,if the  results of the 
intervening years of civil war1 by which
 a million of  able-bodied men were cut 
off from the fields of labor1 the       
industries of  the country burdened with
 enormous taxes before unknown1 and     
prices  inflated by the issue of        
hundreds of millions of paper dollars1  
do not  suggest them1 there is small    
hope of profit from the practical       
lessons  of the times4                  
,,incorrect ,,assertion ,,that          
,,american ,,telegraphs ,,are ,,not     
,,constructed                           
,,according ,,to ,,specifications4      
,mr4 ,washburne says3--      8,the      
officers of the telegraph companies1    
whose elaborate statement    is also    
forwarded by the ,postmaster-,general1  
estimate as follows3--      8#8,cost of 

construction1 including engineering1    
patents1 and    franchises1 per mile3   
one wire--six wires4      8#8,the cost  
of building lines varies according to   
locality1 timber1    method1 nature of  
the ground1 and the wires to be borne4  
8#8,a line from ,new ,york to           
,washington should be of the best class1
    and would be represented by the     
following figures3--     #dc poles      
delivered at stations1                  
#afa4be   #abi arms1 complete1          
#abi4jj   #dc holes1 five feet deep1    
tools1 c41                              
#cj4jj   ,labor1--handling1 preparing1  
erecting1 c41                           
#be4jj   ,six wires1 at twelve cents per
 pound1                                 
#bdj4jj   ,labor1--wiring1              
transportation1 c41                     
#cj4jj   ,distributing poles1           
#be4jj   ,superintendence1 c41          
#be4jj                                  
----------------                        
#ffe4be                                 

#bdj miles at #ffe4be1 ,washington to   
,new ,york1                    #aei1ffj 
,lines through ,new ,york1              
,philadelphia1 ,baltimore1 and          
,washington1   #af1jjj   #bb cables at  
rivers south of the ,hudson1            
#bj1jjj   ,cable at ,hudson ,river1     
house1 boats1 c41                       
#h1jjj                                  
----------------                        
#bjc1ffj                                
8#8,the cost of franchises and patents  
cannot be given4      8#8,such a line   
built by government1 carefully1 and with
 reference to    permanence1 with six   
wires1 would cost #bej1jjj4      8#8,if1
 however1 it is seriously contemplated  
by the government to    construct lines 
along the great commercial routes1 and  
if it be the    design in so doing to   
remove from the system1 by every        
attainable    appliance or improvement1 
all its ascertained defects1 a structure
    of larger poles1 and wires of       
superior conducting qualities1 will be  

built4 ,such a line should be           
constructed of the most solid and       
durable wood1 such as the black locust1 
so that masses of sleet or    moist     
snow1 so destructive to present lines1  
would leave it    uninjured4 ,heavier   
wires also1 which1 by their increased   
conducting    capacity1 would give      
greater facility and certainty to       
transmission1    should be used4        
8#8,these improvements1 with greater    
care taken in the execution of    the   
work than in that of ordinary           
structures1 will1 of course1    increase
 its cost in proportion to the care     
bestowed4 ,and should the    government 
determine to provide facilities equal to
 those now    proffered by private      
companies1 it would be necessary to     
erect at    least five lines of poles   
bearing six wires each1 that being the  
number 7thirty in all7 now in use       
between ,new ,york and ,washington by   
all the companies4      8#8,a common    
wire line1 intended to bear one1 and not

 more than two    wires1 can be built   
for #aej to #ahj per mile1 the wire     
being number    nine1 galvanized1 the   
poles of limited size1 and costing not  
over    #a4be each4'      8,it nowhere  
appears that such lines as all these    
writers insist    shall be built by the 
government have ever been built in this 
or any    other country4 ,they seem to  
have taken it as matter of course that  
the government1 if the experiment       
proposed should be tried1 will    depart
 from the usual method of construction  
and build the novel and    costly       
structures for which their estimates are
 made4 ,one looks in    vain in the     
communication sent to ,congress by the  
,postmaster-,general    for any reliable
 information as to the cost of a        
telegraphic line1    constructed as such
 lines are in this and other countries1 
and such    a line as the government1 if
 it should be determined to build an    
experimental line1 would probably       
build40              ,,cost ,,of        

,,american ,,telegraphs ,,estimated ,,by
 ,,european ,,data4    ,in reply to ,mr4
 ,washburne's statement that no such    
lines as all these  writers insist shall
 be built by the government have ever   
been built in  this or any other        
country1 we respectfully1 but firmly1   
assert that he  is mistaken4 ,this      
company possesses thousands of miles of 
telegraph  lines constructed after the  
specifications given above1 and costing 
as  much as the estimates which he so   
emphatically distrusts4 ,in order1      
however1 to set this matter of cost at  
rest1 we will endeavor to  establish it 
by comparison with those of all other   
countries of which we  have been able to
 procure official data4    ,mr4 ,frank  
,ives ,scudamore1 one of the assistant  
secretaries of the  ,british            
,post-,office1 and the gentleman who    
furnished the reports and  data by which
 the ,british government were induced to
 monopolize the  telegraph in that      
country1 and who shows no disposition to

 overvalue the  property or services of 
private telegraph companies1 testified  
before  the select committee of the     
,house of ,commons1 ,july #i1 #ahfh1    
that the  total number of miles of      
telegraph in operation in ,great        
,britain in #ahff  was #af1jjj1 and that
 the companies expended in constructing 
the same  about #b1cjj1jjj4ab           
,footnote #ab3      ,special ,report1   
,electric ,telegraph ,bill1 ordered by  
the ,house of    ,commons to be printed1
 #af ,july1 #ahfh4 ,see testimony on    
pages #adi and    #aej4    ,the capital 
stock of the various companies          
represented a larger sum than  this1 and
 ,mr4 ,scudamore himself acknowledges   
that he has got the amount  under the   
mark rather than over it2 therefore we  
presume that ,mr4  ,washburne will allow
 this to be a fair estimate4 ,now       
#b1cjj1jjj sterling  is equal to        
#aa1acb1jjj in gold1 or #af1dge1cfj in  
,united ,states legal  money4 ,this sum1
 divided by #af1jjj miles of line1 gives

 us #a1jbi4ga as  the cost per mile4    
,the ,belgian system comprised1 at the  
end of #ahff1 #c1eai kilometres of      
telegraph lines1 equal to #b1ahg        
,english miles4 ,the cost of            
constructing  these lines1 up to        
,december1 #ahff1 amounted to #b1jee1jhc
 francs1 equal  to #daa1jaf4fj gold1 or 
#fjh1cjd4ef currency2 which would give  
#bgd4ad  for each mile of line4 ,it must
 be borne in mind1 however1 that the    
,belgian government1 owning all the     
railroads1 could transport all the      
telegraph material free1 and in many    
other ways greatly reduce the cost  of  
the lines2 of course the right of way   
cost them nothing1 and with us  this is 
an important item4    ,bavaria has      
#b1aae miles of line1 which cost for    
construction #hdc1bjg  florins1 equal to
 #cdj1jib4bh gold1 or #ejc1cch4ce in our
 currency4 ,this  would make the cost   
per mile #bdj4 ,the same conditions1    
however1 which  reduced the cost of     
construction in ,belgium tended to the  

same result in  ,bavaria4    ,in ,france
 there are #bj1jbh miles of lines       
costing #bc1hjj1gia francs1  equal to   
#d1gfj1aeh4bj in gold1 or #g1jde1jcd4ac 
in currency1 making the  average cost of
 each mile of line #cea4ge4             
,,recapitulation4     ,average cost per 
mile of telegraph line in ,great        
,britain     and ,ireland1              
#a1jbi4ga   ,average cost per mile of   
telegraph line in ,belgium1             
#bgd4ad   ,average cost per mile of     
telegraph line in ,bavaria1             
#bdj4jj   ,average cost per mile of     
telegraph line in ,france1              
#cea4ge     ,total cost of telegraphs in
 ,great ,britain and ,ireland1          
#af1dge1cfj4jj   ,total cost of         
telegraphs in ,belgium1                 
#fjh1cjd4ef   ,total cost of telegraphs 
in ,bavaria1                            
#ejc1cch4ce   ,total cost of telegraphs 
in ,france1                             
#g1jde1jcd4ac                           
----------------------------            

,total cost for the four countries1     
#bd1fcb1jcg4jd   ,total number of miles 
of telegraph line in ,great ,britain    
and ,ireland1                           
#af1jjj   ,total number of miles of     
telegraph line in ,belgium1             
#b1ahg   ,total number of miles of      
telegraph line in ,bavari1              
#b1aae   ,total number of miles of      
telegraph line in ,france1              
#bj1jbh                                 
------------   ,total number of miles of
 telegraph in the four     countries1   
#dj1ccj     ,average cost of            
construction of each mile of telegraph  
line for the four countries above named1
                      #faj4gf           
,,value ,,of ,,western ,,union          
,,telegraph ,,property1 ,,based ,,on    
,,european ,,data4    ,the number of    
miles of line belonging to this company 
is #ej1gfj1 and the  number of miles of 
wire is #ig1daf4    ,taking the average 
cost per mile of telegraph line in      
,england as a basis  for a calculation  

of the cost of the lines of the ,western
 ,union  ,telegraph ,company1 we have a 
total value of #eb1aff1jgi4fj4 ,if we   
estimate the cost of our lines by the   
average cost of all the telegraph  lines
 in ,europe of which any statistics can 
be obtained1 we have a total  value of  
#ca1jjb1agg4fj4    ,much has been said  
respecting the alleged unreasonably     
large capital of  the ,western ,union   
,telegraph ,company4 ,this company was  
organized in the  year #ahea1 with a    
capital of three hundred and sixty      
thousand dollars1  and constructed a    
line of electric telegraph from         
,buffalo1 ,n4 ,y41 to  ,louisville1     
,ky41 distance about six hundred miles4 
,the cost of the line1  on a gold basis1
 was thus #fjj per mile4 ,the present   
extent of line  belonging to this       
company1 if estimated by the cost of the
 original  line1 and forty per cent be  
added for the premium on gold1 would    
give us  #db1fch1djj as its value4 ,on  
the basis of the cost of the lines of   

the  ,atlantic and ,pacific ,telegraph  
,company1 the capital of the ,western   
,union  ,telegraph ,company would be    
about #ajj1jjj1jjj1 and1 on that of some
  other rival lines1 nearly             
#bjj1jjj1jjj4    ,the gross receipts of 
the ,western ,union ,telegraph ,company 
from ,july #a1  #ahff1 to ,november #a1 
#ahfh1--two years and four months1--were
  #af1jhh1dih4hf1 and the gross expenses
 #i1hfb1bgb4ca2 leaving  #f1bbf1bbe4ge  
as the net earnings1 being an average of
 over seven per  cent per annum on the  
capital of the company1 which is        
#dj1cdg1gjj4  ,after applying           
#a1icd1jdj4fa of the receipts of the    
past two years  towards the construction
 of new lines1 and the redemption of the
 bonds  of the company1 it has made1    
with one exception1 regular semiannual  
dividends of two per cent4 ,such a      
property as this1 if situated in        
,england1 or any other country in       
,europe1 would be regarded as so        
valuable that its stock would be held at

 par1 and yet it is selling in  our     
markets at the present time at          
sixty-four per cent discount1 or at     
thirty-six dollars per share6 ,at this  
price the entire property1  including   
payment of the bonded debt1 would only  
cost #ai1dae1fgb4    ,now what is the   
explanation of this singular distrust of
 the value of  this great property as   
shown by its insignificant present      
market value8  ,less than four years ago
 the stock sold at above par1 and its   
earnings  and prospects were then       
inferior to what they are at the present
 time4  ,an examination of the tables on
 page #ci will show that the gross      
receipts and net earnings have          
constantly increased during the past two
  and a half years1 and there is every  
reason1 so far as the management  and   
prosperity of the company is concerned1 
why its market value should  have       
increased instead of depreciating4 ,the 
explanation for this  singular state of 
things is to be found in the constant   

agitation in  ,congress of various      
schemes for the construction and        
operation of  government telegraphs1 at 
prices very much lower than the cost of 
the  service4 ,let any industry be thus 
constantly menaced1 and it must         
necessarily suffer in public estimation 
as a safe investment4 ,we trust  the    
subject will be effectually settled     
during the present session of           
,congress1 and the incubus which has so 
long rested upon this important         
enterprise be removed4      ,,erroneous 
,,estimate ,,of ,,the ,,value ,,of ,,the
 ,,western ,,union ,,telegraph          
,,company',s                            
,,property4    ,mr4 ,washburne says3--  
8,the statement furnished by the        
officers of the telegraph companies1    
for the information of the              
,postmaster-,general1 and by him        
forwarded    to ,congress as his reply  
to the call for information1 is well    
calculated to remove all doubts as to   
the value of this kind of    property4  

,among other items of information is the
 following3--      8,the length of wire 
owned by the ,western ,union and ,united
 ,states    companies is #fj1jjj        
miles4#ac ,the average cost1 as based on
 the now    united capital1 is #dej per 
mile4 ,this embraces1 besides the poles1
    wires1 and apparatus1 the           
following3--    ,footnote #ac3          
,this estimate was made before the      
consolidation of the ,american          
,telegraph ,company and other properties
 with the ,western ,union               
,telegraph ,company1 and when its       
capital was only #bg1jjj1jjj4           
,invested in buildings1       #ie1bjh4hc
                  ,stocks in other      
companies1 #a1dbi1ijj4jj                
,office fittings1                       
#cfj1jjj4jj      8,it is remarkable that
 while the length of wire is given1 the 
length of line nowhere appears4#ad      
,there is a vast difference    between  
the cost of a telegraph line and a      
telegraphic wire4 ,we    have seen the  

cost of a line with a single wire       
estimated at #fa4hj1    and each        
additional wire placed on the same      
posts1 #ca4hj per mile4    ,footnote    
#ad3        ,we have given the length of
 the lines1 as well as the length of    
the wires belonging to the ,western     
,union ,telegraph ,company1 on      page
 #cb4      8,in the absence of any exact
 information on the subject1 we may     
fairly estimate that the lines of the   
companies named average three    wires  
to each line4 ,they possess1 then1      
#bj1jjj miles of telegraph    line1 with
 an average of three wires thereon4     
,they speak of #8single    wire lines   
costing #ahj per mile4' ,this estimate  
is too high for any    line now in use2 
but if it be adopted as the basis of    
calculation1    and an allowance of #de 
per mile be made for each additional    
wire1    we have1 for the #bj1jjj miles 
of line owned by the companies named1   
a cost of #e1djj1jjj1 represented by a  
capital stock of #da1jjj1jjj6    #8,the 

average cost' per mile of each wire     
suspended on their lines1    #8as based 
on the now united capital1 is #dej per  
mile4' ,if #8the    united capital' had 
been based upon the actual cost of the  
property    of the company1 it would    
have been nearer #d1jjj1jjj than        
#da1jjj1jjj4      8,the #8information'  
furnished to the ,postmaster-,general is
 compiled    with the evident intent to 
discourage the experiment then          
contemplated4 ,it is incomplete1 and is 
compiled with an intent to    mislead4  
,to any one who will take the trouble to
 examine it    carefully1 and to apply  
the proper tests to its assertions1 it  
furnishes additional arguments in favor 
of a careful experiment by    the       
government in the construction and      
maintenance of telegraph    lines under 
control of the ,post-,office            
,department40    ,to impugn the motives 
of an opponent is the weakest of        
arguments4 ,if his  statements are      
wrong1 it is easy to show wherein1 but  

wholesale  denunciation convinces no one
 of the strength of the cause or the    
culpability of the assailed4 ,we do not 
question ,mr4 ,washburne's honesty  of  
purpose in making his unjust and        
extremely erroneous statements          
regarding the property or executive     
ability of the ,western ,union          
,telegraph ,company1 but we do say that 
he is most egregiously deceived  upon   
all points which he has discussed4      
,in reply to the charges which ,mr4     
,washburne brings against the ,western  
,union ,telegraph ,company1 of compiling
 information for the                    
,postmaster-,general with an intent to  
mislead1 of exaggerating the cost  of   
construction of lines1 and              
misrepresenting the value of its own1 we
  respectfully present the following    
facts respecting the organization of    
the company1 the amount of its capital1 
the number of miles of line and  the    
number of miles of route1 together with 
a statement of the number of  skilled   

persons in its employ4                  
,,the ,,organization ,,of ,,the         
,,western ,,union ,,telegraph ,,company4
    ,in the spring of #ahff there were  
three telegraph companies1 covering     
vast areas of territory in the ,united  
,states4 ,two of these companies        
operated lines over separate divisions  
of the country1 but worked in           
connection with each other1 while the   
third1 which covered some portions  of  
the territory of the others1 was a      
competitor for the business of all      
sections4 ,these three companies were   
the ,western ,union1 with lines         
extending from ,new ,york to            
,california1 and throughout the ,western
  ,states2 the ,american1 with lines    
extending from the ,gulf of the ,st4    
,lawrence to the ,gulf of ,mexico1 and  
through the lower ,mississippi and      
,ohio ,valleys2 and the ,united ,states1
 with lines extending from ,portland1   
,me41 to ,richmond1 ,va41 and from ,new 
,york to ,kansas4    ,the necessity for 

direct communication between the ,east  
and the ,west1  and the economy of one  
set of officers and employees instead of
 two1  demanded the consolidation of the
 ,american and the ,western ,union2 and 
the still greater saving to all the     
companies by the uniting of the  lines  
and offices of the ,united ,states with 
those of the other two  equally         
necessitated its amalgamation with the  
others4                                 
,par ,value4    ,market                 
,value4   ,the capital of the ,western  
,union ,telegraph     ,company1 which   
had sold at par and over in             
#bb1jjj1jjj #bb1jjj1jjj     #ahfe1 was  
,the capital stock of the ,american     
,telegraph     ,company1 which sold at  
#ahj per share in        #d1jjj1jjj     
#g1bjj1jjj     #ahfe1 was   ,the capital
 stock of the ,united ,states           
#aa1jjj1jjj  #aa1jjj1jjj     ,telegraph 
,company was                            
----------------------                  
----------------------                  

#cg1jjj1jjj #dj1bjj1jjj    ,the         
proportion of lines and wires to the    
capital varied with each  company1 the  
,american company having the greater    
number2 and in the  terms of            
consolidation these differences were    
equitably arranged1 and  the capital    
stock of the consolidated company was   
established as  follows3--              
,,financial ,,statistics ,,of ,,the     
,,western ,,union ,,telegraph ,,company4
                                        
,,capital ,,stock4     ,at the date of  
the ,report of ,october1 #ahfe1 the     
capital     stock of the company issued 
was                                     
#ba1cee1ajj     ,it has since been      
increased as follows3--   ,october1     
#ahfe1 by conversion of bonds           
#ejj   ,november1 #ahfe1 by exchange for
 stock of ,california ,state            
,telegraph ,company                     
#abb1ejj   ,december1 #ahfe1 by exchange
 for ,lodi ,telegraph ,stock            
#ejj   ,december1 #ahfe1 by exchange for

 ,trumansburg and ,seneca     ,falls    
,telegraph ,stock1                      
#c1ejj   ,december1 #ahfe1 by issue to  
,hicks  ,wright for ,repeater           
,patent1                                
#a1ejj   ,december1 #ahfe1 by exchange  
for ,missouri and ,western              
,telegraph ,stock1                      
#djj   ,december1 #ahfe1 by exchange for
 ,house ,telegraph ,stock1              
#a1djj   ,april1    #ahff1 by #b percent
 ,stock ,dividend1 to equalize     stock
 as per ,consolidation ,agreements1     
#dgb1cjj   ,april1    #ahff1 by         
consolidation with ,united ,states      
,telegraph ,company1                    
#c1hde1hjj   ,june1     #ahff1 by issue 
for ,united ,states ,pacific ,lines1    
#c1ccc1cjj   ,july1     #ahff1 by       
consolidation with ,american ,telegraph 
,company1                               
#aa1hah1hjj   ,july1     #ahff1 by      
exchange for ,p4 ,c4  ,l4 ,telegraph    
,stock1       #d1ajj   ,december #a1    
#ahfg1 by fractions converted1 to date1 

#di1ajj                                 
----------------------   ,total present 
capital1                                
#da1jjh1hjj   ,of the stock issued for  
,united ,states ,pacific     ,lines     
there was returned to the company1 as   
consideration for completing            
construction of     ,pacific ,line1     
#hhc1cjj   ,the company owns also1      
#abj1hjj                                
--------------------                    
#a1jjd1ajj   ,out of this we have issued
 for--     ,southern ,express ,co4's    
,telegraph     ,lines1                  
#aej1jjj     ,california ,state         
,telegraph ,co4's     ,stock1           
#abd1gjj     ,other ,telegraph ,lines1  
#hj1jjj                                 
--------------------     #ced1gjj       
--------------------   ,now owned by the
 company1                               
#fdi1djj         ,balance1 on which we  
are liable for dividends1               
#dj1cei1djj                             
,,bonded ,,debt4     ,bonds of the      

,american ,telegraph ,company1 due in   
#ahgc1           #hi1ejj   ,bonds of the
 ,western ,union ,telegraph ,company1   
due in #ahge1   #d1heg1cjj              
----------------------                  
,total ,bonded ,debt1 ,december #a1     
#ahfg1              #d1idf1hjj    ,the  
greater portion of the debt of the      
,western ,union ,telegraph ,company  was
 incurred in the grand attempt to       
construct a line on the ,northwest      
,coast1 and across ,behrings ,strait to 
connect with the ,russian line at  the  
mouth of the ,amoor ,river1 known as    
,collins's ,overland ,line to  ,europe1 
which was abandoned on the successful   
submergence and operation  of the       
,atlantic ,cable4    ,the financial     
condition of the ,western ,union        
,telegraph ,company ,may #a1  #ahfh1 was
 as follows3--                          
,,capital ,,stock4     ,at the date of  
the ,report of ,january #a1     #ahfh1  
the ,capital ,stock of the ,company1    
issued1 was1                            

#da1jjh1hjj4jj           ,it has since  
been increased as follows3--   ,by      
exchange for ,united ,states ,telegraph 
,stock1                                 
#aj1hjj4jj   ,by exchange for ,american 
,telegraph ,stock1       #b1djj4jj   ,by
 exchange for ,house ,telegraph ,stock1 
#ajj4jj   ,by fractions converted1      
#fjj4jj                                 
------------------------      #ac1ijj4jj
                                        
----------------------------            
,total ,capital ,stock issued ,may #a1  
#ahfh1           #da1jbb1gjj4jj   ,of   
this there is owned by the ,company1    
#fge1jjj4jj                             
----------------------------            
,balance on which dividends are payable1
          #dj1cdg1gjj4jj                
,,bonded ,,debt4     ,bonds outstanding 
,december #a1 #ahfg1                    
#d1idf1hjj4jj   ,bonds of #ahge since   
purchased and cancelled1                
#ef1cjj4jj                              
----------------------------            

,balance of ,bonded ,debt ,may #a1      
#ahfh1             #d1hij1ejj4jj        
,maturing as follows3 ,in #ahgc1        
#hi1ejj4jj   ,maturing as follows3 ,in  
#ahge1               #d1hja1jjj4jj      
------------------------  #d1hij1ejj4jj 
,,property ,,account4     ,telegraph    
,lines and ,property1 ,december #a1     
#ahfg1          #dg1gcc1fdj4fh          
,since added1   ,by exchange of ,stocks1
 as per ,stock     ,account1            
#ac1cjj4jj   ,by ,application of        
,profits3--     ,construction ,account1 
#ajc1eib4ac     ,purchase of ,telegraph 
,stocks1                                
#bc1hjf4ff     ,purchase of ,real       
,estate1       #c1jaa4ad                
------------------------    #acj1dji4ic 
------------------------    #adc1gji4ic 
----------------------------            
,total ,property ,account1 ,may #a1     
#ahfh1           #dg1hgg1cej4fa         
,,stock1 ,,bond1 ,,and ,,property       
,,balances1 ,,may #a1 #ahfh4            
,assets4      ,liabilities4   ,telegraph

 ,lines1 ,equipment1 ,franchises1       
etc41                                   
#dg1jea1ceh4di   ,western ,union        
,telegraph ,stock owned by     ,company1
                                        
#ffg1cdb4ej   ,productive ,stock in     
other ,telegraph     ,companies1        
#eb1dga4ha   ,real ,estate1             
#ajf1agg4ha   ,capital ,stock1          
#da1jbb1gjj4jj   ,fractional ,shares1   
#ae1aaj4jj   ,bonded ,debt1             
#d1hij1ejj4jj   ,bond and ,mortgage1    
,buffalo ,property1                     
#ae1jjj4jj   ,profits used for ,purchase
 of ,property1 and ,redemption of       
,bonds1                                 
#a1icd1jdj4fa                           
----------------------------            
----------------------------            
#dg1hgg1cej4fa #dg1hgg1cej4fa           
,,statement ,,of ,,income ,,and         
,,expenses ,,from ,,july #a1 #ahff1 ,,to
 ,,november #a1                         
#ahfh4           #ahff4        ,gross   
,receipts4      ,expenses4       ,net   

,profits4   ,july1                      
#efb1bib4ig       #daj1chb4dj           
#aea1iaj4eg   ,august1                  
#edh1gaf4if        #cdf1gdb4ca          
#bja1igd4fe   ,september1               
#eef1iee4ie        #bih1ica4ii          
#beh1jbc4if   ,october1                 
#fbc1ebh4ca        #cdd1bde4jg          
#bgi1bhc4bd   ,november1                
#ega1jcf4jb        #cbb1ejh4ff          
#bdh1ebg4cf   ,december1                
#eea1iga4dj        #cjb1eif4da          
#bdi1cgd4ii   ,january1                 
#ehj1efj4ec        #cda1ajd4ga          
#bci1dee4hb   ,february1                
#dhc1dda4gg        #cad1fag4bf          
#afh1hbd4ea   ,march1                   
#ecj1fdb4ff        #big1jgf4ei          
#bcc1eff4jg   ,april1                   
#ede1ehf4cj        #cbj1hfi4da          
#bbd1gaf4hi   ,may1                     
#ebe1dcg4id        #cbf1hbi4hc          
#aih1fjh4aa   ,june1                    
#dhh1ged4ee        #cah1ajj4ii          
#agj1fec4ef   ,july1                    

#ecf1aef4hi        #cfj1iag4ec          
#age1bci4cf   ,august1                  
#egj1fgf4he        #cge1igj4ag          
#aid1gjf4fh   ,september1               
#fja1edh4gi        #cge1fda4ej          
#bbe1ijg4bi   ,october1                 
#fbh1hcf4gd        #cic1dei4ib          
#bce1cgf4hb   ,november1                
#ehc1gbc4ff        #cgj1dbi4eg          
#bac1bid4ji   ,december1                
#egf1ace4ai        #cgi1bia4ce          
#aif1hdc4hd         #ahfh4   ,january1  
#eci1gid4jj        #cff1ddf4jb          
#agc1cdg4ih   ,february1                
#fjj1ahc4cb        #cde1hee4eb          
#bed1cbg4hj   ,march1                   
#ehg1ifb4bc        #cce1idg4fd          
#beb1jad4eh   ,april1                   
#fjb1beg4je        #cef1cdi4ah          
#bde1ijg4hg   ,may1                     
#eig1cgd4dg        #cdi1afe4da          
#bdh1bji4jf   ,june1                    
#egi1iaa4jj        #cec1cge4ej          
#bbf1ece4ej   ,july1                    
#fja1gcj4fa        #cif1afc4ff          

#bje1eff4ie   ,august1                  
#fjb1cjd4gc        #cgf1deb4jc          
#bbe1heb4gj   ,september1               
#fcj1ffe4cf        #cgb1aig4ej          
#beh1dfg4hf   ,october1                 
#fhj1caa4ha        #daj1fjd4ag          
#bfi1gjg4fd                             
----------------------------            
----------------------------            
----------------------------            
#af1jhh1dih4hf     #i1hfb1bgb4ca        
#f1bbf1bbe4ge       ,,stations1 ,,lines1
 ,,and ,,employees ,,of ,,the ,,western 
,,union ,,telegraph ,,company4    ,the  
,western ,union ,telegraph ,company     
alone has                      #c1cca   
,telegraph ,offices1                    
#ej1gfj ,miles of ,line1                
#ig1daf ,miles of ,telegraphic ,wire1   
#bfe ,submarine ,cables1                
#f1chi ,skilled persons in its employ4  
,,english ,,and ,,american ,,telegraphs 
,,compared4    ,it has been shown that1 
several years before there is any record
 of  regular public telegraph business  

in continental ,europe1 the system in   
the ,united ,states was in popular use4 
,there can be no question that what     
restrained its use in ,europe for so    
many years was governmental jealousy  of
 its power1 and not ignorance of its    
capacity4 ,the subject was freely       
canvassed in the public prints1 and was 
familiar to the learned men of  all     
,european nations4 ,even in ,england1   
whose government aided its  introduction
 through private enterprise1 the        
employment of the telegraph  was        
hindered by a tariff so high as to shut 
it out from general use4  ,respecting   
this latter fact1 so as to give in more 
marked contrast the  early history of   
the telegraph on the two continents1 a  
few details are  given4    ,the         
,electric ,telegraph ,company of        
,england was incorporated in #ahdf1 and 
seems to have made its first work in the
 connection of the railway  stations1   
post-office1 police1 admiralty1 ,houses 
of ,parliament1  ,buckingham ,palace1 c4

 ,as late as #ahea only eighty stations 
in the  provinces1 including the chief  
cities and outposts1 had been opened4   
,priority of service was secured to the 
government1 and the ,secretary of       
,state was empowered1 on extraordinary  
occasions1 to take possession of  all   
telegraph stations and hold them for a  
week1 with power to continue  so to do4 
,the tariff of charges adopted was1 for 
twenty words1 including address  and    
signature1 one penny per mile for the   
first fifty miles2 one  half-penny for  
the second fifty2 and one farthing for  
any distance  beyond #ajj miles4 ,the   
lowest charge was #bs4 #f;d41 sterling4 
,this  tariff existed as late as #ahea4 
,compare these rates with those of the  
,american lines at the same period4     
,from ,london to ,york1 a distance of   
about #bcj miles1 the charge was  #is41 
equal to #b4be gold4    ,from ,new ,york
 to ,boston1 a distance of #bbj miles1  
the tariff for ten  words1 exclusive of 
address and signature1 was twenty cents6

    ,from ,london to ,edinburgh1 a      
distance of about #djj miles1 the charge
 was  #acs41 or #c4be1 while from ,new  
,york to ,buffalo1 #ejj miles1 the      
charge  was forty cents4 ,on the        
,english tariff of charges1 a message   
from ,new  ,york to ,new ,orleans would 
have been #aa4df2 the actual tariff was 
#b4ej4              ,,acknowledged      
,,superiority ,,of ,,the ,,early        
,,american ,,service4    ,on this       
subject we have the testimony of one of 
the best of ,british  popular           
publications1--8,chambers's ,papers for 
the ,people10 published in              
#ahea1--whose words we quote3--    8,the
 scale of charges in the ,united ,states
 is much lower than in this  country2   
the electric telegraph is consequently  
more available to the  greater part of  
the population engaged in commercial    
affairs4 ,apart from  business and      
politics1 the ,americans have made the  
telegraph subservient  to other uses2   
medical practitioners in distant towns  

have been  consulted1 and their         
prescriptions transmitted along the     
wire2 and a  short time since a gallant 
gentleman in ,boston married a lady in  
,new  ,york by telegraph1--a process    
which may supersede the necessity for   
elopement1 provided the law hold the    
ceremony valid4 ,a favorable idea of    
the immediate practical utility of the  
telegraph may be gathered from a        
communication to the present writer from
 ,new ,york4 #8,the telegraph1' he      
writes1 #8is used in this country by all
 classes except the very poorest1  the  
same as the mail4 ,the most ordinary    
messages are sent in this way1--a  joke1
 an invitation to a party1 an inquiry   
about health1 c4 ,at the  offices they  
are accommodating1 and will inquire     
about messages that  have miscarried or 
have not been answered1 without extra   
charge4' ,the  lines in the ,united     
,states are carried across the country  
regardless of  travelled thoroughfares2 
over tracts of sand and swamp1 through  

the wild  primeval forest where man has 
not yet begun his contest with nature1  
where even the rudiments of civilization
 are yet to be learned4 ,away it        
stretches1 the metallic indicator of    
intellectual supremacy1 traversing      
regions haunted by the rattlesnake and  
the alligator1 solitudes that  re-echo  
with nocturnal howlings of the wolf and 
the bear4 ,communications  are          
maintained from ,north to ,south1 ,east 
and ,west1 through all the  length and  
breadth of the mighty ,union1 and with a
 frequency and social  purpose exceeding
 that of any other nation4 ,in one      
stretch1 ,maine and  ,vermont1 where    
winter with deepest snows and arctic    
temperature usurps  six months of the   
year1 are united with the lands of the  
tropics1 where  the magnolia blooms and 
palm-trees grow in perpetual summer4    
,subordinate  lines bring the great     
lakes--the inland seas--into direct     
communication  with the ocean ports on  
the eastern shore4 ,nothing stops the   

restless1  enterprising spirit of that  
people40              ,,remarkably ,,low
 ,,tariffs ,,of ,,the ,,early ,,american
 ,,telegraphs4    ,there is1 indeed1    
nothing more remarkable respecting the  
presentation of  any great invention to 
the public than the fact that the       
electric  telegraph in ,america was     
thrown open to the public1 in its very  
inception1 at the lowest tariff which   
has yet1 under all the excitement  of   
opposition1 been adopted4    ,what was  
true of ,great ,britain with respect to 
tariffs during the early  years of the  
introduction of the telegraph applies1  
as has been seen1  equally to ,france   
and the other ,european states4 ,every  
tariff adopted  was1 to a large extent1 
prohibitory1 and the facts connected    
with these  years utterly falsify the   
statement that ,europe has shown 7until 
within  a very few years7 anything like 
the spirit of liberality which private  
companies in the ,united ,states have   
manifested in this matter4    ,since    

these early years no advance was made in
 our tariffs until the  third year of   
the rebellion1 when the depreciation of 
the currency  necessitated the          
increasing of the salaries of employees 
from fifty to  one hundred per cent1 and
 enhanced the price of material in a    
corresponding ratio1 compelling a       
considerable increase of the tariff on  
despatches4 ,since the war closed1 most 
of the important tariffs have  been     
reduced to their original standard1     
without any corresponding  reduction of 
the price of material or labor4    ,in  
contrast with this1 we need only to     
point to the large advance in  railway  
fares and transportation1 in the cost of
 entertainment at  hotels1 in the prices
 of daily newspapers1 and in that of    
almost every  commodity or service which
 the people enjoy2 and yet the          
telegraph1 like  all other enterprises1 
has been burdened with the same increase
 in the  cost of labor and materials4   
,,no ,,similarity ,,between ,,the       

,,telegraph ,,and ,,postal ,,systems4   
,the idea which has been repeatedly     
broached1 that the telegraph and  postal
 communication are in the same category1
 is entirely fallacious4  ,the telegraph
 does that which the post cannot do1 and
 which1 before the  telegraph was       
invented1 remained undone4 ,if the      
public use the telegraph  at a cost of  
#be cents when they might use the mail  
at a cost of three  cents1 it is obvious
 that the use of the telegraph implies  
something  essentially different from   
the use of the post4 ,if they use the   
post1  with its tardy departure and     
delivery1 instead of the telegraph with 
its  instant and continuous departure   
and delivery1 it is equally obvious     
that there is something implied in the  
use of the post that is not to be       
obtained by the use of the telegraph4   
,postal correspondence and telegraph    
communication are two very distinct     
things4    ,a telegram announces sudden 
illness2 death2 an accident2 prices of  

gold  every five minutes2 prices of     
stocks every hour2 sudden fluctuations  
in  the values of commodities2 orders   
rooms at a hotel1 while the sender is   
en route and flying to the distant city 
as rapidly as steam can carry  him2     
countermands orders and instructions    
contained in letters sent by  post2     
orders letters to be returned unopened2 
orders the arrest of  fugitives from    
justice after they have taken their     
departure on the  railway2 orders the   
search for a package left in the cars1  
and its  return by a succeeding train2  
announces that the ,merrimac has        
destroyed  several ships of war1 and may
 get to sea in spite of the ,monitor and
  ravage the coast2 announces that the  
flag has been fired upon at             
,charleston1 and in twenty minutes      
arouses the entire nation4 ,none of     
these things are possible for the post4 
,before a letter could convey the       
intelligence of the sudden illness1 the 
patient is dead1 or  convalescent2 the  

dead is buried2 gold has changed in     
price a hundred  times2 stocks have gone
 up and down2 the man arrives at his    
hotel  twenty-four hours in advance of  
his letter2 the instructions in the     
letters have been acted upon1 and no    
subsequent ones can repair the  damage2 
the fugitive from justice escapes out of
 the country2 the  package left in the  
cars is irretrievably lost2 the         
,merrimac has been  sent to the bottom1 
and the alarm caused by the tidings     
through the  post1 which must continue  
until another arrival1 is groundless2   
and the  flag has been insulted a month1
 before all the patriots of the country 
have heard the tidings by the slow1     
plodding mail4    ,the telegram is often
 the index to the more full and copious 
information  conveyed by the post1 but  
it does not supersede it4 ,there is no  
similarity in the conveyance of matter  
by post or telegraph4    ,a letter      
deposited in a post-office is placed in 
a bag1 and carried to  its destination  

with no less labor and expense than if  
ten letters  were so deposited4 ,the    
time taken in transport is the same4 ,a 
leather  bag covers a thousand letters  
as easily as a solitary note4 ,it was   
this  fact which led to the reduction of
 postage4 ,but it was accomplished      
without the loss of an hour to          
government1 without the enlargement of a
  coach1 or any considerable increase in
 the compensation paid for the  service4
 ,it involved no new brain-labor1 no new
 responsibilities1 no new  expense4     
,under such circumstances high postage  
was a folly1 and to  return to it would 
be almost a crime4    ,a communication  
by telegraph1 on the contrary1 demands a
 calm1  unoccupied brain1 and a steady  
hand to manipulate its contents1 letter 
by letter4 ,a slip of the finger from   
the manipulating key changes its        
meaning2 a truant thought alters the    
manuscript2 a shadow of  forgetfulness  
mars its whole design4 ,it demands a    
whole wire for its  use1 and a given    

time for its solitary passage4 ,hence   
the necessity for  multiplying the wires
 and enlarging the operating staff4     
,added to all this is the necessity for 
repeating this process when  destined to
 any point not directly reached by the  
originating office4    ,over and over   
again have many of the messages left in 
the hands of  telegraph companies to be 
translated or re-written before they    
reach  their destination2 very different
 from the sealed letter1 which needs    
but the toss of a practised hand to     
change its route and put it under  the  
cover of a new bag4    ,the difference  
between the use of the post and         
telegraph is well shown  by the practice
 of the ,western ,union ,telegraph      
,company1 which requires  all of its    
employees to use the mail1 instead of   
the telegraph1 in every  case where the 
interests of the company will not suffer
 by the delay4  ,all check errors1 and  
discrepancies in accounts1 are settled  
by  correspondence through the mail1    

where the same might be done more       
readily1 though at far greater expense1 
by the use of the wires4 ,now1 if  the  
company owning the lines1 and working   
them1 can better afford to pay  the     
postage on its communications1 than to  
block up the wires with its  own free   
business1 it shows a very radical       
difference between the  expense of      
transmitting matter by steam1 or        
horse-power1 and doing the  same by     
electricity4       ,,collection ,,and   
,,delivery ,,of ,,telegrams ,,by        
,,letter-,,carriers ,,impracticable4    
,the plan proposed for the collection   
and delivery of telegrams by            
letter-carriers is equally              
impracticable4 ,the rapid and safe      
delivery of  messages is the great      
difficulty with which the telegraph     
companies have  to contend1 and the     
amount paid for this service forms a    
very material  portion of the expense   
attending the operation of the system4  
,how would  this service be performed if

 left to the ,post-,office ,department8 
,in  #ahfe--the last year containing the
 statistics of the number of letters    
sent through the ,united ,states        
mail--the ,postmaster-,general estimates
 the  number of letters transmitted at  
#dfg1eia1fjj4 ,no statement of the total
  number of letters delivered by carrier
 in the ,united ,states is given in  the
 ,postmaster-,general's reports for     
#ahfe or #ahff1 but he states that  the 
number of cities at which free delivery 
is established is #df1 and  the total   
number of carriers1 #hfc2 that #ehb     
carriers are attached to ten  offices1  
from which are delivered #ch1jfj1jji    
letters4 ,if the remaining  #bha        
carriers1 who are distributed among #cf 
offices1 deliver as many in  proportion1
 we have a total of #ef1ddf1jjd letters 
delivered for the  year1 or about nine  
per cent of the whole number transmitted
 through the  mail4 ,this does not      
present a very flattering result1 and   
does not argue  very favorably for the  

satisfactory delivery of thirteen       
millions of  telegrams1 through the same
 channel1 at over #d1jjj offices6       
,compare with these meagre results the  
operations of the ,british              
,post-,office1 which employs #aa1ddi    
carriers1 and annually delivers         
#gje1jjj1jjj letters4    ,as for the    
collection of telegrams from street     
boxes1 the very idea is  in direct      
antagonism to the first principles of   
telegraphic  communication4 ,a street   
box may answer the purpose of a place of
 deposit  for a letter intended for the 
next day's mail1 but those who desire to
  communicate by telegraph want         
immediate and speedy communication4     
,they  require their message conveyed1  
and very frequently answered1 whilst    
they wait in the telegraph office4 ,they
 have no idea of depositing their       
messages to await the diurnal collection
 from the street box4 ,indeed1  the idea
 is too absurd to be seriously          
discussed4 ,there are upwards of  #ajj  

telegraph offices in the city of ,new   
,york alone1 and a proportionate  number
 of branch offices in all the cities4   
,is it probable that persons  who wish  
to send a despatch will walk several    
miles to send it by  government line    
rather than patronize private lines at  
their own doors8    ,we cannot think    
that a department whose expenses exceed 
its receipts by  #f1dcg1iia4he in a     
single year2 which cannot even guess    
within a  hundred millions of the number
 of letters it transmits per annum2     
which  provides only forty-six free     
delivery offices out of a total of      
#bi1chg  post-offices in the ,united    
,states2 which does not even pretend to 
give  the number of letters delivered   
free for any one year2 and which sends  
over #d1ejj1jjj letters to the          
,dead-,letter ,office per annum1 is a   
very  proper guardian of so important an
 interest as the ,electric ,telegraph4  
,the space occupied for the various     
telegraph offices in all the  principal 

cities of the ,united ,states is        
considerably greater than that  required
 by the post-offices1 while the rent    
paid by our company1 owing  to the more 
central and eligible situations of our  
offices1 is greatly  in excess of that  
paid by the ,post-,office ,department4  
,in ,new ,york1 our  company pays       
#dj1jjj per annum for rent of its       
central office alone4 ,so  far as space 
and eligibility of location is          
concerned1 we could much  better        
accommodate the public by the delivery  
of their letters at our  numerous       
offices1 than they are now accommodated 
at the remote and  inconvenient places  
provided for them by the government1 and
 in all  respects we could much better  
handle the mails than the post-office1  
as  now located and generally conducted1
 could manage the telegraph4            
,,mr4 ,,washburne',s ,,proposed         
,,experimental ,,line4    ,mr4          
,washburne says3--      8,in the present
 position of the finances of the        

country1 it would    hardly be wise to  
enter upon an extended experiment4 ,it  
should be    tried at first on a limited
 scale1 and at small cost4 ,if it proves
    successful1 and becomes what the    
telegraph under other government        
control has become in other             
countries1--a source of revenue1 as well
    as an inestimable boon to the       
community1--it ought to be1 and         
doubtless will be1 extended4 ,the amount
 necessary to construct a    suitable   
line from ,washington to ,new ,york1 and
 to sustain it until    it becomes      
self-sustaining1 will not exceed        
#ge1jjj1 and it is the    belief of     
experienced telegraphers that1 with a   
tariff of charges as    low as that of  
,belgium and ,switzerland1 and with an  
additional    charge of single postage  
upon each message1 the line would be    
self-sustaining from the beginning1 and 
would probably repay its    entire cost 
long before the value of the structure  
was materially    impaired40    ,the    

results of lowering tariffs for         
telegrams to a point approximating  the 
charge for letter postage has been tried
 so often in this country1  as not to   
require a new demonstration4 ,the       
following statement will show  the      
result of a recent trial between the two
 important cities of ,chicago  and      
,milwaukee4    ,on the #abth of ,august1
 #ahfg1 a rival line was opened between 
those two  points1 having no connection 
with any other at either end4 ,the      
competition1 therefore1 was for local   
business only4 ,the tariff  previously  
had been sixty cents4 ,the average      
number of messages  transmitted per day 
for the ten days preceding the beginning
 of business  by the new company was    
sixty-nine1 and the daily receipts      
fifty-five  dollars4 ,on the opening of 
the rival line the rate was reduced to  
forty  cents1 and the average number of 
messages sent by both was eighty-seven1 
the receipts forty-seven dollars4 ,on   
the #afth ,september the rate was       

further reduced to twenty cents1 with   
the following results3 ,average  number 
of messages per day for both lines1 one 
hundred and thirty-three4  ,average     
receipts1 thirty-seven dollars4 ,on     
,november #hth the rate was  reduced to 
ten cents1 and remained so for the next 
fourteen days1 during  which the number 
of telegrams transmitted daily by both  
lines was one  hundred and sixty-seven1 
and the average receipts twenty-six     
dollars4    ,about the #bjth ,november  
the rates were advanced to forty cents1 
by  mutual agreement1 and afterwards the
 lines and records of the new  company  
came into our possession4               
,no4 #a4         ,statement showing     
number of ,messages sent between        
,chicago and    ,milwaukee for first    
twelve days in ,august1 #ahfg1 at a     
,tariff of sixty     cents1 and same for
 #ahfh1 at a ,tariff of forty cents1    
together with                           
daily ,receipts4          ,,date4       
,august1 #ahfg4                ,august1 

#ahfh4                          ,tariff 
#fj and #d4             ,tariff #dj and 
#c4                        ,sent4       
,received4,receipts4  ,sent4            
,received4,receipts4      ,august  #a   
#da       #dh   #fg4dj       #di        
#cg   #ci4fd          #b       #ca      
#ch    #eg4jj        #d        #b       
#a4hg          #c       #cf       #be   
#di4fc       #ec       #db    #eh4be    
#d        #b        #a     #a4gh        
#fi       #ci    #ec4jb          #e     
#da       #cd    #ee4ih       #df       
#da    #dc4cf          #f       #da     
#dj    #fc4ci       #fg       #df       
#ed4fj          #g       #db       #di  
#gc4gg       #ea       #ci    #db4dd    
#h       #de       #bg    #ee4ge        
#ef       #ej    #eb4jh          #i     
#ci       #ch    #fa4fh                 
#aj       #dj       #dj    #fc4ia       
#eb       #dd    #dg4cj         #aa     
#fb       #db    #ea4gj       ,totals   
#ceh      #cdj  #eej4bi      #eji       
#chb  #ddd4bf      #ahfg1 ,average1 #fi 

,messages                               
#ee4jj   #ahfh1 ,average1 #hi ,messages 
#dd4db                                  
,no4 #b4      ,statement showing number 
of ,messages transmitted between        
,chicago and     ,milwaukee1 over the   
,western ,union ,independent ,telegraph 
,lines1 from        ,august #abth to    
,august #bfth together with the daily   
,receipts4          ,,date4             
,tariff #dj and #c4                     
,w4 ,u4 and ,independent4               
,western ,union4                        
,august1 #ahfg4                ,august1 
#ahfh4                                  
,sent4,received4,receipts4              
,sent4,received4,receipts4      ,august 
#ab       #cc       #dg   #eb4if        
#dd       #db   #dg4hb         #ac      
#ce       #eb    #ff4ce       #di       
#ch    #ej4aa         #ad       #ce     
#ej    #ei4jj       #ed       #db       
#ec4ce         #ae       #dd       #df  
#ee4bg       #eb       #da    #dh4bh    
#af       #cd       #de    #ec4fa       

#a               4#eb         #ag       
#ch       #de    #fb4ch       #eh       
#eb    #fc4ba         #ah               
#b     #b4jb       #de       #cc        
#de4fi         #ai       #de       #ea  
#gj4de       #dj       #de    #eb4ci    
#bj       #da       #ej    #fh4ea       
#dg       #dd    #fd4gg         #ba     
#ci       #df    #fb4fg       #ed       
#dj    #ej4bb         #bb       #cg     
#ci    #di4db       #dh       #ch       
#df4gg         #bc       #ci       #da  
#eb4ig        #c        #b     #b4ba    
#bd       #cj       #cc    #ef4ae       
#dc       #de    #ei4eg         #be     
#b              #b4aj       #ed         
#ff    #gc4bf         #bf       #fc     
#da    #ee4ca       #dh       #eg       
#fb4hi       ,totals        #eae        
#ehh  #gfi4ag      #fdj      #ehe       
#gba4jf      #ahfg1 ,average1 #gc       
,messages                               
#ea4bh   #ahfh1 ,average1 #ha ,messages 
#dh4jg       ,statement ,no4 #a exhibits
 a comparison for the first ten days of 

,august1  #ahfg1 before the opening of  
the rival line1 and when the tariff was 
sixty cents1 with the same period in    
#ahfh after the tariff had been  forty  
cents for nearly a year4 ,statement ,no4
 #b makes a similar  comparison between 
the aggregate business of the ,western  
,union and the  competing line for the  
first fifteen days after the latter     
opened in  #ahfg1 and the same period in
 #ahfh1 when1 although the rate was the 
same1  there was no competition4 ,by    
,table ,no4 #a it appears that1 at a    
tariff of  sixty cents1 the number of   
messages per day last year was          
sixty-nine1  and the receipts therefor  
fifty-five dollars4 ,that during the    
same  period this year1 at a reduction  
of one third in the tariff1 there was   
an increase of about thirty-three and   
one third per cent in the number  of    
messages1 but a loss in revenue of      
twenty per cent4 ,in other words1  our  
work has been considerably increased1   
and our compensation therefor  sensibly 

diminished4 ,statement ,no4 #b shows    
that last year1 under the  stimulus of  
active competition1 and a reduction in  
rates of one third1  the average number 
of messages per day for fifteen days was
 but four  more than for the ten days   
next preceding4 ,it also shows that1    
after the  reduced rate had been in     
operation a year1 and1 notwithstanding  
the fact  that the telegraph business in
 all sections of the country in the     
month  of ,august this year was somewhat
 larger than last1 the average had been 
increased but eight messages per day1   
and this increase was attended by  a    
loss of over three dollars per day in   
the revenue4    ,from ,september #a to  
,november #c1 #ahfh1 the number of      
messages transmitted  per day between   
these places was one hundred four and a 
quarter1 and the  average daily receipts
 #ef4da4    ,on the #dth of ,november   
another rival line was opened between   
,chicago and  ,milwaukee1 but no change 
in rates was introduced until the #bdth 

of  ,november4 ,the average number of   
messages transmitted per day by the     
,western ,union ,telegraph ,company     
between these places1 from the #dth to  
the #bc;d of ,november1 inclusive1 was  
seventy-eight1 and the daily  receipts  
#dc4bg4    ,on the #bdth of ,november   
the rates were reduced to twenty cents  
per  message1 with the following        
results3 ,average number of messages    
transmitted per day between ,chicago and
 ,milwaukee by the ,western ,union      
,telegraph ,company1 sixty-eight2       
average daily receipts1 #bd4ei4    ,it  
should be remembered that the business  
from which these exhibits are  derived  
is between two of the most important    
inland commercial cities in  the        
country4 ,both are largely interested in
 two important branches of              
commerce1--grain and lumber2 and        
probably no other points could be       
selected from which more reliable       
results could be obtained4    ,the      
reason why the ,chicago and ,milwaukee  

table is the only one given to  show the
 results of competition is1 that such   
comparisons are only  valuable when they
 exhibit the effect upon the business of
 both  competitors4 ,this is impossible 
in other cases1 because our opponents   
will not furnish us with their figures4 
,we have written to every  ,telegraph   
,company in the ,united ,states for such
 statistics for  publication1 but none  
of them has responded to our request4   
,,london ,,district ,,telegraph         
,,company4    ,we copy the following    
official statement of the ,london       
,district  ,telegraph ,company from the 
,telegraphic ,journal1 ,london1 ,july   
#cj1 #ahfd4  ,the capital of the company
 is #fj1jjj1 and the average cost of    
telegrams  transmitted over its lines1  
for distances that cannot exceed ten    
miles1  was #f;d41 equal to eighteen    
cents in our currency1 and yet the loss 
in  four and a half years' business was 
#i1egc #cs4 #g;d43--          ,half-year
   ,number of ,receipts for             

,expenditures4   ,deficiency4           
ending    ,messages4   ,messages4       
s4d4    s4d4    s4d4   ,june1    #ahfj  
#bf1aee  #eej  #ai  #aab1bhb  #aj       
#ga1cbf   #b   #d   ,december1#ahfj     
#dg1cfea1jeh  #ai   #bc1bid   #j        
#fb1afh   #a   #g   ,june1    #ahfa     
#fd1gheb1acg   #a   #gd1cid  #ab        
#cb1agg  #aa   #d   ,december1#ahfa     
#gg1icib1eib  #ae  #ajd1ffc   #e        
#da1iie  #ac   #g   ,june1    #ahfb     
#abc1bhjc1ief   #d   #he1jgg  #ag       
#aaa1jgg  #ae   #d   ,december1#ahfb    
#abd1bbbc1iii   #c   #bd1ieh   #d   #b  
#hid   #j   #d   ,june1    #ahfc        
#abi1gajd1baf   #f  #aad1gba   #a   #c  
#ddj   #i   #d   ,december1#ahfc        
#aca1bafd1cbf   #d   #je1abe   #i   #d  
#gif  #ae   #d   ,june1    #ahfd        
#aeb1gied1hjb  #aj   #jd1hfc  #ag  #aj  
#fj  #ab   #j       ,the ,directors of  
the above company express much          
satisfaction in being  able to present  
to the shareholders so favorable a      
statement of its  business2 but it      

strikes us that a system which entailed 
a net loss of  one sixth of the capital 
invested in a little over four years is 
not a  desirable one for imitation4     
,,telegraphs ,,under ,,government ,,and 
,,private ,,control ,,compared4    ,the 
assertion that the ,telegraph facilities
 are better in those  countries where it
 is under governmental control than in  
those where it  is left to private      
enterprise is entirely erroneous1 as the
 following  tables1 compiled from       
official data1 will show4               
,statistics of ,telegraphs constructed  
and operated under ,government          
,control4                               
,number,number                          
,proportion      ,,name ,,of   ,number  
of    of   ,number of            of     
,offices     ,,country4     of   ,miles 
,miles  ,messages ,population4    to    
,offices4  of    of     ,sent4          
,population4                      ,line4
  ,wire4                                
,austria         #heabd1fah #gc1hed     

#b1ejg1dgb #ci1daa1cji       #a to      
#df1caa   ,belgium         #cef #b1ahg  
#f1adf #a1abh1jje  #d1ihd1dea       #a  
to                                      
#ad1jjj   ,bavaria             #b1aae   
#d1ide            #d1eda1eef            
,denmark          #hi        #b1eae     
#cjh1aej  #b1dfh1gac       #a to        
#bg1jjj   ,france        #a1bjibj1fbh   
#fh1fhg #b1ejg1dgb #ch1cjb1fbe       #a 
to                                      
#ca1fjj   ,italy           #ebi #h1bjj  
#bj1abj #a1gfj1hhi #be1ibe1gag       #a 
to                                      
#di1jjj   ,norway           #gc         
#bfi1cge  #a1dcc1dhh       #a to        
#ai1jjj   ,prussia         #echah1chf   
#ee1adi #a1ifd1jjc #ag1gci1iac       #a 
to                                      
#cc1jjj   ,russia          #cjhab1jac   
#bb1bad   #hch1fec #fh1bbd1hcb       #a 
to                                      
#bba1jjj   ,switzerland     #beb #a1heh 
#c1gag   #ffh1iaf  #b1eaj1did       #a  
to                                      

#aj1jjj   ,spain           #adb #h1hga  
#ag1gdc   #ecc1cgf #af1cjb1fbe       #a 
to                                      
#aji1jjj                                
#d1cdgih1hgfbge1jijab1dhf1caa           
,statistics of ,telegraphs constructed  
and operated under ,private             
,control4                               
,number,number                          
,proportion      ,,name ,,of   ,number  
of    of   ,number of            of     
,offices     ,,country4     of   ,miles 
,miles  ,messages ,population4    to    
,offices4  of    of     ,sent4          
,population4                      ,line4
  ,wire4                                
,great                                  
,britain and   #b1aeaaf1ehh #hj1dff     
#e1gha1ahi #bi1eia1jjia to #ac1gad      
,ireland                                
,dominion of     #chb #f1gdg  #h1ice    
#egc1bai  #c1igf1bbda to #aj1djj        
,canada                                 
,united                                 
#d1abffb1ghbabe1efdab1chf1ieb           

#ca1adh1jdga to  #g1edi   ,states       
#f1feihf1aagbad1ifeah1gda1cfj           
,thus it will be seen that ,continental 
,europe1 where the telegraphs are  under
 government control1 furnishes but      
#d1cdg offices for a population  of over
 #bej1jjj1jjj1 while ,great ,britain1   
the ,dominion of ,canada1 and  the      
,united ,states1 where telegraphy has   
been left to the control of the  people1
 untrammelled by governmental           
interference1 monopoly1 or  restriction1
 furnish #f1fei offices for a population
 of #fd1jjj1jjj6 ,the  number of        
telegrams transmitted per annum in      
,continental ,europe is only            
#ab1dhf1caa1 while there were sent by   
the people of the three countries  where
 it has hitherto been free from         
government repression1 #ah1gda1cfj4     
,the tariff of charges in ,continental  
,europe averages eighty-one cents  per  
message1 while in the three countries   
where the people manage the  business it
 averages but fifty-one cents4          

,private enterprise alone laid the      
submarine cables through the ,persian   
,gulf and ,mediterranean ,sea1 across   
the ,gulf of ,st4 ,lawrence1 the        
,vineyard ,sound1 the ,strait of        
,florida1 the ,english ,channel1 the    
,north  ,sea1 and the ,german and       
,atlantic ,oceans4                      
,,the ,,telegraph ,,and ,,the ,,press4  
,in nothing1 perhaps1 is the superiority
 of private enterprise over             
governmental control more strongly      
marked than in the extraordinary  amount
 of news furnished to the press of the  
,united ,states1 as  contrasted by the  
meagre supply of the ,european journals4
    ,by a system of co-operation among  
the newspapers of the ,united ,states   
and the ,western ,union ,telegraph      
,company1 the news of the world is daily
  furnished to the people of every      
portion of this country at a price      
within the reach of the poorest citizen4
    ,on page #h we have shown that      
#bid1ejc1fcj words are annually         

furnished to  the newspapers of the     
,united ,states1 at an average cost of  
less than two  mills per word4 ,this    
immense amount of matter is not         
transmitted to each  newspaper          
separately1 but through a combination of
 wires only possible  to a vast system  
like that owned by the ,western ,union  
,telegraph ,company1  it is sent to a   
large number of places simultaneously1  
with only one  transmission4    ,the    
newspapers of the ,united ,states are   
associated together on the  co-operative
 system4 ,there is a general association
 having its  headquarters in ,new ,york1
 which collects news from every part of 
the  world2 and there are local         
associations in every section of the    
country1  which furnish their quota of  
intelligence to the general association1
  and receive in return such news as    
they require4    ,as an illustration of 
the manner in which this service is     
performed1 we  will take the ,state     
press of ,new ,york for an example4 ,the

 report is  compiled by the agent of the
 ,association for the various editions  
of the  newspapers requiring it1 and it 
is then handed to the telegrapher1 who  
with the manipulation of his magic key  
transmits it simultaneously to          
,poughkeepsie1 ,hudson1 ,albany1 ,troy1 
,utica1 ,syracuse1 ,auburn1 ,elmira1    
,binghamton1 ,owego1 ,rome1 ,oswego1    
,rochester1 and ,buffalo1 ,new ,york1 to
  ,rutland and ,burlington1 ,vermont1   
and to ,scranton1 ,pennsylvania4 ,these 
stations are not all on a single wire1  
nor on the same route1 and the  question
 may be asked1 ,how can they all receive
 the same information  from a single    
impulse8 ,this is accomplished by a     
combination of circuits  through an     
instrument called a repeater1 by which  
the intelligence can  be transmitted to 
a thousand offices as easily as to one4 
,the news is sent to the ,eastern press 
in a similar manner4 ,the  manipulation 
of the key at ,new ,york transmits the  
report simultaneously  to ,bridgeport1  

,new ,haven1 ,hartford1 ,waterbury1 and 
,norwich1 ,conn41  ,providence1 ,r4 ,i41
 and to ,springfield1 ,worcester1       
,boston1 ,fall ,river and  ,new         
,bedford1 ,mass4    ,the operator at    
each of these places receives the       
reports by the click  of the            
instruments1--reading by the sound of   
the armature1--and with an  agate pen   
copies them upon manifold paper1 making 
as many impressions as  are necessary to
 furnish each paper with a duplicate    
copy4    ,direct wires carry and bring  
news from and to ,chicago1 ,cincinnati1 
,st4  ,louis1 ,washington1 ,new         
,orleans1 ,plaister ,cove1 and other    
important  points4 ,sixteen wires work  
out of ,new ,york every night to        
transmit or  receive news reports1 and  
all over the ,united ,states the        
ubiquitous iron  threads are permeated  
by the subtile and invisible fluid      
during all the  silent hours of the     
night1 conveying intelligence of passing
 events in  all sections of the         

civilized world for publication in the  
morning  journals throughout the        
country4    ,it is a singular and       
suggestive fact1 that the amount of news
 which we  furnish to the press of the  
,united ,states1 for an aggregate sum of
  #eba1eji1 is considerably greater than
 the entire telegraphic  correspondence 
of ,continental ,europe1 for which the  
paternal governments  of those          
enlightened and enterprising peoples    
receive #aa1eig1fcb4ga4    ,the         
following table will serve to show the  
remarkable contrast1 in this  respect1  
between the systems under government and
 private control4 ,the  number of       
messages delivered to the press are     
obtained for this  comparison by        
dividing the total number of words      
furnished to the press  by #bj1 the     
,european standard3--     ,statement    
showing the ,average ,cost of ,telegrams
 in ,continental ,europe     and the    
,average ,cost of ,press ,telegrams in  
the ,united ,states1 with               

,total ,amount of each per annum4       
,total number of                        
,total number of                        
messages                                
messages furnished                      
transmitted in                     to   
the newspapers                          
,continental ,europe                 of 
the ,united                     for the 
year #ahff1     #ab1ijb1ech  ,states for
 #ahff1   #ad1gbe1aha   ,gross receipts 
for                 ,gross receipts for 
the above1         #aa1eig1fcb4ga  the  
above1           #eba1eji      ,average 
cost of                    ,average cost
 of press               telegrams in    
telegrams in the                        
,continental ,europe1       #ha cts4    
,united ,states1        #c cts4         
,the above exhibit illustrates the      
difference between what can be          
accomplished under a popular government 
which leaves the press and  telegraph   
free and untrammelled1 and the results  
of the paternal system  which the       

governments of ,continental ,europe     
impose upon their subjects4  ,for these 
great benefits the people of this       
country are indebted to the  government 
for the one negative quality of letting 
the press and  telegraph alone4 ,for the
 positive quality which actually        
provides them  they are solely indebted 
to the enterprise and public spirit of  
the  press1 and the ,western ,union     
,telegraph ,company1 the latter         
furnishing  the reports at a price which
 barely covers the cost of service      
employed  in transmitting them1 and     
leaving nothing to defray the expense of
 the  wear of the lines1 or interest on 
the investments for their  construction4
    ,in no other country in the world is
 there such a system1 and in none can   
there ever be1 until the policy of our  
government is imitated1 and the  people 
left to manage their own private        
affairs1 leaving the press and  the     
telegraph free and untrammelled by      
governmental control or  repression4    

,what our government1 with such an      
example already set1 might  be able or  
disposed to do1 in the event of its     
monopolizing the  telegraphs1 it is     
impossible to say2 but it is            
unquestionably true1 that  no other     
government has ever made such a use of  
them to promote the  education and      
general well-being of its people4    ,we
 believe it would prove a serious       
misfortune to the press and the  people1
 if the government were to destroy1 by  
its interference1 this  admirable       
co-operative system of obtaining        
telegraphic news at such low  rates4    
,the tariff for special press reports is
 as follows3 ,for the first one  hundred
 words1 full rates2 for the next four   
hundred words1 a discount  of           
thirty-three and one third per cent2 for
 the next five hundred words1  one half 
the ordinary tariff2 and all over one   
thousand words1 a  discount is made of  
sixty-six and two thirds per cent4      
,mr4 ,washburne's bill provides for a   

general tariff of one cent per word  for
 telegrams1 with an additional charge of
 three cents for postage1 and  two cents
 for delivery1 and stipulates that a    
reduction of not more than  fifty per   
cent shall be made for press reports4   
,this rate would  increase the average  
cost of news for the press of the       
,united ,states  more than three hundred
 per cent1 and thus the newspapers would
 be  compelled to pay an extra tax of a 
million dollars per annum for the       
privileges they now enjoy4    ,if these 
facts show any results to warrant       
governmental assumption or  interference
 in the business of telegraphing1 we    
fail to perceive them4                  
,,review                                
,,of     ,,mr4 ,,gardiner ,g4           
,,hubbard',s ,,letter ,,to ,,the        
,,postmaster-,,general ,,on ,,the       
,,european ,,and ,,american ,,systems   
,,of ,,telegraph4      ,we have recently
 received a pamphlet from ,gardiner ,g4 
,hubbard1 ,esq41 of  ,boston1 entitled a

 8,letter to the ,postmaster-,general on
 the ,european and  ,american ,systems  
of ,telegraph1 with ,remedy for the     
present ,high ,rates10  which we will   
briefly review4    ,mr4 ,hubbard        
commences by saying3--      8,the       
reasons that have induced the public to 
commit to the    government the         
transmission of the mails by rail have  
induced most    civilized nations to    
intrust it with the duty of transmitting
    correspondence by telegraph4        
,england and ,america are the only      
important exceptions40    ,as ,england  
and ,america are the only 8civilized    
nations0 where the public  have any     
control of such matters1 there need be  
no further discussion of  this          
proposition4                ,,erroneous 
,,statements ,,relative ,,to ,,belgian  
,,telegraphs4    ,alluding to the       
,belgian telegraph1 ,mr4 ,hubbard       
says3--      8,in #ahej the private     
lines then in operation were purchased  
by the    government1 and have since    

been under its management4 ,the rates   
were    originally one franc and a half 
for a message of twenty words4 ,at      
these rates1 the telegraph was little   
used for inland messages1 and    its    
development was very slow4 ,in ,january1
 #ahfc1 they were reduced    to one     
franc1 and ,december1 #ahfe1 to half a  
franc40    ,by referring to the official
 tables published by the ,belgian       
government1  on page #id1 it will be    
seen that the average cost per message  
on the  ,belgian lines in #ahea and     
#aheb was over #f francs2 in #ahec1     
#e4aj francs2  #ahed and #ahee1 over #d 
francs2 in #ahef and #aheg1 #c4fb and   
#c4db francs2  from #aheh to #ahfb1 over
 #b francs2 and even in #ahfg they      
averaged #j4he  francs4    ,we quote    
from ,mr4 ,hubbard again3--     ,in     
#ahfb1 the inland messages1 at #a       
francs1 numbered    #aje1bgd   ,in      
#ahfe1 the inland messages1 at #a franc1
 numbered      #ccb1gah   ,in #ahfg1 the
 inland messages1 at  franc1 numbered   

#hai1ffh     ,total receipts in #ahff1  
#ifa1aab francs4   ,total expenses in   
#ahff1                                  
#hci1jjj         ,estimated profits for 
#ahff on the entire business1 if     no 
reduction had been made1                
#aih1dii       ,actual profits for      
#ahff1 under the reduced rates1         
#abb1aab                                
--------------   ,actual loss by        
reducing the rates on inland messages   
one half1                               
#gf1chg        ,by an examination of    
,table ,h1 page #if1 it will be seen    
that the total  receipts of the ,belgian
 telegraphs for #ahff were #ifb1bac     
francs2  expenditures1 #a1bag1dif       
francs2 loss1 #bee1bhc francs4 ,of the  
receipts  only #djg1ecb francs were for 
inland messages1 of which there were    
transmitted #fib1ecf1 while #eec1ehj    
francs were received for #dce1dfi       
international and transit messages4 ,as 
before stated1 the expense of  service  
upon transit messages is merely nominal4

 ,they simply pass  through the kingdom1
 and require no labor in receiving1     
transmitting1 or  delivery4 ,the greater
 part of the expense1 therefore1 was    
incurred upon  the inland messages2 and1
 had not the ,belgian administration    
imposed a  tax upon neighboring nations 
of #eec1ehj francs for messages coming  
from  or going to other countries1 there
 would have been a deficit of #hji1ifd  
francs on the year's business instead of
 #bee1bhc francs4    ,we quote from ,mr4
 ,hubbard3--      8,a system of         
railroads is also owned and operated by 
the government1    and the telegraph is 
connected with both the railroad and the
 post4    ,a large proportion of the    
offices are at the railway stations1 but
    every post-office is an office of   
deposit1 from which messages are        
despatched at once1 free of charge1 to  
the nearest telegraph office1    when in
 the same district2 otherwise1 by the   
first messenger or by    special        
carrier1 on payment of an extra rate for

 porterage4 ,this    union of the       
telegraph with the post and railroad    
reduces the    expenses for operators1  
clerks1 general management1 rent and    
office    expenses1 and brings the      
system into close connection with every 
citizen4      8,the rates are prepaid by
 stamps1 and are uniform and low4 ,the  
rate    for all inland messages by      
telegraph1 or by telegraph and post     
where    the place of deposit or        
delivery is not on the line of the      
telegraph1 is one half-franc or thirteen
 and a half cents    currency40         
,,belgian ,,telegrams ,,delivered ,,by  
,,post4    ,in reply to this flattering 
picture of the ,belgian system of       
telegraphy  we quote the following from 
a recent ,english publication3#ae--     
,footnote #ae3      ,government and the 
,telegraphs4 ,london1 #ahfh4      8,the 
government of ,belgium not only have a  
monopoly of the    telegraphs and       
post-office1 but also of most of the    
railways of the    country4 ,they work  

the system as a whole4 ,in the case of  
ordinary    half-franc telegrams1 the   
messages are not uniformly despatched by
    messenger from the office at which  
they arrive1 but are sent to the        
residence of the receiver by post6      
8,the administration of the ,belgian    
telegraph in no respect holds    itself 
responsible for the delivery of a       
message1 unless it is    specially      
insured and additionally paid for4 ,they
 decline all    responsibility on       
account of delay in the transmission or 
non-arrival of a half-franc telegram4   
,they will not even inquire    into the 
cause of delay of a half-franc telegram6
 ,no matter how    long a message has   
taken in delivery1 or whatever may be   
the errors    in it1 the government will
 make no compensation to the sender or  
receiver1 except under very exceptional 
circumstances4 ,moreover1 the    twenty 
words forwarded for half a franc        
includes addresses both of    sender and
 receiver1 #8all of which is free in    

this country4'0    ,for further         
particulars relative to the ,belgian    
telegraph service  reference is made to 
pages #e1 #g1 #h1 #ac1 #af-bd4          
,,want ,,of ,,uniformity ,,in ,,rates4  
,we quote from ,mr4 ,hubbard3--         
8,there is no uniformity in the rates4  
,they are often less to a    distant    
station than to an intermediate one on  
the same line4 ,an    estimate of the   
average rates1 and of the annual number 
of messages    transmitted has been made
 by ascertaining the rates to           
seventy-one    stations at different    
distances from ,boston1 and arranging   
them in    four different classes40     
,mr4 ,hubbard groups his ,american      
distances into classes of #ejj1 #a1jjj1 
#a1ejj1 and #b1jjj miles2 while his     
,english classes embrace those of #ajj  
and under1 #bjj and under2 over #bjj1   
and to ,ireland4    ,the average rates  
he gives for ,america for               
,class ,a1        #ejj miles  and under1
 #j4da                ,class ,b1 over   

#ejj1 and under #a1jjj1  #a4dc          
,class ,c1 over #a1jjj1 and under       
#a1ejj1  #b4df                ,class ,d1
 over #a1ejj1 and under #b1jjj1  #c4cf  
,the ,english rate for     ,class ,a1   
less than #ajj miles1 one     shilling1 
equal to                      #j4cc ,u4 
,s4 currency4   ,class ,b1 between #ajj 
and #bjj miles1 one     shilling and    
sixpence1 equal to          #j4ej ,u4   
,s4 currency4   ,class ,c1 over #bjj    
miles1 two shillings1     equal to      
#j4ff ,u4 ,s4 currency4   ,class ,d1 to 
,ireland1 three to four     shillings1  
equal to                      #a4jj to  
#a4cc ,u4 ,s4 currency4    ,mr4 ,hubbard
 says3--      8,as rates are higher in  
,america1 a greater proportion of       
messages    are sent to stations in     
class ,a than in ,england1 and a smaller
    proportion to class ,d4 ,the average
 receipt per message1 at these    rates1
 is #a4jj4 ,the gross receipts of the   
,western ,union ,company1    for the    
year ending the #cjth of ,june1 #ahfh1  

were #f1ieb1bgc4af    ,this sum1 divided
 by the average receipts1 gives the     
whole number of    messages transmitted1
 viz4 #f1ieb1jjj4    ,footnote #af3     
,this amount embraces the total revenue 
of the ,western ,union      ,telegraph  
,company for that year1 and includes the
 receipts for      telegrams1 press     
reports1 and from all other sources4    
8,it may be objected that those         
estimates are incorrect1 and            
therefore the deductions are unreliable4
 ,if the ,western ,union    ,telegraph  
,company furnish a statement of messages
 annually    transmitted1 the required  
corrections will be made4 ,if it is not 
given1 it will be because the estimates 
of the average rates are too    low1 and
 the deductions too favorable to that   
company40#ag    ,footnote #ag3      ,the
 statement on page #g1 of the number of 
messages annually    transmitted by this
 company1 shows that ,mr4 ,hubbard's    
estimate gives    less than #gj per cent
 of the number actually sent over the   

wires4 ,the    average rate per message 
in the ,united ,states is fifty-seven   
cents4    ,as the average of these      
,english rates is a little over #ge     
cents1 while  the greatest distance for 
the highest ,english class is less than 
for the  shortest ,american class1 which
 he averages at #da cents1 we do not see
  how he can assert that the ,american  
rates are higher than the ,english6     
,in answer to the charge of want of     
uniformity in the tariffs1 we would     
call attention to the fact1 that the    
lines under our control were            
constructed by a great number of        
separate organizations1 having tariffs  
upon all bases1 which had to be added   
together at all the termini of two  or  
more lines1 so that a message going a   
few hundred miles would require  the    
payment sometimes of two or three rates4
 ,for instance1 a few years  since there
 were five telegraph companies owning   
the lines connecting  ,portland1 ,maine1
 with ,cleveland1 ,ohio1 and the tariff 

between these two  places was           
ascertained by the addition of the local
 rates from ,portland  to ,boston1      
,boston to ,springfield1 ,springfield to
 ,albany1 ,albany to  ,buffalo1 and from
 ,buffalo to ,cleveland4 ,the same      
system prevailed  throughout the ,united
 ,states1 until after the consolidation 
of the lines  made it possible to       
transmit messages between places        
thousands of miles  apart without the   
necessity of booking or rechecking at   
intermediate  points4 ,this result      
necessitated a remodelling of the       
tariffs1 and the  work has been going on
 uninterruptedly ever since2 but when it
 is  considered that a complete revision
 of the system required a separate      
tariff-sheet to be made out for over    
three thousand offices1 changing  and   
equalizing the rates to more than three 
thousand other offices1 the  immense    
labor and responsibility incurred in the
 undertaking may be  imagined4 ,it was  
impossible to effect this revision at   

once with any  number of clerks1 and for
 obvious reasons only a limited number  
could be  employed upon it1 as they can 
only act under the instruction of the   
executive officers1 who are charged with
 all the other duties of an  extensive  
organization4    ,various plans have    
been suggested for simplifying and      
equalizing the  tariffs1 but            
difficulties of a practical nature      
present themselves in  all of them4 ,the
 existence of rival lines1 built by     
speculators whose  profit is in the     
construction of them1 and which essay to
 do business at  rates less than the    
cost of the service1 necessitates the   
reduction of  our rates along certain   
routes disproportionately1 and prevents 
the  adoption of a general rate strictly
 proportioned to distance4 ,in the      
course of the coming year1 however1 it  
is expected that the work of  revising  
our whole tariff system will be         
accomplished1 to the  satisfaction of   
all4           ,,assertion ,,that       

,,commercial ,,messages ,,are           
,,transmitted ,,at ,a ,,loss4    ,mr4   
,hubbard's assertion that the lowest    
rate between any large cities in        
,america is #be cents is incorrect4 ,the
 tariff between ,washington and         
,baltimore is #aj cents2 between ,new   
,york and ,providence1 ,new ,haven1     
,hartford1 c41 #bj cents4    ,if it is  
true1 as he states1 that 8at these      
rates1 under the present  system1       
commercial messages are probably        
transmitted at a loss10 it may  be a    
matter of regret to the stockholders of 
the telegraph companies1  but affords no
 just ground for governmental           
interference4 ,besides1 how  will his   
proposed corporation be able to make    
money by doing the  business at a still 
lower rate8    ,mr4 ,hubbard says3--    
8,the history of the telegraph will     
explain the causes of these    different
 rates4 ,great competition1 in #aheb1   
caused a large    reduction in the      
rates4 ,soon after the validity of ,mr4 

,morse's    patent was confirmed by the 
courts many of the competing companies  
were enjoined and compelled to wind up  
or sell out1 and some failed4    ,in the
 ,eastern and ,southern ,states the     
,american ,telegraph ,company1    in    
which ,mr4 ,morse and his friends were  
largely interested1 bought    out most  
of the old companies1 and continued to  
occupy their    territory for many years
 without serious opposition4      8,the 
various companies in the ,west1 ,south1 
and ,northwest 7forming    groups of    
feeble organization7 were gradually     
merged into one    corporation1 under   
the name of the ,western ,union         
,telegraph ,company4    ,in #ahfd1 the  
,united ,states ,telegraph ,company was 
organized to oppose    this monopoly1   
and entered into a vigorous competition 
with the    ,western ,union2 prices were
 reduced in consequence1 and the        
business    increased with great        
rapidity4 ,in #ahff the ,american       
,telegraph    ,company1 the ,united     

,states ,telegraph ,company1 and the    
,western ,union    were united under the
 corporate name of the last corporation2
 the    prices were again raised1 and   
this first caused a less ratio of       
increase1 and finally an actual decrease
 in the telegraphic business    of the  
country40    ,mr4 ,hubbard's pamphlet   
contains a statement of the rates       
between ,new  ,york and ,boston in      
former years which is inaccurate4 ,the  
following is a  correct table of the    
rates between those cities for the years
 #ahdi-eb4                         ,in  
#ahdi the rate was #cj cents4           
,in #ahej the rate was #bj cents4       
,in #ahea the rate was #bj cents4       
,in #aheb the rate was #aj cents4       
,,correction ,,of ,,erroneous           
,,statements4    ,the statement that    
8soon after the validity of the ,morse  
patent was  confirmed by the courts in  
#aheb many of the competing companies   
were  enjoined and compelled to wind up 
or sell out0 is incorrect1 as is also   

the assertion that 8the ,american       
,telegraph ,company bought out most of  
the old companies1 and continued to     
occupy their territory for many  years  
without serious opposition40    ,the    
validity of the ,morse patent was never 
disputed4 ,in #ahdi the ,morse          
patentees commenced suits against the   
,new ,york and ,new ,england ,bain      
,telegraph ,company1 and the ,new ,york 
and ,boston ,house printing  ,telegraph 
,company1 for an infringement of the    
,morse patent4 ,the case  against the   
company using the ,bain patent never    
came to trial1 while the  other was     
decided in favor of the defendant1 by   
,judge ,woodbury of the  ,united ,states
 ,supreme ,court1 #ahej4ah    ,footnote 
#ah3      ,for an abstract of this      
decision see 8,prescott's ,history1     
,theory1 and    ,practice of the        
,electric ,telegraph40 ,boston3 ,fields1
 ,osgood1  ,co4    ,the consolidations  
between competing lines1 in #aheb and   
#ahec1 was caused  by the inability of  

the companies under separate            
organizations to meet  their working    
expenses4 ,they were generally confined1
 however1 to the  union of the ,morse   
and ,bain lines1 and there still        
remained two  competing lines upon all  
the principal routes4 ,there has never  
been but  a single year1 since #ahdi1   
when there have not been at least two   
competing lines between ,boston and     
,washington4    ,the ,american          
,telegraph ,company was not organized   
until #ahee1 and it was  not            
consolidated with any opposition line   
until #ahfj4 ,the next year  after the  
consolidation the ,independent ,company 
built a competing line  between ,new    
,york and ,portland1 ,maine4    ,the    
assertion that 8the ,united ,states     
,telegraph ,company was organized to    
oppose this monopoly1 and entered into a
 vigorous competition with the  ,western
 ,union1 and that prices were reduced in
 consequence10 is also  incorrect4 ,the 
,united ,states ,telegraph ,company     

never reduced the rates  at any point4  
,on the contrary1 it was not until after
 the ,united ,states'  lines were put in
 operation that the rates were advanced4
 ,this was  rendered necessary by the   
great depreciation of our currency1 and 
consequent advance in the cost of labor 
and materials for working the  lines1   
and was done by agreement of all the    
companies4                ,,tariffs     
,,not ,,increased ,,by ,,consolidation  
,,of ,,the ,,lines4    ,the statement   
that1 after the consolidation of the    
,american1 ,united  ,states1 and        
,western ,union ,telegraph ,companies1  
in #ahff1 8the prices were  again       
raised1 and this first caused a less    
ratio of increase1 and  finally an      
actual decrease in the telegraphic      
business of the country10  is without   
the least foundation in fact4 ,in no    
instance has the tariff  been increased 
since the consolidation4 ,on the        
contrary1 there has been  a steady      
decrease1 the rates to more than one    

thousand stations having  been lowered  
since the consolidation2 and this course
 is still being  pursued as rapidly as a
 just regard to the rights of the       
stockholders  and the extremely         
complicated nature of adjustment to be  
made will  allow4    ,the impression    
which ,mr4 ,hubbard attempts to give1   
that the  consolidation of the companies
 forming the ,western ,union ,telegraph 
,company1 included all the lines1 and   
gave this company a monopoly of the     
business1 is also incorrect4 ,the       
,franklin ,company1 between ,boston and 
,new ,york1 the ,insulated ,company1    
between ,boston and ,washington1 the    
,bankers and ,brokers'1 between ,new    
,york and ,washington1 and others1 were 
then in active operation1 and are still4
    ,mr4 ,hubbard says3--      8,in     
other countries1 the rates are reduced  
with the growth of    business1 and are 
never raised4 ,in this country1 they are
 reduced by    competition1 followed by 
consolidation of the competing          

companies1    and subsequent increase of
 rates1 without regard to the growth of 
the business40    ,the rates are        
unquestionably often reduced by         
competition1 sometimes  below the cost  
of doing the business1 and this will    
always be the case  as long as men will 
listen to the plausible schemes of      
speculative  enthusiasts1 and invest    
their money in new lines in the hope of 
realizing profits which are never       
earned4 ,the assertion1 however1 that   
consolidation is followed by an increase
 of rates1 without regard to the  growth
 of the business1 is not warranted by   
the facts4         ,,erroneous          
,,assertion ,,that ,a ,,large           
,,proportion ,,of ,,the ,,offices ,,are 
,,at                                    
,,railroad ,,stations4    ,we quote from
 ,mr4 ,hubbard again3--      8,the      
telegraph in this country is very       
generally connected with the    railroad
 system1 and a large proportion of the  
offices are at    railroad stations4#ai 

,these are seldom in the centre of the  
towns1    and are not resorted to as    
generally as the post-office4 ,in the   
large cities1 the principal offices are 
near the business centres1    with a    
number of secondary offices1 generally  
at hotels and railroad    stations4 ,the
 rent of the main offices is very large1
 and the    expenses for operators1     
clerks1 and managers are also           
necessarily    much more than when the  
telegraph is connected with the post40  
,footnote #ai3      ,by a singular      
coincidence1 ,mr4 ,scudamore makes the  
same complaint    against the ,english  
companies1 and in nearly the same words4
 ,see    ,scudamore's ,letter to the    
,postmaster-,general1 ,london1 #ahfh4   
,it is true that many telegraph offices 
are connected with the railroad  system 
in this country1 as well as abroad4     
,indeed1 no railroad would be           
considered complete without such a      
connection1 but it is not true that a   
large proportion of the offices are at  

the railroad stations4    ,we have shown
 on page #h that the telegraph system of
 ,europe is not  specially connected    
with the ,post-,office ,department4 ,in 
some countries  the telegraph1          
post-office1 and railway systems are    
under one  department1 but there is no  
particular connection between them4 ,the
  post-offices are merely offices of    
deposit for telegrams1 and not for      
transmission4 ,but supposing they were  
united1 why should the expenses of      
operators1 clerks1 and managers be      
necessarily much less than when the     
telegraph is worked separately8 ,we     
presume he does not propose to  dispense
 with the operators1 and put the        
telegrams in the mail-bag2 or  does he  
propose that when the government gets   
control of the telegraph  that the      
salaries will be reduced8 ,if this is   
his idea1 we think he is  reckoning on a
 false hope1 for if there was an attempt
 of this nature1  the operators would   
seek some other employment4             

,,american ,,and ,,european ,,telegraph 
,,tariffs ,,compared4    ,mr4 ,hubbard  
says3--      8,the lowest ,american     
rates are higher than the average       
foreign    rates1 and the average rates 
several times higher than the foreign4  
,these high rates retard the development
 of the system1 which was    more rapid 
in its early growth in this than in any 
other country4    ,what are the reasons 
assigned for these high rates8 ,are they
 well    founded1 and if not1 how can   
they be obviated80    ,these assertions 
are entirely erroneous1 and the facts   
quite the  reverse4 ,the highest        
,american rates are lower than the      
highest foreign  rates2 the average     
,american rates are lower than the      
average foreign  rates2 and the lowest  
,american rates are lower than the      
lowest foreign  rates4 ,the lowest rate 
given in ,europe is half a franc1 about 
equal to  #ad cents in currency1 while  
our rate between ,baltimore and         
,washington  is only #aj cents4 ,in     

,paris the tariff on city messages is   
half a franc  7#ad cents71 and in       
,london1 for city messages1 #f;d4       
sterling1 equal to  #ah cents in our    
currency2 while the rates for ,new      
,york1 from the ,battery  to ,harlem    
,river1 are only #aj cents4    ,in order
 that a fair comparison may be made     
between the ,american and  ,european    
systems of telegraphy1 so far as the    
rate of charges is  concerned1 we       
present a list of sixty of the principal
 stations in  ,europe1 and the same     
number in the ,united ,states1 with the 
tariffs and  distances in air lines from
 ,london and ,new ,york respectively1   
together  with the rules and regulations
 of each system4                        
,,rules ,,of ,,the ,,european           
,,telegraphs4    ,the minimum charge is 
for a message of twenty words1 including
 the  address and signature1 and half   
price is charged for each ten or        
fraction of ten words above twenty4     
,words of seven or less syllables count 

as one word4 ,in words containing  more 
than seven1 the overplus counts as one  
word2 each word  underlined counts as   
three words4    ,messages containing the
 same subject-matter addressed to       
different  stations are charged as      
separate messages4    ,secret or cipher 
messages can be sent by government only4
    ,replies at full rates can be       
prepaid2 but should the reply contain   
more  than the number of words specified
 and paid for1 the sender of the reply  
must pay for the excess as a fresh      
message4    ,messages can be repeated by
 payment of double charge at the time   
they  are sent1 the words 8,repetition  
paid0 being inserted after receiver's   
address1 and charged for4    ,all       
complaints respecting irregularity in   
the transmission or delivery  of        
messages must be made by ,,the ,,sender1
 and in cases of delay or error  the    
complaint must invariably be accompanied
 by the ,,receiver',s ,,copy of  the    
message4 ,complaints from the receivers 

of messages will not be  entertained4   
,,rules ,,of ,,the ,,western ,,union    
,,telegraph ,,company4    ,the minimum  
tariff is for a message of ten words4   
,no charge is made for  address1        
signature1 or date4 ,after the first ten
 words the rate is so  much per word1   
the amount being proportional to the    
rate for the first  ten4    ,all words  
are counted as one which are found so   
written in the  dictionaries4 ,no extra 
charge is made for messages written in  
cipher1  and no restrictions are placed 
upon their transmission4    ,replies can
 be prepaid if desired1 and no charge is
 made for inserting  this information in
 the sender's message4    ,messages can 
be repeated by the payment of one half  
the regular charge  in addition1 and the
 company agrees to be responsible for   
any mistakes  which may occur in        
repeated messages1 to the amount of     
fifty times the  sum received for       
sending the same4    ,correctness in the
 transmission of messages to any point  

on the lines of  this company can be    
,,insured by contract in writing1       
stating agreed  amount of risk1 and     
payment of premium thereon at the       
following rates1  in addition to the    
usual charge for repeated messages1     
viz43 one per  cent for any distance not
 exceeding one thousand miles1 and two  
per cent  for any greater distance4 ,no 
employee of the company is authorized to
  vary the foregoing4        ,statement 
showing the ,minimum ,rate for          
,telegrams from ,london to    ,principal
 ,cities in ,europe1 and from ,new ,york
 to ,principal ,cities in               
,america4         ,from ,london  ,dis-  
,tariff4      ,from ,new ,york  ,dis-   
,tariff4                tance           
tance                          in       
in                          ,eng4       
,eng4                        ,miles4    
,miles4                                 
s4d4,u4,s4                        cts4  
,cur4                                ,to
 ,cambridge     #dj    #a   #f    ,to   

,new ,haven1      #gj   #j4bj           
#j4eb   ,conn4                          
,dover         #ej    #b   #j           
,hartford1      #ajj   #j4bj            
#j4gj   ,conn4                          
,birmingham   #ajj    #a   #j           
,providence1    #aej   #j4bj            
#j4ce   ,r4 ,i4                         
,worcester    #ajj    #b   #j           
,springfield1   #abe   #j4cj            
#j4gj   ,mass4                          
,havre        #abe    #c   #f           
,worcester1     #aee   #j4cj            
#a4bb   ,mass4                          
,liverpool    #ahj    #a   #j           
,boston1        #aij   #j4cj            
#j4ce   ,mass4                          
,caen         #afj    #e   #j           
,portsmouth1    #bjj   #j4de            
#a4ge   ,n4 ,h4                         
,plymouth     #aij    #b   #f           
,washington1    #aij   #j4dj            
#j4hg   ,d4 ,c4                         
,paris        #bjj    #e   #j           
,augusta1 ,me4   #bhj   #j4fe           

#a4ge                                   
,amsterdam    #bjj    #f   #f           
,oswego1 ,n4     #bej   #j4dj           
#b4bg   ,y4                             
,rheims       #bej    #e   #j           
,portland1      #bej   #j4fe            
#a4ge   ,me4                            
,aix-la-      #bfe    #e   #j           
,bath1 ,me4      #bge   #j4fe           
,chapelle                  #a4ge        
,wakefield    #cjj    #e   #j           
,rochester1     #bhj   #j4ej            
#a4ge   ,n4 ,y4                         
,dublin       #bij    #e   #j           
,pittsburg1     #cjj   #j4de            
#a4ge   ,pa4                            
,edinburgh    #cbj    #d   #j           
,camden1 ,me4    #ccj   #j4fe           
#a4dj                                   
,rochelle     #cej    #g   #c           
,belfast1 ,me4   #cej   #j4fe           
#b4ec                                   
,frankfort    #chj    #g   #f           
,buffalo1 ,n4    #ccj   #j4ej           
#b4fb   ,y4                             

,hamburg      #chj    #h   #j           
,erie1 ,pa4      #cfj   #a4jj           
#b4hj                                   
,strasburg    #che    #g   #c           
,bangor1 ,me4    #cdj   #j4fe           
#b4ec                                   
,hanover      #djj    #h   #j           
,cleveland1     #dbe   #a4jj            
#b4hj   ,ohio                           
,stuttgart    #dbj    #g   #f           
,toledo1 ,ohio   #dgj   #a4jj           
#b4fb                                   
,berne        #dej    #g   #c           
,columbus1      #dge   #j4ie            
#b4ec   ,ohio                           
,bordeaux     #dee    #g   #c           
,sandusky1      #dhj   #a4dj            
#b4ec   ,ohio                           
,munich       #edj    #h   #f           
,cincinnati1    #eej   #a4jj            
#b4fg   ,ohio                           
,turin        #eej    #g   #c           
,lexington1     #ege   #a4jj            
#c4ec   ,ky4                            
,copenhagen   #eeb    #h   #j           

,dayton1        #eeb   #a4jj            
#b4hj   ,ohio4                          
,berlin       #efj   #aj   #j           
,charleston1    #eij   #b4jj            
#c4ej   ,s4 ,c4                         
,milan        #ege    #h   #f           
,fort ,wayne1    #ehj   #a4gj           
#b4fg   ,ind4                           
,marseilles   #egf    #h   #f           
,lansing1       #eij   #a4he            
#b4fg   ,mich4                          
,prague       #fjj    #i   #i           
,louisville1    #fbe   #a4jj            
#c4da   ,ky4                            
,modena       #fej    #i   #f           
,indian-        #fej   #a4ij            
#c4cb   apolis1 ,ind4                   
,saragossa    #feb    #i   #f       ,new
 ,albany1    #ffj   #a4ge               
#c4cb   ,ind4                           
,chris-       #gjj   #ag   #f       ,la 
,fayette1    #gjj   #a4ie      tiania   
#e4ie   ,ind4                           
,trieste      #gbj   #aa                
,chicago1       #gcj   #a4ge            

#c4he   ,ill4                           
,vienna       #ghj   #aa                
,racine1 ,wis4   #gej   #a4ij           
#c4he                                   
,madrid       #gej   #aj   #f           
,milwaukee1     #ggj   #a4ij            
#c4fg   ,wis4                           
,ancona       #hjj   #aa                
,peru1 ,ill4     #hjj   #b4be           
#c4he                                   
,rome         #hej   #ab                
,madison1       #hej   #b4dj            
#d4bj   ,wis4                           
,stockholm    #hfj   #af   #c           
,montgomery1    #hfj   #c4je            
#e4fi   ,ala4                           
,warsaw       #hge   #ac   #c       ,st4
 ,louis1     #hhj   #b4jj               
#d4fd   ,mo4                            
,pesth        #hhj   #ab   #c           
,galena1 ,ill4   #hhj   #b4ce           
#d4bi                                   
,cagliari     #ibe   #ad           ,rock
 ,island1   #ijj   #b4ce                
#d4ij   ,ill4                           

,naples       #iej   #aa                
,prairie du     #iej   #b4fe            
#c4he   ,chien1 ,wis4                   
,lisbon       #iee   #ad                
,quincy1 ,ill4   #iej   #b4fj           
#d4ij                                   
,seville      #ihj   #ac                
,jefferson      #ige   #b4gj            
#d4ee   ,city1 ,mo4                     
,cadiz      #a1jjj   #ac                
,mobile1 ,ala4 #a1jjj   #c4jj           
#d4ee                                   
,belgrade   #a1jje   #ac   #f           
,little ,rock1 #a1jej   #d4jj           
#d4gb   ,ark4                           
,palermo    #a1jhj   #ab           ,des 
,moines1  #a1jhj   #b4gj                
#d4bj   ,iowa4                          
,st4        #a1afj   #ah   #f       ,new
 ,orleans1 #a1ajj   #c4be               
,petersburg                #f4dg   ,la4 
,novgorod   #a1bge   #ah   #f           
,houston1 ,la4 #a1ccj   #e4jj           
#f4dg                                   
,smolensk   #a1bhj   #ah   #f           

,galveston1   #a1cdj   #c4ie            
#f4dg   ,texas                          
,malta      #a1bej   #af   #i           
,grand        #a1cej   #d4fj            
#e4hg   ,island1                        
,nebraska                       ,odessa 
#a1cfj   #ah   #f       ,fort           
#a1chj   #e4be                          
#f4dg   ,kearney1                       
,nebraska                       ,athens 
#a1deja  #ab           ,austin1         
#a1dfj   #e4ej                          
#aa4cf   ,texas                         
,constan-   #a1dhj   #ai   #f       ,san
 ,antonio1 #a1eej   #e4ej      tinople  
#g4jj   ,texas                          
,smyrna     #a1edja   #f   #f           
,fort         #a1fjj   #f4dj            
#i4dc   ,laramie1                       
,nebraska                       ,nishni 
#a1gjja   #b           ,denver1         
#a1gjj   #g4fj      ,novgorod           
#g4hf   ,colorado                       
,moscow     #a1dhe   #ai           ,salt
 ,lake    #b1ajj   #e4ie                

#f4fe   ,city1 ,utah                    
,taganrog   #a1dija   #f                
,sacramento1  #b1ejj   #f4ge            
#i4bf   ,california                     
,sjumen     #a1ejja   #h                
,stockton1    #b1ejj   #f4ge            
#i4if   ,california                     
,alexandria #a1hfgb   #f   #i       ,san
          #b1fjj   #f4ge                
#af4fi   ,francisco1                    
,california                             
,,more ,,erroneous ,,statements4    ,mr4
 ,hubbard's assertion that1 8where a    
message is repeated1 the expense  is    
increased about seventy-five per cent1  
but on well-constructed lines1  in      
ordinary weather1 messages between any  
two stations east of a line  from ,st4  
,paul to ,new ,orleans require but one  
repetition10 hardly needs  refutation4  
,east of the line named there are more  
than four thousand  telegraph offices1  
and at least #a1cjj separate and        
distinct circuits4  ,how1 then1 can     
separate wires be maintained between    

every two stations  over this vast      
territory8 ,even confining the statement
 to one office at  the ,east1--say      
,boston1 for example1--how is it        
possible to maintain  separate circuits 
that will enable that office to work    
direct with each  one of four thousand  
offices8 ,it would be more practicable  
to travel  from every town in the       
,united ,states to every other town1    
without change  of cars1 than it would  
to establish direct telegraphic         
connection  between each4    ,the       
,western ,union ,telegraph ,company     
maintains independent circuits1 and     
works direct between ,new ,york and     
,philadelphia1 ,washington1 ,boston1    
,buffalo1 ,montreal1 ,chicago1          
,cincinnati1 ,new ,orleans1 ,portland1  
,plaister  ,cove1 and many other points2
 but to work with every office in the   
,united  ,states without repetition     
would require more wires upon each pole 
than  the mythical ,briareus had hands4 
,,singular ,,notions ,,of ,,practical   

,,telegraphy4    ,it seems scarcely     
worth while to follow ,mr4 ,hubbard in  
his statements  regarding the capital of
 the ,western ,union ,telegraph         
,company1 and the  cost of its lines4   
,we have given a statement on pages #cg 
to #dj of the  organization of this     
company1 the amount of its capital1     
length of  lines1 and other matters of  
interest4    ,mr4 ,hubbard's statement  
that the directors of the ,western      
,union  ,telegraph ,company have        
steadfastly refused to reduce rates     
until forced  by competition1 and then  
consolidated with the competing company1
 and  again raised the rates1 is without
 the slightest foundation in fact4 ,we  
have previously stated that no increase 
in the rates has been made since  the   
consolidation with the ,united ,states  
and ,american companies1 but1 on  the   
contrary1 they have been reduced to more
 than one thousand stations1  while the 
opposition have less than three hundred 
offices all told4         ,,absurd      

,,theories ,,regarding ,,the ,,working  
,,capacity ,,of ,,telegraph ,,lines4    
,mr4 ,hubbard says3--      8,the        
capacities of the line of telegraph are 
very great4 #b1jjj words    an hour are 
easily transmitted by a good operator   
over a single    wire4 ,at this rate    
there could be sent over fifty-one of   
the eighty    or ninety wires leading   
from the ,new ,york office of the       
,western    ,union ,telegraph ,company  
#b1ddh1jjj words1 or #ig1ibj messages of
    twenty-five words each1 a day4 ,this
 amount cannot be obtained4 ,forty      
messages an hour are easily transmitted 
by a good operator over a    through    
line1 and this number could be sent     
every hour by relays of    operators4   
,this estimate gives #a1bbd1jjj words1  
or #dh1ifj messages4    ,on through and 
local lines a deduction of one half for 
twelve hours    of the day1 during which
 the local lines are open1 must be      
made1--#iah1jjj words1 or #cf1gbj       
messages1 on through and local lines4   

,the average number actually transmitted
 on these fifty-one wires is    #ahd1cgh
 words1 or #g1cge messages4 #gcc1fbb    
more words1 or #bi1cdj more    messages 
might daily be transmitted over these   
lines4 ,if the present    business could
 be distributed over all the hours of   
the day1 or if    there were sufficient 
business for all the wires the whole    
day1 the    rates could be largely      
reduced4      8,nearly eighteen hours of
 each day the wires are idle1 yet a     
considerable portion of the expenses of 
the line are no greater than    they    
would be if messages were transmitted   
the whole time4 ,interest1              
depreciation1 and repairs1 office rent1 
salaries1 and general    management are 
the same1 whether much or little        
business is    transacted4 ,these items 
constitute about one third of all the   
expenses on the ,western ,union line4   
,the other expenses will not be         
increased in proportion to the increase 
of the time40    ,in reply to the above1

 we assert that #b1jjj words an hour are
 not easily  transmitted by a good      
operator over a single wire4 ,there are 
operators  who can send at this rate for
 a short time1 but they are very few in 
number1 and none of them could maintain 
this rate of speed for any  length of   
time4 ,it must be recollected that a    
message must be copied  with a pen as   
rapidly as it is sent4 ,now1 we doubt if
 ,mr4 ,hubbard even  can write #b1jjj   
words legibly within an hour1 with pen  
and ink4 ,it is  well known that the    
celebrated horse ,dexter has trotted a  
mile in the  unprecedented time of      
#b4ag1 but would it not be absurd to    
state1 on that  account1 that every good
 horse can easily trot twenty-six miles 
an hour8  ,why1 ,dexter himself cannot  
keep up this rate of speed for even a   
quarter  of an hour4 ,because a         
celebrated pedestrian walked a hundred  
miles in  twenty-four hours1 would it be
 just to say that every good walker can 
easily walk #cf1ejj miles per annum8 ,a 

man in ,california rode three  hundred  
miles in twenty-four hours2 would it be 
honest1 therefore1 to  say that every   
good horseman can easily ride #i1jjj    
miles a month8 ,the  maximum speed of   
the best operators is #a1ejj words per  
hour1 but the  average speed of the best
 is very much below this4    ,the amount
 of business done upon a wire in a given
 time is vastly  greater in this country
 than in any other4 ,in ,europe there   
are #cee1bah  miles of wire1 while in   
the ,united ,states there are less than 
one third  as many1 and yet the wires in
 this country transmit more telegraphic 
matter per annum than all the lines in  
,europe4 ,this almost incredible  fact  
is explained by the superior character  
and ability of our operating  staff4 ,in
 ,europe they still use recording       
instruments1 and slowly and  laboriously
 pick out their messages upon strips of 
paper4 ,here1 on the  contrary1 every   
operator--except in the small           
villages--reads by sound1  and does     

three times as much work upon a wire as 
the poorly paid and  inefficient        
,european operator4 ,now1 this being the
 case1--and the  statistics prove       
it1--it can hardly be pretended that our
 company gets  much less out of its     
wires than they can reasonably perform1 
and yet ,mr4  ,hubbard says we 8could   
easily send on fifty-one wires #ig1ibj  
messages  per day1 while in reality we  
only send #g1cge40 ,here is a difference
  between theory and practice that beats
 even ,dexter's #b4ag as the rate of    
speed which every horse in ,america can 
average4      ,,impossibility ,,of      
,,utilizing ,,the ,,telegraph ,,lines   
,,by ,,night ,,as ,,well ,,as ,,day4    
,mr4 ,hubbard says1 8,if the present    
business could be distributed over all  
the hours of the day1 or if there were  
sufficient business for all the  wires  
the whole day1 the rates could be       
largely reduced02 but neither of  these 
propositions can be realized4 ,the      
telegraph is an errand-boy which  every 

one uses when the exigency requires it1 
and which no one will use               
unnecessarily1 even though it work for  
nothing4 ,in order to utilize the  wires
 during those portions of the day and   
night when they are  comparatively idle1
 the ,western ,union ,telegraph ,company
 adopted the  following rates for night 
messages3--    8,this company will      
transmit messages between the principal 
cities on its  lines east of ,st4 ,louis
 and ,new ,orleans1 both inclusive1     
during the  night1 and deliver the same 
the succeeding morning1 on the following
  terms3 ,for a message of #bj words or 
less1 the usual tolls on a ten-word     
message will be charged4 ,for a message 
of more than #bj words1 and not         
exceeding #fj words1 twice the usual    
tolls on a ten-word message will be     
charged4 ,for a message of more than #fj
 words1 and not exceeding #abj  words1  
three times the usual tolls on a        
ten-word message will be  charged4 ,for 
each additional #ajj words1 or part     

thereof1 in excess of  #abj words1 the  
usual tolls on a ten-word message will  
be charged in  addition4 ,such messages 
will be known as ,,night ,,messages4    
,they will be  received for transmission
 at any time during the day or evening1 
and  will be sent during the succeeding 
night4 ,no additional charge will be    
made for cipher messages40    ,the very 
moderate success of our night-message   
experiment1  notwithstanding the large  
inducements offered1 proves that the use
 of  the telegraph is required not      
merely for communication1 but for       
emergency and despatch4 ,it is also a   
fact worthy of notice1 that very  little
 of this business is done between       
,boston1 ,new ,york1 ,philadelphia1     
,baltimore1 and ,washington1            
notwithstanding the low rates1 whereby  
over a  hundred words can be transmitted
 for a dollar4 ,it is done mainly       
between  remote places like ,chicago1   
,milwaukee1 ,st4 ,louis1 ,cincinnati1   
,memphis1  and ,new ,orleans1           

communication between which by mail     
requires from two  to four days4    ,in 
support of this theory we submit a      
statement of the night-message  business
 between ,new ,york ,city and all points
 on our lines for the  months of ,march1
 ,july1 and ,october4 ,these months     
represent fairly the  varying phases of 
our business in respect to trade in     
different sections  of the country at   
different seasons of the year4    ,the  
total number of night messages sent and 
received between ,new ,york  ,city and  
all places on our lines for the three   
months named was #f1bgc1  divided as    
follows3--                  ,between    
,new ,york and ,charleston1 ,s4 ,c4     
#bgf                ,between ,new ,york 
and ,chicago1 ,ill4       #ijd          
,between ,new ,york and ,cincinnati1 ,o4
      #cbf                ,between ,new 
,york and ,st4 ,louis1 ,mo4      #dcc   
,between ,new ,york and ,milwaukee1     
,wis4     #agf                ,between  
,new ,york and ,memphis1 ,tenn4         

#caf                ,between ,new ,york 
and ,montgomery1 ,ala4    #agf          
,between ,new ,york and ,mobile1 ,ala4  
#djb                ,between ,new ,york 
and ,new ,orleans1 ,la4  #a1aie         
,between ,new ,york and ,all other      
places  #b1jfi                          
----------                       ,total1
                          #f1bgc    ,our
 night-message experiment has proved    
that the telegraph will not be  used at 
night1 at any tariff1 except to a       
moderate extent and between  distant    
points4    ,the absurdity of placing the
 telegraph and postal systems in the    
same  category has been fully shown on  
pages #dc and #dd4 ,mr4 ,hubbard appears
 to  have read ,mr4 ,scudamore's charges
 against the ,english system1 and       
applied them literally to the telegraphs
 of this country4 ,unfortunately1       
however1 charges which may be true as   
applied to the companies operating  the 
telegraphs in the ,united ,kingdom have 
no pertinency when reproduced  as the   

shortcomings of the ,american system4   
,,proposed ,,incorporation ,,of ,,the   
,,united ,,states ,,postal ,,telegraph  
,,company4    ,mr4 ,hubbard says3--     
8,it is not considered expedient either 
for the government to    purchase the   
existing lines1 or to construct and     
operate lines4 ,how1    then1 can the   
desired results be best attained8 ,the  
,post-,office    ,department has no     
facilities of its own for the           
transmission of    correspondence either
 by rail or telegraph4 ,it contracts    
with the    railroad companies for      
carrying the mail1 and it is proposed   
that it    shall contract with a        
telegraph company for transmitting      
messages4      8,a bill was introduced  
at the last session of ,congress1 and   
referred    to the committee on ,post   
,roads and ,routes1 to incorporate the  
#8,united ,states ,postal ,telegraph    
,company1 and to establish a postal     
system4'      8,the first1 second1      
third1 fourth1 and fifth sections of the

 bill    incorporate the company1 with  
power to construct lines on all the     
post roads and routes of the country4   
8,the sixth section authorizes the      
,postmaster-,general to receive bids    
from any telegraph company for the      
transmission by telegraph of    messages
 received and delivered through the     
post-office1 to all    cities and       
villages of #e1jjj inhabitants and over1
 and to towns on    the line of the     
telegraph1 where stations may be        
established by    order of the          
,postmaster-,general4      8,the seventh
 section authorizes the                 
,postmaster-,general to contract    for 
the transmission by telegraph of        
messages with the company that    will  
engage to transmit them for the least   
sum1 provided such sum    does not      
exceed twenty-five cents1 including five
 cents postage for    each message of   
twenty words1 including date1 address1  
and    signature1 for each and every    
#ejj miles or fractional part thereof   

the message may be transmitted1 with    
five cents for each added five    words4
 ,all messages to be prepaid by stamps1 
or written on stamped    paper4         
8,messages to be received at any and all
 post-offices1 street-boxes1    or other
 receptacles for letters1 and to be     
delivered by special    carrier without 
extra expense4      8,messages requiring
 immediate despatch to have priority of 
transmission on payment of extra rates4 
8,the effect of the proposed reduction  
will be better appreciated by           
comparing the present and proposed      
rates4                  ,,distances4    
,present,proposed           ,pro ,rata  
,rates4  ,rates4 ,reduction4,reduction4 
,to stations within #ejj miles    #j4da 
#j4cj     #j4aabfper ct4   ,to stations 
between   #ejj and                      
#a1jjj miles                    #a4dc   
#j4ee      #j4hhfb         ,to stations 
between #a1jjj and                      
#a1ejj miles                    #b4da   
#j4ha      #a4fjfg         ,to stations 

between #a1ejj and                      
#b1jjj miles                    #c4da   
#a4dg      #a4idef            ,averages 
#a4jj   #j4dg     #j4ecec               
,,messages ,,delivered ,,within ,a      
,,mile ,,of ,,the ,,office ,,free4      
,the rule was established coincident    
with the introduction of the  telegraph 
in the ,united ,states to deliver all   
messages in the town  within a mile of  
the receiving office free4 ,special and 
free delivery  should be the rule as far
 as practicable4 ,and yet it is         
impossible1  without rendering the      
telegraph of no avail in important      
emergencies1 to  establish free delivery
 everywhere4 ,a message from an ,eastern
 city to a  ,western village announcing 
peril1 disaster1 or death is addressed  
to a  person two or three miles from the
 telegraph station4 ,the charge for     
transmitting this message is1 say1 fifty
 cents4 ,two modes of delivery  are     
presented1--one to drop it in the       
post-office1 where it may lie until  the

 next day2 the other1 to hire a         
conveyance1 and send a special          
messenger with it to the person         
addressed4 ,the cost of this special    
service will vary from one dollar to two
 dollars4 ,our practice is to  deliver  
by special messenger1 and charge        
therefor the actual cost of the         
service4                     ,,european 
,,charges ,,for ,,delivering            
,,telegrams4    ,a similar custom       
prevails in ,europe1 as will appear from
 the following  extracts from the rules 
and regulations applicable to stations  
in the  ,austro-,germanic ,telegraph    
,union1 which comprises ,austria1       
,prussia1  ,hanover1 ,holland1 ,saxony1 
,wurtemburg1 the ,german ,duchies1 also 
,france  and the whole ,south of        
,europe3                ,,charges ,,for 
,,postage1 ,,foot ,,messenger1 ,,and    
,,estafette4    ,the instruction for    
forwarding despatches beyond ,telegraph 
lines must be  inserted in messages     
immediately after receiver's address and

 charged  for2 messages with no         
instructions will be sent on from       
,terminal  ,telegraph ,station by post4 
,the sender is responsible for an       
insufficient address1 and can only      
rectify the same by sending and paying  
for a new despatch4      ,by ,post 7as  
,registered ,letter7 to all places in   
,europe1 #js4 #aj;d4    ,by ,post 7as   
,registered ,letter7 to all other       
places1     #bs4  #j;d4    ,messages    
addressed to 8,poste ,restante0 are     
subjected to the above  charges for     
postage4    ,by ,express 7,foot         
,messenger7 within seven ,english miles1
 #bs4 #f;d4    ,by ,estafette 7,mounted 
,messenger7 a charge must be made at the
 rate of  #bs4 #f;d4 per three ,english 
miles for countries comprised in the    
,austro-,germanic ,union1 but for other 
towns the charge is #as4 #f;d4 per      
,english mile4 ,if1 however1 the        
distance is unknown1 a sufficient       
deposit  must be taken4    ,all charges 
to be prepaid by sender4                

,,telegrams ,,to ,,be ,,placed ,,in     
,,the ,,street ,,boxes4    ,mr4         
,hubbard's proposition to put telegrams 
into street-boxes is simply  absurd4    
,telegrams are always of an important   
nature1 and need despatch4  ,imagine a  
message announcing sickness1 death1 or  
any other circumstance1  being dropped  
in the street box1 to be taken out when 
the carrier  happens round6 ,as for     
post-offices1 how many are there in any 
of the  large cities even8 ,few have    
more than one1 and this is closed when a
  mail arrives1--a circumstance that    
seems to have rendered the closed       
condition the normal one with many      
post-offices4    ,to give an idea of the
 extent of present facilities in the    
principal  cities1 the following        
statement1 showing the number of        
telegraph offices  now open1 is         
submitted3--                            
,new ,york1     #ajj offices4           
,philadelphia1  #ce                     
,baltimore1     #ai                     

,washington1    #af                     
,boston1        #bd                     
,chicago1       #bb                     
,cincinnati1    #ba                     
,,privileged ,,persons ,,to ,,have      
,,priority ,,in ,,the ,,use ,,of ,,the  
,,wires4    ,mr4 ,hubbard's plan of     
allowing 8messages requiring immediate  
despatch to  have priority of           
transmission on payment of extra rates10
 would abolish  the rule which has      
always been observed since the          
establishment of the  telegraph in this 
country1 8first come first served10 and 
give  privileged persons the priority in
 the use of the wires4 ,what an         
excellent opportunity this would afford 
speculative combinations 7like  that    
which locked up twenty millions of      
currency in ,wall ,street a short  time 
ago7 to extend their operations all over
 the country1 by  practically           
controlling the telegraph8    ,this plan
 would not answer at all4 ,no system of 
variation of rate is  feasible1         

consistently with public policy1 but    
that which offers a lower  rate for     
business which will consent to be       
delayed until another day4    ,in regard
 to the establishment of a money-order  
system by telegraph1 we  would say that 
we have long done something in the way  
of transmitting  deposits and money     
orders by telegraph4 ,we have made no   
effort to bring  it prominently before  
the public1 with a view to extending    
this  department of our business1 for   
the reason that as an established system
  it would be comparatively easy for    
rogues to abuse it4 ,it is only         
resorted to in cases of great emergency1
 where money orders by post  cannot be  
delivered in time to meet the           
necessities of the case4 ,it is  also   
confined mainly to the transmission of  
small sums4 ,it involves  necessarily   
the sending of two messages4 ,large     
amounts required in  commercial         
transactions are daily transmitted or   
exchanged in this  manner by the regular

 banking houses in all the principal    
cities4         ,,proposition ,,to      
,,operate ,,telegraphs ,,at ,a ,,loss1  
,,and ,,make ,,money ,,by ,,it4    ,mr4 
,hubbard proposes1 by his new plan1 to  
send telegrams at an average  reduction 
of #ec per cent from the present        
charges1 which we have shown  to be #be 
per cent less than the ,european rates4 
,now1 the total receipts  of the        
,western ,union ,telegraph ,company for 
the year ending ,june #cj1  #ahfg1 were 
#f1efh1ibe1 and a reduction of #ec per  
cent would leave  #c1jhg1dje4           
,the working expenses for the year were 
#c1idd1jje          ,receipts with ,mr4 
,hubbard's proposed tariff1  #c1jhg1dje 
------------------          ,loss for   
the year                                
#hef1fjj    ,mr4 ,hubbard acknowledges  
that neither the government nor any     
company can  transmit messages at the   
above rates without loss1 but claims    
that 8a  company with well-constructed  
lines1 built for cash1 can transmit     

messages at these rates1 in connection  
with the post-office1 and realize  a    
large profit40 ,precisely how this is to
 be done1 or what the lines  8built for 
cash0 have got to do about it1 does not 
appear4 ,mr4 ,hubbard  says in his      
pamphlet that 8the largest part of the  
lines of the ,western  ,union ,company  
were constructed before the rise in     
prices1 and on a gold  basis40 ,now1 if 
he means that lines built on a paper    
basis can be worked  cheaper than those 
constructed on a gold one1 we would be  
glad to hear  his reasons for so        
singular a notion4                      
,,speculative ,,telegraph ,,schemes4    
,we consider it our duty to say a word  
concerning the swarm of  adventurers who
 are canvassing the country for         
subscriptions to utterly  worthless     
telegraph stock1 and who are besieging  
the halls of ,congress  every year for  
some recognition or advantage which     
shall enable them the  more readily to  
impose upon the public4    ,the         

,national ,telegraph ,company is an     
example in point4 ,this concern1  which 
claims to have organized two years ago  
under an act of ,congress1  and which   
has filled the country with runners     
begging for subscriptions  to its stock1
 has never set a pole4    ,the losses   
which have occurred in the operation of 
competing lines are  enormous4 ,the     
country is full of people who have lost 
money in these  schemes1 which1 after a 
brief existence1 are wound up and their 
effects  disposed of by the sheriff4    
,the present condition of all the       
opposition lines is very precarious4    
,the ,franklin ,company was made by a   
consolidation of the ,insulated         
,company1 having four wires between     
,boston and ,washington1 and the old    
,franklin ,company1 having two wires    
between ,boston and ,new ,york4 ,the    
capital of the former was #a1bej1jjj1   
and of the latter #ejj1jjj4 ,the  new   
organization has been in operation about
 two years1 during which  time its      

receipts have fallen so far below its   
expenses that it has  contracted a debt 
of #abe1jjj2 and its lines have         
deteriorated to such  an extent that a  
large sum would have to be expended to  
put them in  proper condition for       
business4 ,the stock of such companies  
is valueless  as an investment1 and1 in 
respect to some of them1 it is doubtful 
if  their property could be sold for a  
sum sufficient to pay their             
indebtedness4    ,the ,atlantic and     
,pacific ,company has a line from ,new  
,york to ,chicago1  via ,albany1        
,buffalo1 ,cleveland1 and ,sandusky1    
averaging about two  wires for each     
line4 ,its lines are built under a      
contract to take stock  in payment1 at  
the rate of #a1fff4ff per mile for a    
line of two wires4    ,the operation of 
these separate and irresponsible lines1 
during the  brief period of their       
existence1 retards the progress of      
legitimate  telegraphy1 and impairs the 
general unity of the system4 ,any       

legislation  of ,congress which is made 
to further such schemes has the direct  
effect  of aiding a class of speculators
 to fleece a credulous public1 by       
inducing them to invest their money in  
the construction of lines which  never  
have paid1 and never can pay1 the       
expenses of operating them1 and  which  
are of no benefit to any persons but    
those who originate them1 and  profit by
 their construction4                    
,,more ,,startling ,,inventions ,,for   
,,rapid ,,telegraphing4    ,we quote    
from ,mr4 ,hubbard3--      8,instruments
 have been recently invented1 and are in
 operation1    either in ,england or in 
this country1 by which two great        
hindrances    to the efficiency of the  
telegraph are remedied4 ,mr4 ,stearns1  
president of the ,franklin ,telegraph   
,company1 has invented an    instrument 
by which messages are transmitted both  
ways at the same    time1 on the same   
wire1 thus doubling its capacity without
 any    increase of expense4 ,sir       

,charles ,wheatstone1 in ,england1 has  
invented an instrument by which double  
the number of words can be              
transmitted and received on the same    
wire1 at an increased expense    in the 
preparation of the message for          
transmission4 ,instruments are    also  
in operation in ,great ,britain1 worked 
by boys1 after    instruction of one or 
two days40    ,in regard to ,mr4        
,stearns's apparatus for working both   
ways over one wire  at the same time1 we
 are compelled to say there is nothing  
new in the  idea4 ,doctor ,gintl1 of    
,germany1 invented it many years ago1   
and it was  published in an ,italian    
work1#bj with steel-plate illustration1 
issued  in #ahfa1 translated into       
,english by ,george ,b4 ,prescott1 of   
,albany1 and  published in the          
,telegraphic ,journal1 ,london1 ,may1   
#ahfd4 ,moses ,g4  ,farmer1 ,esq41 of   
,boston1 invented another apparatus for 
doing the same  thing1 and worked it    
between ,boston and ,portland1 in #ahdi4

 ,if there is  any practical value in   
this apparatus it is open--like the     
,morse  ,telegraph--to the use of all4  
,sir ,charles ,wheatstone's apparatus1  
by  which double the number of words can
 be received on the same wire1 will     
probably prove of the same practical    
value as many similar inventions1  which
 in theory can transmit intelligence    
with the greatest accuracy at  the      
astonishing rate of five or ten thousand
 words an hour1 but in  practice have   
never proved of the slightest value4    
,footnote #bj3      ,manuale di         
,telegrafia ,elettrica1 di ,carlo       
,matteucci1 ,torino1 #ahfa4    ,it is   
suggestive1 that1 of more than a hundred
 inventions designed to  supersede the  
,morse telegraph1 the latter instrument 
is used to-day on  more than #dij1jjj   
miles of wire out of the total of       
#ejj1jjj in operation  in all parts of  
the world4 ,mr4 ,hubbard's assertion1   
8that instruments  are in operation in  
,great ,britain1 worked by boys1 after  

instruction of  one or two days10 may be
 true4 ,from all accounts1 the use of   
boys--and  charity boys at that--has    
been the great curse of telegraphy in   
,england1  until the saying has become  
common there1 when describing a         
remarkably  poor specimen of            
chirography1 that 8it is written as     
badly as a  telegraph despatch40 ,we    
hope the day is far distant when our    
messages  shall be transmitted by boys  
with one or two days' instruction4      
,we hardly need say that it is for our  
interest to adopt every  improvement    
whereby the despatch of business within 
a given time can be  materially         
increased4 ,it is certainly cheaper for 
us to provide new  instruments1 at      
almost any cost which will ever be      
charged therefor1  than to put up1 keep 
in repair1 and operate additional wires 
to produce  the same results4           
,,erroneous ,,table ,,of ,,european     
,,statistics4    ,we reproduce ,mr4     
,hubbard's statistical table for the    

purpose of pointing  out some very      
serious errors contained in it4         
,in ,u4 ,s4 ,gold4                ,in   
,u4 ,s4                                 
,gold4#ba   ,the ,austrian florin is    
rated by ,mr4 ,hubbard at  #j4da   ,true
 value #j4dh   ,franc               is  
rated by ,mr4 ,hubbard at    4#b        
,true value  4#ai    ,sterling          
is rated by ,mr4 ,hubbard at   #d4hd    
,true value #d4hf   ,lira               
is rated by ,mr4 ,hubbard at 4#ah-faj   
,true value  4#ai   ,dollar of ,norway  
is rated by ,mr4 ,hubbard at   4#ec     
,true value #a4ji   ,rouble             
is rated by ,mr4 ,hubbard at 4#ba-cg    
,true value 4#gg   ,dollar of ,spain    
is rated by ,mr4 ,hubbard at   #a4jj    
,true value #a4jd    ,footnote #ba3     
,we are indebted for the estimation of  
the value of these foreign coins    in  
,united ,states gold to ,e4 ,b4         
,elliott1 ,esq41 of ,washington1 ,d4    
,c41    who has recently prepared a     
valuable work on the subject4    ,these 

errors1 in reducing foreign money into  
,united ,states gold currency  caused   
the following discrepancies in gross    
receipts for the year3--                
,value in ,united ,states ,gold1        
,true ,value in     ,difference4        
according to ,table4      ,united       
,states ,gold   ,austria1               
#fgd1cdd         #ghi1dgf4af            
#aae1acb4af   ,england1                 
#b1dha1ejj        #b1dia1gef4jb         
#aj1bef4jb   ,italy1                    
#gff1gej          #ghb1hei4ji           
#af1aji4ji   ,norway1                   
#ahb1aca          #cgd1egc4ae           
#aib1ddb4ae   ,russia1                  
#cgb1cji        #a1dea1caj4gb           
#a1jgi1jja4gb   ,spain1                 
#eed1dge          #egf1fed4jj           
#bb1agi4jj                              
--------------------------              
,discrepancy1                           
#a1dce1abj4ad     ,france1              
#a1eda1eah        #a1dfd1ddb4aj         
#gg1jge4ij   ,belgium1                  

#aid1ddb          #ahb1faa4bh           
#aa1hcj4gb   ,bavaria1                  
#acf1hid          #acb1chc4bf           
#d1eaj4gd                               
--------------------------              
,discrepancy1                           
#ic1dag4cf    ,thus we find that in     
reproducing from their various          
currencies the gross  telegraphic       
receipts of six nations into ,united    
,states gold1 ,mr4 ,hubbard  makes the  
amount #a1dce1abj4ad less than it should
 be1 and in reducing  those of three    
other countries into our coin he makes  
the amount  #ic1dag4cf more than it     
should be4    ,he has also failed to    
give the receipts of the three great    
,submarine  ,telegraph ,companies1 which
 transact so important an amount of     
continental telegraph business4    ,mr4 
,hubbard gives the number of stations in
 ,switzerland at #ccc1 while  the best  
,english authority#bb gives it at #beb4 
,he also gives the number  of messages  
transmitted in ,england1 in #ahff1 as   

#f1abg1jjj1 while ,mr4  ,scudamore1 in  
his reply to the statement of the       
,electric and  ,international ,telegraph
 ,company1 published in ,may1 #ahfh1bc  
points out  the fact that only          
#e1gha1ahi messages were transmitted    
throughout ,great  ,britain and ,ireland
 during that year4    ,footnote #bb3    
,government and the ,telegraphs4        
,london1 #ahfh4    ,footnote #bc3       
,return to an order of the ,honorable   
the ,house of ,commons for copy of      
further correspondence between the      
,treasury and the ,postmaster-,general  
relating to the ,electric ,telegraphs   
,bill4    ,it will be observed that ,mr4
 ,hubbard has 8estimated0--that is1     
guessed  at--the number of and receipts 
for telegrams in the ,netherlands1      
,denmark1  ,sweden1 ,turkey1 and        
,greece4 ,he estimates the average cost 
per message to  be #db cents2 but as we 
happen to know that the average cost in 
,denmark  was more than twice this      
amount1 we are not willing to accept any

 of his  estimates4                     
,,erroneous ,,table ,,of ,,european     
,,statistics4    ,from ,mr4 ,hubbard's  
pamphlet3--           ,statistics of the
 ,telegraph in ,europe for the ,year    
#ahff4          ,,name ,,of   ,number   
,miles               ,number of         
,,country4     of     of  ,rates in     
#ahff4,messages4                        
,stations,wire4                         
,england       #b1aeahj1dffa shilling4  
#f1abg1jjj   ,france        #a1bjifh1fhg
 and #a franc4 #b1hdb1eed   ,austria    
#heagc1hed               #b1ejg1dgb     
,prussia         #echee1adi             
#a1ifd1jjc   ,belgium         #cef      
#f1adf franc4       #a1abh1jje          
,switzerland     #ccc #c1gag franc4     
#ffh1iaf   ,bavaria             #d1ide  
,norway           #gc #b1gaj            
#bfi1cge   ,russia          #cjhcg1ccj  
#hch1fec   ,italy           #ebibb1bad  
#a1gfj1hhi   ,spain                     
#ecc1cgf      ,netherlands              
,denmark                                

,sweden                                 
#a1ejj1jjj   ,turkey                    
,greece                                 
,total                                  
#ah1fdj1bdc   ,messages                 
,average rate per message in ,europe    
#j4db             ,,name ,,of           
,,country4                              
,,receipts4                             
,england     sterling   #eba1gjg        
#d4hd  #b1dha1ejj4jj   ,france          
,francs     #g1gjg1eij       #j4bj      
#a1eda4eah4jj   ,austria    ,florins    
#a1fdd1gdb       #j4da     #fgd1cdd4jj  
,prussia    ,thalers    #a1bge1ghe      
#j4gb     #iah1efe4jj   ,belgium        
,francs       #ifa1aab       #j4bj      
#aid1ddb4jj   ,switzerland,francs       
#fhd1dga       #j4bj     #acf1hid4jj    
,bavaria    ,florins      #cbb1hgf      
#j4da     #acb1chc4jj   ,norway     ,rix
 ,dolls4   #cdc1fde       #j4ec         
#ahb1aca4jj   ,russia     ,roubles      
#a1hgb1fei   #j4ba-cg     #cgb1cji4jj   
,italy      ,lira       #d1abj1caa      

#j4ah-faj     #gff1gej4jj   ,spain      
,dollars      #eed1dge       #a4jj      
#eed1dge4jj      ,netherlands           
,denmark                                
,sweden                                 
#j4db     #fcj1jjj4jj   ,turkey         
,greece                                 
,total                ,total receipts   
#h1ehe1caa4jj   ,messages               
,average rate per message in ,europe    
#j4db                        ,,european 
,,telegrams ,,counted ,,several ,,times4
    ,an examination of ,mr4 ,hubbard's  
statement of the number of messages sent
  in ,europe1 in #ahff1 will reveal the 
fact that he has included inland1       
international1 and transit messages to  
make up the grand total4 ,in this  way  
he has counted the same message several 
times4 ,for instance1  messages sent    
from ,england to ,france1 or any two    
contiguous countries1  would be counted 
in each4 ,messages between ,france and  
,germany would be  counted in ,france   
and ,germany as international messages1 

and in ,belgium  and perhaps some other 
country as transit4 ,the same would be  
the case  between all ,european         
countries whose territories do not      
border on each  other4 ,a message going 
from ,france to ,russia1 or from        
,england to ,turkey1  might be counted a
 dozen times4    ,in the ,united ,states
 each message is counted but once1      
although it may  traverse thousands of  
miles in reaching its place of          
destination4    ,we have not the        
statistics to show what proportion the  
legitimate number  of messages sent     
bears to this fictitious number2 but by 
referring to  the ,belgian table it will
 be seen that #fib1ecf inland and       
#cjf1eif  international messages were   
sent in #ahff1 in a total of #a1abh1jje4
  ,taking this as a fair average for the
 whole of ,europe1 we shall find  that  
only #ad1jab1gie messages were sent in  
#ahff1 at an expense1 in  ,united       
,states currency1 of #ae1bhf1iaa4fa1 or 
about #a4ji each4          ,,labor ,,the

 ,,principal ,,element ,,of ,,expense   
,,in ,,operating ,,telegraphs4    ,the  
principal element of expense in our     
business is the cost of  labor4#bd ,if  
we can do our work as cheaply as another
 party1 it is  clear that rates can     
never be reduced below the point at     
which receipts  and expenses are equal4 
,any material increase of business1 no  
matter  what the rates may be1 must be  
attended with increased expense4 ,and   
when  the capacity of the wires provided
 for a particular service is  exhausted1
 a new question is presented by the     
necessity for providing  additional     
facilities4 ,by the extension of our    
lines this year west of  ,chicago1 and  
by the moderate increase in the volume  
of our business in  that section of the 
country1 it will probably become        
necessary during  next year to provide  
two additional wires between ,chicago   
and the  ,atlantic coast4 ,the cost of  
these wires1 if erected on poles now    
standing1 will be about #abj1jjj4 ,we   

shall also be obliged to put up an      
additional wire between ,washington and 
,new ,orleans1 and between the  latter  
place and ,louisville4 ,the cost of     
maintaining the lines will be  somewhat 
increased by the addition of these      
wires1 and the cost of  operating at    
each end1 and looking after them at     
intermediate points1  must also be      
included4 ,how is the additional capital
 necessary to  provide such increased   
facilities to be raised8 ,by reducing   
rates1 the  result of which is1 that1   
even if gross receipts are not          
diminished1 the  expenses are increased8
 ,is it not by gradually increasing     
lines out of  current profits1 and as   
gradually reducing rates after          
facilities for an  enlarged business    
have been provided8    ,footnote #bd3   
,the ,western ,union ,telegraph ,company
 expended #b1egc1dcd4hj for labor    for
 the year ending ,june #cj1 #ahfg4 ,see 
comparison of cost of labor in          
,europe and the ,united ,states on page 

#bf4        ,,prevailing ,,error ,,of   
,,all ,,theorizers ,,on ,,the ,,business
 ,,of ,,telegraphing4    ,all theorizers
 upon the subject of the telegraph fall 
into the error  that the amount of      
business which may be done at any point 
7the rates  being low enough7 is in the 
ratio of population4 ,an investigation  
of the  subject will show this to be    
entirely erroneous4 ,three years ago1   
when  the subject of telegraphic        
communication between the ,eastern and  
,western  continents was discussed by   
those most intimately connected with the
  enterprise1 no one estimated the      
number of messages which would pass     
between the two continents1 daily1 at a 
rate of #ej gold for ten words1  below  
#ejj4 ,but few placed the figures so    
low4 ,most of them estimated the  number
 at two or three times this minimum4    
,in #ahfc ,mr4 ,cyrus ,w4 ,field made   
the following remarks before the        
,chamber  of ,commerce of ,new ,york1 in
 relation to the probable amount of     

business  that would be done between    
,europe and ,america when communication 
by  telegraph should be established3    
8,to express my own opinion1 from pretty
  large experience on the subject1 ,i do
 not believe that ten cables  would     
begin to do the work which would1 in a  
short time1 be given to  it40    ,at the
 banquet given in ,london1 in #ahfd1 to 
inaugurate the renewed  attempt by the  
,atlantic ,telegraph ,company to unite  
,europe and ,america by  means of the   
,atlantic cable1 ,mr4 ,cromwell ,f4     
,varley made the following  remarks     
touching the amount of business that    
would be offered for  transmission over 
the cable3 8,i feel great confidence    
that1 when once a  cable is successfully
 laid across the ,atlantic1 the demands 
upon it will  be so great that you will 
have to lay one or two per annum for the
 next  twenty years1 or even more40     
,their disappointment was1 therefore1   
very great when1 after the ,atlantic    
,cable was in operation1 it was found   

that the daily average at the #ajj      
tariff was but #bi messages1 and at the 
#ej tariff1 which was in  operation     
thirteen months1 it was but #fd4 ,at the
 #be rate the average  advanced to #aca2
 and although the rate has been still   
further reduced to  #af4he1 the average 
is but #bja4 ,this illustration is      
sufficient to prove  the fallacy of all 
reasoning concerning telegraph business 
based merely  upon population4 ,we      
venture the prediction that1 at the rate
 of #e  between ,europe and ,america1   
the number of messages which would pass 
per  day would never equal the number   
exchanged daily between ,new ,york on   
one  hand1 and ,philadelphia and ,boston
 on the other4 ,the reason is simply    
this3 ,the number of messages which will
 pass within a given time between  two  
points depends1 first1 upon a reasonable
 charge for transmission1--a  charge    
conveniently within the means of those  
having occasion to  communicate2 and    
secondly and mainly1 upon the number of 

people at  either extreme having        
intimate business relations with those  
at the  other4 ,the vast commerce of the
 ,old ,world and the ,new is not        
exchanged  in detail1 but in bulk4 ,a   
few banking houses on each side make all
 the  exchanges for both continents1 and
 the agricultural products and the      
manufactures of both are also exchanged 
in substantially the same  manner4      
,we have shown how fallacious is the    
claim that the increase of business  is 
dependent upon the tariff1 by the       
statistics of our own and foreign       
countries1 by which it appears that     
business has sometimes largely          
increased at an advanced rate4 ,we do   
not desire to be understood1  however1  
as saying that low tariffs1 under       
similar circumstances1 will  not bring  
more business than high ones4 ,but we do
 say that it is  susceptible of proof1  
that the minimum rate is undoubtedly    
much higher  than most of those who     
theorize upon this subject are willing  

to  believe4 ,take the case of the      
,atlantic ,cable as an illustration4    
,during  the three months at which the  
tariff was #ajj1 and the daily average  
of  messages #bi1 the receipts per day  
were #eje4 ,during the thirteen months1 
at the average of #fd messages daily1   
the receipts were #egi4 ,during the     
nine months1 at the average of #aca     
messages per day1 the receipts were     
#fce4 ,and for the two months since the 
rates were reduced to #af1 the  daily   
average has been #bja messages1 and the 
average receipts #eif4    ,now it       
happens1 fortunately for the ,cable     
,company1 that the present  volume of   
business is considerably less than the  
capacity of their  cables2 so that the  
increase of that business has been      
attended with but  a very slight        
additional expense1 the cost to operate 
being the same at  offices open day and 
night1 whether operators are occupied   
all or only a  part of the time4 ,but   
suppose1 for illustration1 that the     

limit of the  capacities of the cables  
will be reached when the average number 
of  messages per day is #bej4 ,to       
undertake to transmit any number beyond 
this  without further facilities would  
result in crowding and confusing the    
business to an extent which would       
inevitably produce dissatisfaction4 ,on 
the other hand1 to provide an additional
 cable would cost a sum of money  which 
it might be exceedingly difficult to    
raise4 ,it seems proper1  therefore1    
that the profits from this business     
should always be  considerably more than
 enough to yield a proper return for the
 capital  invested1 so that greater     
facilities may be provided out of       
surplus  profits2 and1 as facilities are
 increased1 rates may be gradually      
reduced1 until1 by judiciously pursuing 
this course1 the charges for            
telegraphing may be materially          
diminished1 without endangering the     
revenues to which owners of telegraph   
property are justly entitled4           

,statistics of ,traffic through the     
,atlantic ,cables from ,july #bh1 #ahff1
                           to ,november 
#a1 #ahfh4         ,number   ,daily     
,average      of    ,average ,,gross    
,,amount of ,,receipts accruing to the  
,amount    ,messages ,no4 of  ,,two     
,,atlantic ,,cables1 between ,valentia  
and  per       per   ,messages4         
,heart's ,content4              ,day4   
,month4                                 
#a1ajd    #bi    ,from ,july #bhth      
#ahff1 under    #beejj    #eje          
to #cast ,aug41   #bj ,tariff           
#hcg          ,from ,sept4 #ast  #ahff1 
under         #def                      
to #cjth         #bj ,tariff            
#hca          ,from ,oct4  #ast  #ahff1 
under         #dia                      
to #cast         #bj ,tariff            
#a1ecj    #fd    ,from ,nov4  #ast      
#ahff1 under     #bfejb    #egi         
to #cjth         #aj ,tariff            
#a1ehb          ,from ,dec4  #ast       
#ahff1 under         #dic               

to #cast         #aj ,tariff            
#a1fhf          ,from ,jan4  #ast       
#ahfg1 under         #dff               
to #cast         #aj ,tariff            
#a1gfd          ,from ,feb4  #ast       
#ahfg1 under         #edi               
to #bhth         #aj ,tariff            
#b1adg          ,from ,march #ast       
#ahfg1 under         #fff               
to #cast         #aj ,tariff            
#b1fbd          ,from ,april #ast       
#ahfg1 under         #gbb               
to #cjth         #aj ,tariff            
#b1bfb          ,from ,may   #ast       
#ahfg1 under         #gje               
to #cast         #aj ,tariff            
#a1hdc          ,from ,june  #ast       
#ahfg1 under         #eig               
to #cjth         #aj ,tariff            
#a1dcb          ,from ,july  #ast       
#ahfg1 under         #edb               
to #bgth         #aj ,tariff            
#a1fic          ,from ,july #ahth       
#ahfg1 under         #dja               
to #cast ,aug41   #aj ,tariff           

#a1hfj          ,from ,sept4 #ast       
#ahfg1 under         #eae               
to #cjth         #aj ,tariff            
#b1eje          ,from ,oct4  #ast       
#ahfg1 under     #bggae                 
to #cast         #aj ,tariff            
#b1bib          ,from ,nov4  #ast       
#ahfg1 under     #bgffa                 
to #cjth         #aj ,tariff            
#c1ija    #aca   ,from ,dec4  #ast      
#ahfg1 under     #bggcb    #fce         
to #cast         #e4e ,tariff           
#d1gci          ,from ,jan4  #ast       
#ahfh1 under     #bggef                 
to #cast         #e4e ,tariff           
#e1abh          ,from ,feb4  #ast       
#ahfh1 under     #bghfj                 
to #bith         #e4e ,tariff           
#d1ejg          ,from ,march #ast       
#ahfh1 under     #bggjg                 
to #cast         #e4e ,tariff           
#d1cbj          ,from ,april #ast       
#ahfh1 under     #bggah                 
to #cjth         #e4e ,tariff           
#c1ech          ,from ,may   #ast       

#ahfh1 under         #eej               
to #cast         #e4e ,tariff           
#b1hhd          ,from ,june  #ast       
#ahfh1 under         #ddg               
to #cjth         #e4e ,tariff           
#c1bag          ,from ,july  #ast       
#ahfh1 under         #dij               
to #cast         #e4e ,tariff           
#c1gdj          ,from ,aug4  #ast       
#ahfh1 under         #eeh               
to #cast         #e4e ,tariff           
#e1jec    #bja   ,from ,sept4 #ast      
#ahfh1 under         #eja    #eif       
to #cjth         #c4g4f4 ,tariff        
#f1cda          ,from ,oct4  #ast       
#ahfh1 under         #fae               
to #cast         #c4g4f4 ,tariff        
#f1hgg          ,from ,nov4  #ast       
#ahfh1 under         #fgj               
to #cjth         #c4g4f4 ,tariff        
,footnote #be3      ,during this month  
over #ajj per day were paid by the ,new 
,york ,herald    for news reports1 and  
many persons sent messages as a novelty4
    ,footnote #bf3      ,during this    

month the despatches sent by the ,united
 ,states government    averaged over    
#ajj per day4    ,footnote #bg3         
,during these months there was          
extraordinary excitement in cotton4     
,a single wire between ,new ,york and   
,plaister ,cove1 ,cape ,breton1 the     
eastern terminus of the ,western ,union 
,telegraph ,company's lines1 not  only  
promptly transmits all the telegraphic  
business that is done  between ,europe  
and ,america1 but every message is      
telegraphed back for  comparison with   
the original1 to insure correctness4    
,,progress                              
,,of ,,the                 ,,electric   
,,telegraph ,,in ,,america ,,and        
,,europe4                               
,,the ,,united ,,states4    ,the ,united
 ,states not only has the distinguished 
honor of being the  birthplace of the   
inventor of the universally-used        
electric telegraph1  but of having      
constructed the first line of practical 
telegraph1 and of  being the foremost   

nation in the world1 at the present     
time1 in the  number of her telegraph   
stations1 extent of her lines and wires1
  cheapness of her rates1 and amount of 
business done4    ,the ,united ,states  
contains #d1abf telegraph offices2      
#fb1ghb miles of  line2 #abe1efd miles  
of wire2 and transmits annually         
#ab1ijd1ggg  telegrams4    ,she has     
nearly as many telegraph stations as1   
and sends a greater number  of telegrams
 annually than1 all ,continental        
,europe1 and contains as many  miles of 
line as ,belgium1 ,bavaria1 ,france1    
,great ,britain and ,ireland1  ,italy1  
,russia1 ,switzerland1 and ,spain       
combined4                               
,,proportion ,,of ,,telegrams ,,to      
,,letters4    ,the proportion of        
telegrams to letters in the ,united     
,states is difficult  of determination1 
from the fact that our ,post-,office    
,department  furnishes no statistics of 
the number of letters sent through the  
mails1  and has no means of ascertaining

 the number approximately1 except by the
  number of stamps sold annually4 ,this 
mode of estimation is very  defective1  
because the stamps sold may not have    
been used1 or if used1  may have covered
 the postage on books1 parcels1 and     
other matter4 ,the  ,postmaster-,general
 states1 in his report for #ahfg1 that  
there were  #bhc1gfb1cjj three-cent     
stamps sold during the preceding year4  
,supposing  each of these stamps to     
represent a letter1 we have the         
following  comparative result of the    
number of telegrams to letters in the   
various  countries where the telegraph  
is most extensively used3--             
,proportion of telegrams to letters in  
the ,united ,kingdom1 #a to #aba        
,proportion of telegrams to letters in  
,switzerland1        #a to  #fi         
,proportion of telegrams to letters in  
,belgium1            #a to  #cg         
,proportion of telegrams to letters in  
,united ,states1      #a to  #bb        
,,early ,,history ,,of ,,the ,,telegraph

 ,,in ,,america4    ,during the first   
few years after the introduction of the 
electric  telegraph its progress was    
very slow4 ,capitalists were afraid to  
invest  in an undertaking so novel and  
precarious1 and as a natural consequence
  there was great difficulty in raising 
funds for properly building the  lines1 
and they were constructed in a very     
unreliable manner1 breaks and           
interruptions being rather the normal   
condition of the wires than the         
exception4    ,at a very early period in
 the history of the electric telegraph  
in the  ,united ,states1 a              
misunderstanding occurred between the   
,morse patentees  and a contractor under
 them1 the result of which was that     
rival lines  were constructed throughout
 the country before the system had been 
sufficiently developed to be            
remunerative1 even without such         
competition4    ,the invention of the   
letter-printing telegraph by ,mr4       
,house1 in #ahdf1  and the introduction 

of the electro-chemical telegraph of    
,mr4 ,bain into  this country1 in #ahdi1
 greatly facilitated the construction of
 competing  lines4    ,the first line   
operating under the ,house patent was   
completed in ,march1  #ahdi1 from       
,philadelphia to ,new ,york ,city4 ,the 
,boston and ,new ,york  ,telegraph      
,company1 using the same patent1 was    
completed in the autumn of  the same    
year1 and was followed by one from ,new 
,york to ,buffalo1 and  subsequently to 
,st4 ,louis and ,chicago4    ,during the
 year #ahdi1 which was very prolific in 
the production of  competing lines1 the 
,bain patent was introduced upon lines  
extending  between ,new ,york and       
,buffalo1 and ,new ,york and            
,washington1 and1 in the  succeeding    
year1 upon lines extending between      
,boston and ,montreal1 and  ,boston and 
,portland4    ,in #ahea there were seven
 ,bain lines in operation in the ,united
 ,states1  having over #b1jjj miles of  
wire2 eight ,house lines1 having about  

#cjj  miles of wire2 and sixty-seven    
,morse lines1 having #bj1jjj miles of   
wire4  ,in the autumn of this year1 the 
,morse and ,bain lines between ,new     
,york  and ,washington were             
consolidated2 and in the succeeding     
spring the ,morse  and ,bain lines      
between ,new ,york and ,boston were     
united under one  company4 ,the union of
 these lines was followed by that of the
 ,new ,york  and ,buffalo ,morse and    
,bain lines1 and subsequently by those  
of the ,house  lines between these      
points4                     ,,evils     
,,arising ,,from ,,separate             
,,organizations4    ,the consolidation  
of these lines was a step in the right  
direction1 as  it increased the receipts
 and lessened the expenses of the       
companies1  while it enabled them to do 
the business better1 by possessing      
greater  facilities4 ,still1 the great  
number of separate organizations        
remaining  throughout the country       
prevented that unity and despatch in the

 conduct  of the business so essential  
to its success4 ,under these            
circumstances1  the public failed to    
realize the brilliant thought of instant
  communication between distant points4 
,a ,boston house1 doing business with   
,chicago1 was obliged to be content     
with responses received on the second or
 third day4 ,on ,boston despatches  for 
,chicago four tariffs were charged2 and 
a message had to be copied  off and     
handed over to other companies for      
transmission at ,new ,york1  ,buffalo1  
and ,detroit1 before it reached its     
destination4    ,all this process       
required time1 and yet the loss of time 
was the least  of the evils connected   
with such a state of things4 ,the       
message1 as it  left the writer's hands 
in ,boston1 was not unfrequently a very 
different  document when it reached the 
,western parties1 owing to errors caused
 by  its numerous retransmissions1 and  
thus the necessity became urgent to     
unite these separate companies into one 

living1 vigorous organization1  by which
 not only repetition and error might be 
avoided1 but the  messages followed to  
their destination under a single        
direction1 and  undivided               
responsibility4                   ,,the 
,,unification ,,of ,,the ,,telegraph    
,,accomplished4    ,it was at this      
period1 when segregated lines were      
feeling their  weakness1 and their      
revenues were unequal to even a current 
vigorous  support1 that a few           
clear-sighted men in the ,west conceived
 the project  of buying up the groups of
 feeble organizations1 and making them  
direct  leaders between the large       
,western cities4 ,the stock was         
comparatively  valueless1 and easily and
 cheaply bought4 ,the needs of          
commercial  intercourse were pressing4  
,the project had in it the true elements
 of  success1 and it was accomplished4  
,for seven years thereafter the         
purchasers went on improving the lines  
thus acquired1 and rendering their      

connections more certain4 ,during all   
these years no dividends were paid4     
,time and money and all the earnings  of
 the line were devoted to that series of
 combinations which1 from a  mass of    
weak and perishing organizations1       
culminated in the ,western  ,union      
,telegraph ,company4    ,this           
combination of lines saved the system   
from disgrace1 and made it  available to
 commerce and to public wants4 ,no      
increase of rates followed  any of these
 movements2 and none would ever have    
been made1 had not war  come to change  
values1 and rendered it necessary4      
,at the ,east1 the ,american ,telegraph 
,company1 organized in #ahee1 followed  
a similar course1 and ultimately        
controlled lines extending throughout   
the ,atlantic seaboard and ,mississippi 
,valley4 ,these two companies1  working 
in connection and harmony1 covered the  
entire area of the ,united  ,states1 and
 performed the business of telegraphing 
better than it had  ever been done      

before4    ,in #ahfc the ,united ,states
 ,telegraph ,company was organized1 and 
constructed lines in the territories    
occupied by both the ,western ,union    
and ,american companies2 but in #ahfe1  
with #af1jjj miles of wire1--all  newly 
built1--worked to their full capacity   
during the year they were  unable to    
meet their current expenses2 but under  
the most vigorous  administration1 with 
its expenses reduced within the closest 
limits1  found that it was conducting   
its business at an average net loss of  
nearly #aj1jjj per month4    ,in the    
spring of #ahff the ,western ,union1    
,american1 and ,united ,states          
,telegraph ,companies were consolidated1
 thus producing a complete  unification 
of the great telegraphic system of the  
,united ,states1 and  rendering it the  
most complete and extensive in the      
world4 ,this  consolidation1 however1   
gave the ,western ,union ,telegraph     
,company no  monopoly of the business4  
,the ,morse patent having expired1 and  

no  exclusive privileges being granted  
by either ,state or national            
governments1 the construction and       
operation of telegraph lines within  the
 jurisdiction of the ,united ,states    
remained freely open to all4            
,,telegraph ,,companies ,,in ,,the      
,,united ,,states4    ,the following    
list of some of the more important      
telegraph companies now  doing business 
in the ,united ,states will convey an   
idea of the  importance of this         
interest3 ,bankers and ,brokers'        
,telegraph ,company1  capital           
#a1jej1jjj1 lines extending from ,new   
,york to ,washington2 ,pacific  and     
,atlantic ,telegraph ,company1 capital  
#c1jjj1jjj1 lines completed from        
,philadelphia to ,pittsburg and         
,cincinnati1 and extending2 ,franklin   
,telegraph ,company1 capital #a1jjj1jjj1
 lines extending from ,boston to        
,washington2 ,international ,telegraph  
,company1 capital #cjj1jjj1 lines       
completed from ,boston to ,bangor1 ,me41

 and will be extended farther east2     
,keystone ,telegraph ,company1 lines    
extending from ,philadelphia to         
,harrisburg and ,pittsburg2             
,international ,ocean ,telegraph        
,company1 lines  extending from ,lake   
,city to ,key ,west and ,havana2        
,northern ,telegraph  ,company1 capital 
#ajj1jjj1 lines completed from ,boston  
to ,bristol1 ,n4  ,h41 and extending2   
,atlantic and ,pacific ,telegraph       
,company1 capital  #e1jjj1jjj1 lines    
completed from ,new ,york to ,chicago   
and extending2  ,great ,western         
,telegraph ,company1 line completed     
between ,chicago and  ,milwaukee2       
,northwestern ,telegraph ,company1      
capital #a1aej1jjj1 lines  extending    
from ,milwaukee through ,wisconsin1     
,michigan1 ,iowa1 and  ,minnesota2      
,mississippi ,valley ,telegraph         
,company1 lines extending between  ,st4 
,paul1 ,minn41 and ,st4 ,louis1 and from
 ,dubuque to ,chicago2 ,western  ,union 
,telegraph ,company1 capital            

#dj1cdg1gjj1 lines extending from the   
,gulf of ,mexico to the ,gulf of the    
,st4 ,lawrence1 and from the ,atlantic  
to  the ,pacific ocean4 ,there are in   
addition to this list quite a large     
number of companies1 covering more or   
less territory1 which1 with all of  the 
above mentioned1 are independent        
organizations1 and nearly all of  them  
engaged in competition with each other4 
,private enterprise has with us1 so far1
 achieved much greater results  than    
governmental management in ,europe4 ,as 
regards the tariff for  messages1 they  
are less than the rates established in  
,europe4  ,considerable reductions have 
been made within the past year1         
amounting1  in some cases1 to as much as
 #ej per cent4 ,the reductions have     
taken  place to the greatest extent in  
those sections of the country where     
there are opposition lines1 the rates   
over some of these routes being  less   
than the expense of doing the business1 
but the reductions are not  confined to 

these sections4    ,the ,western ,union 
,telegraph ,company has reduced its     
rates between  upwards of one thousand  
offices where there is no opposition2   
and it is  now preparing a new tariff of
 rates1 based upon airline distances1   
between all stations1 irrespective of   
the circuitous routes that the  lines   
take to reach them1 which will still    
farther simplify and cheapen  the       
system4    ,it is the purpose of this   
company to do the telegraphing of the   
,united  ,states as well1 and at as low 
rates1 as it can be done by any         
organization which can be formed1 and   
thus maintain its possession of  the    
first and most extensive system of      
telegraphy in the world4                
,,dominion ,,of ,,canada4    ,in the    
,dominion of ,canada as in the ,united  
,states1 the telegraph is free  and     
untrammelled by governmental            
interference1 and1 next to the ,united  
,states1 is the best in the world4      
,,statistics ,,of ,,the ,,telegraph ,,in

 ,,the ,,dominion ,,of                  
,,canada4                ,number of     
miles of pole line1      #f1gdf miles4  
,number of miles of wire strung1        
#h1ice miles4              ,number of   
offices1                   #chb miles4  
,number of messages 7in #ahfg71         
#egc1bai miles4              ,gross     
receipts from all sources1              
#beh1jjj              ,gross expenses1  
#ahj1jjj              ,of which1        
accruing for labor1           #aje1jjj  
,,austria4    ,the telegraph is under   
the control and management of the       
,state4    ,at the end of #ahff the     
system comprised #hea stations1 with an 
extent of  #gc1hed geographical miles of
 wire4    ,the total number of persons  
employed by the telegraphic department  
is  #a1hhd4                             
,,table ,c4           ,statement showing
 the ,progress of ,telegraphy in        
,austria4                               
,number of    ,gross ,receipts          
in,average ,cost per         ,,date4    

,messages4        ,florins4             
,message in                             
,florins4                      #ahea    
#dd1iaa          #abh1gcf               
#b4hf              #aheb                
#fb1gaf          #bji1edg               
#c4cd              #ahec                
#aji1cdg          #cjh1aei              
#b4ha              #ahed                
#aij1ebb          #edi1fig              
#b4hh              #ahee                
#bjd1bba          #fjg1gde              
#b4ig              #ahef                
#bea1idh          #ggh1bid              
#c4jh              #aheg                
#cha1gbj          #hhh1ije              
#b4cb              #aheh                
#dai1ddi          #gfj1haa              
#a4ha              #ahei                
#fib1cgi          #iea1bdj              
#a4cg              #ahfj                
#gjj1gie          #iia1bge              
#a4da              #ahfa                
#hdf1iec        #a1bbf1djd              
#a4dd              #ahfb                

#idf1fge        #a1bfg1iff              
#a4cc              #ahfc                
#a1acj1fbe        #a1bij1ddg            
#a4ad              #ahfd                
#a1faj1ffc        #a1cbb1idh            
#j4hb              #ahfe                
#a1ghf1iee        #a1dce1dgh            
#j4hj              #ahff                
#b1ejg1dgb        #a1fdd1gdb            
#j4fe       ,austria transmitted #dd1iaa
 messages in #ahea1 and #cha1gbj in     
#aheg1 being  an increase of over #hjj  
per cent without any average reduction  
in rates4  ,the increase in the number  
of messages from #aheg to #ahff was less
 than  #gjj per cent1 notwithstanding   
the great reduction in the rates from   
#b4cb  to #j4fe florins4                
,,belgium4    ,the statistics respecting
 the working of the telegraph in        
,belgium are  used by ,mr4 ,washburne   
primarily to prove the superior         
advantages and  excellence of the       
,belgian telegraphic system and         
arrangement1 but  chiefly to show that a

 cheapened rate has increased its use1  
and that to  secure that result in this 
country the telegraph must be placed    
under  governmental control4            
,scarcely any two nations could be named
 whose conditions are more  unlike4     
,the area of ,belgium is about one      
fourth that of the ,state of ,new ,york1
  with nearly the same population4 ,its 
greatest length is #age miles1 its      
width #aje4    ,the three chief cities  
of ,belgium are not more than thirty    
miles apart1  while those of secondary  
rank are equally contiguous4 ,all the   
railroads  in the kingdom belong to the 
government1 and a large proportion of   
the  telegraph offices are at the       
railway stations1 the post-offices being
  merely offices of deposit1 from which 
messages are despatched free of  charge 
to the nearest telegraph office1 if in  
the same district2  otherwise by special
 messenger1 on the payment of an extra  
fee4    ,as the government of the       
,united ,states owns no railroads1 they 

could not  use the stations for offices1
 except by special arrangements1 which  
can  as readily be effected by private  
companies4                              
,,table ,d4           ,statement showing
 the ,progress of ,telegraphy in        
,belgium4                               
,number of    ,gross ,receipts          
in,average ,cost per         ,,date4    
,messages4         ,francs4             
,message in                             
,francs4                      #ahea     
#ad1jbe           #hh1fgd               
#f4cb              #aheb                
#bg1bag          #afe1igc               
#f4jg              #ahec                
#eb1jej          #bfe1ecf               
#e4aj              #ahed                
#fj1dae          #bhj1hde               
#d4fe              #ahee                
#fa1ddc          #bfe1ici               
#d4cc              #ahef                
#ii1bgc          #cei1egi               
#c4fb              #aheg                
#aai1jej          #djg1jaa              

#c4db              #aheh                
#ade1gbf          #dac1ibf              
#b4hc              #ahei                
#aif1bdj          #ejf1jjf              
#b4eg              #ahfj                
#bbe1hai          #ebg1gdc              
#b4cd              #ahfa                
#bfh1ifh          #ehh1ecb              
#b4ai              #ahfb                
#bia1ghg          #fje1jdd              
#b4jg              #ahfc                
#daf1aac          #fab1cac              
#a4dg              #ahfd                
#efd1dig          #ghi1cii              
#a4dd              #ahfe                
#fgd1jcd          #hfe1fdj              
#a4bh              #ahff                
#a1abh1jje          #ifb1bac            
#j4he              #ahfg                
#a1bic1ggj        #a1jgd1bad            
#j4he                                   
,,table ,e4                  ,statement 
showing the ,lengths of ,lines1 c4      
,,date4     ,lengths of   ,lengths of   
,number of    ,number of                

,lines4       ,wires4      ,stations4   
,instruments4                           
,miles4       ,miles4                   
#ahfb        #a1agd        #b1ihc       
#aif          #bij            #ahfc     
#a1fdd        #c1hge          #beb      
#cfe            #ahfd        #a1hef     
#d1dba          #bhj          #dbj      
#ahfe        #b1jjj        #e1djj       
#cjg          #dfj            #ahff     
#b1ahg        #f1adf          #cef      
#eef            #ahfg        #b1bcb     
#g1afa          #cgd          #egd      
,,table ,f4                   ,statement
 showing the ,number of ,messages4      
,,date4       ,inland4   ,international4
  ,transit4      ,total4                
#ahea        #f1feb         #f1jed      
#a1cai       #ad1jbe           #aheb    
#i1hjg        #aj1ajc        #g1cjg     
#bg1bag           #ahec       #ad1aei   
#bj1fef       #ag1eci       #eb1jej     
#ahed       #af1gai        #bi1dib      
#ad1bjd       #fj1dae           #ahee   
#ag1bgi        #cd1gbe        #i1dbi    

#fa1ddc           #ahef       #cb1hfb   
#de1cge       #ba1jcf       #ii1bgc     
#aheg       #da1dcd        #dh1cfg      
#bi1bdi      #aai1jej           #aheh   
#dg1fgc        #eh1jid       #ci1iei    
#ade1gbf           #ahei       #fe1dfe  
#hc1ghj       #df1iie      #aif1bdj     
#ahfj       #hj1baf        #ie1dii      
#ej1djd      #bbe1hai           #ahfa   
#ig1ide       #aae1aba       #ee1ijb    
#bfh1ifh           #ahfb      #aje1bgd  
#abi1ice       #ef1egh      #bia1ghg    
#ahfc      #ahh1hbe       #afb1agh      
#fe1aaj      #daf1aac           #ahfd   
#beb1cja       #aig1edg       #if1fdi   
#edf1dig           #ahfe      #ccb1gba  
#beb1acc       #hi1ahc      #fgd1jcg    
#ahff      #fib1ecf       #cjf1eif      
#abh1hgc    #a1abh1jje           #ahfg  
#hai1ffh       #cei1feb      #aad1eej   
#a1bic1hgj                              
,,table ,g4                             
,statement showing the ,gross ,receipts4
           ,,date4       ,inland4       
,international4  ,transit4      ,total4 

,francs4      ,francs4       ,francs4   
,francs4              #aheb             
#hh1fgd           #ahec                 
#bfe1ecf           #ahed                
#bhj1hde           #ahee                
#bfe1ici           #ahef                
#cei1egi           #aheg                
#djg1jaa           #aheh                
#dac1ibf           #ahei                
#ejf1jjf           #ahfj      #adb1cdd  
#bcb1hgg      #adi1ifi      #ebg1gdc    
#ahfa      #aga1bbe       #bcg1gdh      
#aeh1eeh      #ehh1ecb           #ahfb  
#agf1fdc       #bhj1ddi      #adg1ieb   
#fje1jdd           #ahfc      #baa1jfc  
#bgg1bff      #abd1jcc      #fab1cfh    
#ahfd      #bhb1eia       #cjg1ief      
#aih1hej      #ghi1cii           #ahfe  
#cde1bhi       #cdj1ajc      #ahj1bdg   
#hfe1fdj           #ahff      #djh1fcd  
#cfi1ijj      #ahc1fhj      #ifb1bad    
#ahfg      #dhj1hhg       #ddd1bde      
#adi1jhb    #a1jgd1bad                  
,,table ,h4         ,statement showing  
the ,receipts and ,expenditure of       

,telegraphs4           ,,date4          
,receipts4  ,expenditures4     ,loss4   
,profits4                               
,francs4      ,francs4       ,francs4   
,francs4              #ahea             
#hh1fgd       #cji1aaf   #bbj1dca4ci    
#aheb      #afe1igc       #ajb1idg      
#fc1jbe4hh           #ahec      #bfe1ecf
       #agj1gce                         
#id1hjj4he           #ahed      #bhj1hde
       #aci1gie                         
#ada1jej4fa           #ahee             
#bfe1ici       #afa1ejj                 
#ajd1dci4fg           #ahef             
#cei1egi       #bjb1eii                 
#aef1ihj4aa           #aheg             
#djg1jaa       #bhc1aga                 
#abc1hdj4bc           #aheh             
#dac1ibf       #bic1hia                 
#abj1jce4ai           #ahei             
#ejf1jjf       #cge1cdc                 
#acj1ffb4ge           #ahfj             
#ebg1gdc       #djc1ejj                 
#abd1bdc4gc           #ahfa             
#ehh1ecb       #djh1bfa                 

#ahj1bga4cc           #ahfb             
#fje1jdd       #eae1hjj                 
#hi1bda4hf           #ahfc      #fab1cfc
       #fec1bhj    #da1dag4ai           
#ahfd      #ghi1cii       #fgj1dbd      
#aah1igd4hc           #ahfe             
#hfe1fdj       #idh1eaf    #bb1hgf4bj   
#ahff      #ifb1bad     #a1bag1dif      
#bee1bhb4jj                        #ahfg
    #a1jgd1bad     #a1abh1gjc           
#ed1dhi4jj                              
,,table ,i4        ,statement showing   
the ,average of ,receipts1 reduced to   
,dollars1                       and the 
,average of ,messages4                  
,number of                              
,inhabitants     ,,date4 ,gross         
,receipts4     ,number of ,messages4    
averaging                               
to each                                 
,station4                 ,average      
per  ,average                ,average   
for                       ,mile of  per 
,average per    each #a1jjj             
,line1 ,station1   ,station4            

inhabitants4                        in  
in ,gold4                               
,gold4                                  
,inland4,total4,inland4,total4          
#ahea                                   
#aheb                                   
#ahec                                   
#ahed                                   
#ahee                                   
#ahef                                   
#aheg                                   
#aheh                                   
#aa    #bd                 #ahei        
#ae    #cd                 #ahfj        
#ah    #dj                 #ahfa        
#bb    #dh                 #ahfbajc4jh  
#faf4cg    #ecg #a1dhh     #bc    #eb   
#bc1ihj      #ahfc  #gd4ej  #ehf4jj     
#gdi #a1fea     #da    #gh     #ag1heg  
#ahfd  #he4jf  #efc4he    #ija #a1iea   
#ef   #ajj     #af1jga      #ahfe       
#hf4ef  #efc4id  #a1jhd #b1aie     #gd  
#acj     #ad1feh      #ahff  #hg4hi     
#edj4jj  #a1ide #c1afh    #aej   #bag   
#ab1fij      #ahfg  #ia4gj  #fff4dj     

#b1aia #c1dej                           
,the telegrams of ,belgium are of three 
distinct sorts1--internal1              
international1 and transit4 ,the system 
differs essentially from that of  the   
,united ,states1 inasmuch as the        
principal business of the ,belgian      
telegraph is to transmit messages from  
one country to another1 whilst  the     
principal business of the ,american     
telegraph is the conveyance of  internal
 messages4 ,the only international      
messages transmitted on the  lines in   
the ,united ,states are those sent to   
,europe by the ,atlantic  cable1 to     
,cuba by the ,cuban cable1 and to the   
various stations in the  ,dominion of   
,canada4    ,one of the arguments used  
in favor of the assumption of telegraphs
 by  government is1 that in its hands   
the telegraph is more largely           
accessible to the people1 and more      
freely used4 ,the facts are as  follows1
 giving ,belgium the benefit of the     
increase of messages shown by  the last 

reduction of her tariff4                
,,belgium4    ,population1 #e1jjj1jjj2  
messages1 #fib1ecf4 ,ratio1 one message 
to each  seventh person4                
,,great ,,britain4    ,population1      
#bi1ejj1jjj2 messages1 #e1gha1ahi4      
,ratio1 one message to each  fifth      
person4                                 
,,united ,,states4    ,population1      
#ca1adh1jdg2 messages1 #ab1ijd1ggj4     
,ratio1 one message to  every two and   
one half persons4    ,these facts prove 
a clear advantage in favor of private   
control4                                
,,bavaria4    ,this country possesses   
#b1aae miles of lines1 and #d1ide miles 
of wire4    ,gross receipts for #ahff1  
#cbb1hhf florins4 ,expenditures1        
#beh1fbe florins4                       
,,denmark4    ,this country now contains
 #b1eae miles of wire1 and eighty-nine  
telegraphic stations open to the public4
 ,the ,morse apparatus is the only  one 
employed4 ,of these eighty-nine         
stations1 fifty-three belong to the     

government1 twenty-one to private       
telegraph companies1 and fifteen to     
railroads4    ,the tariff is fixed at   
ninety cents for a local telegram of    
twenty words  between any points in the 
kingdom4 ,in #ahfg there were           
transmitted  #cjh1aej telegrams1 of     
which #agd1efj were local and #acc1eij  
foreign4 ,all  the stations send written
 despatches in all languages1 even in   
cipher1  the only conditions being      
legible writing in an alphabet          
transmissible  by the ,morse apparatus4 
,money orders to the amount of #ej      
rix-dollars can be paid at all          
post-offices by means of the telegraph4 
,the sum being deposited at the         
original office1 an official telegram is
 sent to the place designated1  ordering
 payment4    ,for this service the      
sender has only to pay the tariff on the
 official  telegram4 ,messages can be   
sent from points where there are no     
telegraphic stations1 by sending them by
 post or by any other mode of           

transportation to the nearest telegraph 
station4 ,these telegrams can be  paid  
by a postage-stamp affixed to a         
designated part of the form4 ,these     
forms are the same as the printed       
envelopes1 and can be procured at all   
post and telegraph offices4 ,at the top 
of these forms is printed an  extract   
from the rules for the transmission of  
despatches4 ,the stamps  are detached   
from the forms and sent to the          
,department of ,finances at  the same   
time that the other reports are         
forwarded4 ,it is proposed to  extend   
these privileges to the private and     
railroad telegraph stations4    ,from   
#ahfc to #ahfg the telegraphic          
intercourse between the ,scandinavian   
countries has increased each year       
twenty-five per cent4                   
,,england4    ,england was among the    
first countries in ,europe to adopt the 
electric  telegraph2 and1 next to the   
,united ,states1 is the foremost nation 
in the  world in the extent of her      

lines1 the number of her offices1 the   
cheapness of her rates1 and the number  
of messages annually transmitted4  ,with
 a population about three quarters as   
large as that of ,france1 she  possesses
 nearly twice as many telegraph         
stations1 and annually  transmits more  
than twice as many messages4    ,there  
are in operation in ,europe fifty-five  
submarine cables1 varying in  length    
from three to #a1ejj miles1 and         
containing a total length of over       
#aa1jjj miles of insulated wire1 nearly 
all of which were laid and are  owned by
 ,english capitalists4 ,the success of  
the ,atlantic cables1 also  laid by     
,english companies1 is another          
illustration of what can be             
accomplished by private enterprise      
untrammelled by governmental            
interference2 and affords a striking    
contrast to the fate of the ,red ,sea   
cable laid by the ,british government1  
and which has proved one of the         
greatest failures recorded in the annals

 of submarine telegraphy4 ,this  cable1 
which was to connect ,suez and          
,kurrachee1 #c1ejj miles in length1  was
 laid in five sections1 but never worked
 a day through its entire  length4      
,for some unexplained reason the        
,british post-office department has been
  determined to absorb the telegraph    
system of the ,united ,kingdom1 and     
through the indefatigable efforts of    
,mr4 ,scudamore1 one of the  secretaries
 of the department1 the ,british        
government was finally  induced to      
purchase the property of all the        
telegraph companies in the  kingdom1 and
 thus monopolize the business4 ,the     
price to be paid for the  lines is      
twenty times the net earnings of the    
companies for the past  year4    ,that  
the ,english government has made a      
serious mistake in assuming the  control
 of the telegraph we have no question2  
but its operation will be  better in its
 hands than it would be in that of our  
government1 for the  reason that its    

employees are not removed with every    
change of  administration1 as government
 officials are in the ,united ,states4  
,statement showing the ,progress of     
,telegraphy in ,great ,britain and      
,ireland4            ,,year4       ,no4 
of    ,no4 of ,miles ,no4 of ,miles     
,no4 of                      ,offices4  
of ,line4     of ,wire4     ,messages4  
#ahfj        #a1jcb       #aj1hed       
#ea1eef    #a1hfc1hci            #ahfa  
#a1cia       #aa1ech       #ee1jjd      
#b1abc1ehi            #ahfb             
#a1faf       #ab1gaa       #eg1hgi      
#b1fgf1ceb            #ahfc             
#a1gee       #ac1idd       #fe1gbf      
#c1ahf1gbd            #ahfd             
#a1hca       #ad1iha       #gb1cgd      
#c1ibd1hee            #ahfe             
#b1jdj       #af1jff       #gg1ddj      
#d1ffb1fhg            #ahff             
#b1aea       #af1ehh       #hj1dff      
#e1gha1ahi                              
,,france4    ,the ,french system of     
telegraphs comprised1 in #ahff1 #bj1fbh 

miles of  route1 #fh1fhg miles of wire1 
and #a1bji stations open to the public4 
,the  number of messages amounted to    
#b1hdb1eed4 ,the gross receipts for the 
year were #g1gjg1eij1 and the           
expenditures were #h1ihc1dfj1 showing a 
loss  for the year of #a1bge1hgj4       
,the receipts are divided as follows3-- 
#cja stations collect less than         
#bjj francs each4        #agi stations  
collect from          #bjj to     #ejj  
francs each4        #ahe stations       
collect from          #ejj to   #a1jjj  
francs each4        #ced stations       
collect from        #a1jjj to   #e1jjj  
francs each4         #hd stations       
collect from        #e1jjj to  #aj1jjj  
francs each4         #fc stations       
collect from       #aj1jjj to  #cj1jjj  
francs each4         #ag stations       
collect from       #cj1jjj to  #ej1jjj  
francs each4         #ab stations       
collect from       #ej1jjj to #ajj1jjj  
francs each4          #f stations       
collect from      #ajj1jjj to #bjj1jjj  

francs each4          #d stations       
collect from      #bjj1jjj to #cjj1jjj  
francs each4          #b stations       
collect from      #cjj1jjj to #djj1jjj  
francs each4          #a stations       
collect           #ebg1jjj          #a  
stations collect           #fbj1jjj     
----------      #a1bji total4    ,these 
stations are situated in #hi            
departments1 viz43--          #a4       
,dpartment de la ,seine1      collecting
 #b1hbb1cfg francs4        #b4          
,bouches de ,rhone1             #gdg1bbh
            #c4           ,seine        
infrieure1             #fjh1gcg         
#d4           ,rhone1                   
#cdh1ead            #e4           ,nord1
                         #bfe1gje       
#f4           ,gironde1                 
#bfj1fae            #g4           ,loire
 infrieure1             #aci1gig        
#h4           ,haut ,rhin1              
#ace1dhc            #i4                 
,hrault1                      #acd1chh  
#aj4           ,alpes ,maritimes1       

#aja1ahc        ,nine other departments 
collect annually between #ij1jjj down to
 #ej1jjj  francs1 the remaining seventy 
from #di1jjj down to #d1fec francs4     
,paris 7,dpartment de la ,seine7 has    
forty-six stations within the           
fortifications4 ,the gross receipts     
amounted1 in #ahff1 to #b1gid1gfh4dj    
francs1 being more than one third of the
 total receipts of the whole  empire4   
,the receipts in ,paris are divided as  
follows3--                      ,place  
de la ,bourse1 #ebg1ijf francs4         
,rue de la ,grenelle1 #bhc1igb          
,grand ,hotel1        #bga1hhj          
,rue ,lafayette1      #bej1ifg          
,rue ,j4 ,j4 ,rousseau1 #aih1dfe        
,rue ,st4 ,ccile1     #aci1iaf          
,aux ,champs ,elyses1 #aca1jei          
,six other stations collect from #he1jjj
 to #ej1jjj1 six from #ej1jjj to        
#bj1jjj2 the remainder from #ai1jjj down
 to #b1abc francs4    ,the telegraph    
system of ,france constitutes a distinct
 department of the  government service  

under ,viscount ,a4 de ,vougy as        
,director-,general4 ,under  him are five
 general inspectors1 forming a kind of  
council1 nine  division inspectors1     
seventy-five inspectors1 thirty-eight   
sub-inspectors1 and one electrical      
engineer4 ,there are altogether #c1gjh  
persons on the staff4                   
,,decrees ,,regulating ,,the ,,use ,,of 
,,the ,,telegraph ,,in ,,france4    ,the
 following is a digest of the decrees   
issued by the ,french government        
regulating the use of the telegraph in  
the empire4    #ast4 ,all persons whose 
identity is established are allowed to  
correspond by the government electric   
telegraph4    #b;d4 ,private            
correspondence is always subordinate to 
the necessity of  government service4   
#c;d4 ,despatches are to be written in  
ordinary and intelligible  language1    
dated and signed by the sender1 and to  
be given to the  officer of the         
telegraph station1 whose duty it is to  
copy in full the  despatch1 with the    

address of the sender4    #dth4 ,the    
director of a station may1 on grounds of
 public order and  morality1 refuse to  
transmit a despatch4 ,in case of        
dispute1 reference  is to be made1 in   
,paris1 to the minister of the interior2
 in the  provinces to the prefect1      
sub-prefect1 or other constituted       
authority4  ,on the receipt of a        
despatch1 the director of the station   
may withhold  its delivery for like     
reasons4    #eth4 ,private              
correspondence may be suspended at any  
time by the  government4 ,the government
 will not assume any responsibility for 
errors in the transmission of           
despatches4    #fth4 ,the director of   
the station must be satisfied as to the 
identity  of the sender's signature4 ,if
 the director refuses the transmission  
of a  message1 he must state his reason 
in writing on the despatch4 ,he must    
indorse on it 8political10 8offensive10 
8not consistent with public  good10 etc4
    #gth4 ,no line of electric telegraph

 can be established or employed for  the
 transmission of correspondence except  
by the government1 or on its  authority4
 ,any person transmitting1 without      
authority1 signals from one  place to   
another1 whether by electric telegraph1 
or in any other way1 is  liable to      
imprisonment from one month to a year1  
and a fine of #a1jjj to  #aj1jjj francs1
 and the government may order the       
destruction of the  apparatus and       
telegraph employed4    #hth4 ,any one   
accidentally interrupting the           
correspondence of the  electric         
telegraph1 or injuring in any way the   
lines or apparatus1 is  liable to a fine
 of from #af to #c1jjj francs4    #ith4 
,any one wilfully causing an            
interruption1 by injuring the lines  or 
apparatus1 is punishable by imprisonment
 from three months to two  years1 and a 
fine of #ajj to #a1jjj francs4 ,any one 
who shall menace an  operator during    
periods of insurrectionary movements is 
subject to a  fine of #a1jjj to #e1jjj  

francs4    #ajth4 ,written statements by
 telegraph officers to be received as   
evidence in all complaints4    #aath4   
,reimbursements of charges on           
despatches1 in consequence of  delays or
 errors in transmission1 cannot be made 
except by the  administration4 ,when a  
despatch is withdrawn by the forwarder  
before  transmission1 the expense of    
delivery only can be refunded4    ,the  
charge on despatches sent in the night  
will be double the usual  tariff for the
 day business 7the exact opposite of the
 ,american rule74                       
,,peculiar ,,character ,,of ,,the       
,,french ,,telegraph4    ,the telegraph 
lines in ,france are nearly all owned   
and managed by the  government4 ,the    
,english ,submarine ,company1 however1  
is a private  enterprise1 and works from
 ,paris through ,calais to the ,united  
,kingdom4  ,there is also another       
company organized under permission of   
the imperial  government1 for the       
extension of the lines into the ,french 

colonies of  ,africa4 ,this association 
is called the ,mediterranean ,electric  
,telegraph  ,company1 and it has        
constructed its line from ,spezzia1 in  
,sardinia1  across ,corsica1 ,sardinia1 
and the ,mediterranean1 to ,bne1 in     
,africa4    ,the telegraph in ,france is
 regarded as one of the most important  
arms of  the government1 and the wires  
are known as the fingers of the police4 
,the ,emperor would no sooner relinquish
 their control than he would that  of   
his armies4 ,by imperial decree1 every  
operator is created a spy in  the       
service of the government4 ,the wires   
from every part of ,france  centre in   
the imperial chamber1 and not a message 
passes throughout the  empire which is  
not examined by government inspectors4  
,of the promptness1 regularity1 or      
correctness with which ,french          
telegraphs are conducted no proof is    
given by which superior excellence  is  
established4 ,there is nothing in the   
whole exhibit1 or in the actual  working

 of the ,french telegraphs1 which       
presents any reason for the  assumption 
that governments manage telegraphs      
better than the people4                 
,,table ,j4            ,statement       
showing the ,progress of ,telegraphy in 
,france4                                
,number of    ,gross ,receipts          
in,average ,cost per         ,,date4    
,messages4         ,francs4             
,message in                             
,francs4                      #ahea     
#i1jad           #gf1gbb                
#g4hd              #aheb                
#dh1aje          #edb1hia               
#aa4bh              #ahec               
#adb1jfa        #a1eaa1iji              
#aj4fd              #ahed               
#bcf1jah        #b1jfd1ihc              
#h4gd              #ahee                
#bed1ecb        #b1dhg1aei              
#i4gg              #ahef                
#cfj1bii        #c1aia1ajb              
#h4fh              #aheg                
#dab1faf        #c1ccc1fie              

#h4jf              #aheh                
#dfc1igc        #c1eaf1fcc              
#g4fj              #ahei                
#eih1gja        #d1jbb1gii              
#f4gb              #ahfj                
#gbj1bej        #d1ahh1jfe              
#e4ha              #ahfa                
#ibj1ceg        #d1iai1gcg              
#e4cd              #ahfb                
#a1eah1jdd        #e1cjb1ddj            
#c4di              #ahfc                
#a1ged1hfg        #e1icg1ijd            
#c4ch              #ahfd                
#a1ifg1gdh        #f1abc1bgb            
#c4ac              #ahfe                
#b1dgc1gdg        #g1jeb1aci            
#b4hh              #ahff                
#b1hdb1eed        #g1gjg1eij            
#b4gi                       ,,increase  
,,in ,,telegrams ,,not ,,due ,,to ,,low 
,,rates4    ,it will be observed1 by an 
examination of the above table1 that low
  tariffs are not the only causes of the
 enlarged use of the telegraph4  ,the   
annual percentage of increase in        

messages1 as tariffs were gradually     
reduced1 was vastly less than during    
those years when the rates remained     
unchanged4 ,during the year of #ahea    
only #i1jad telegrams were transmitted  
through the ,french empire1 the tariff  
averaging #a4fj per message4 ,five      
years later1 notwithstanding that the   
average cost per message had been       
increased to #a4gc1 the number of       
messages had increased to #cfj1bii1  and
 in #aheh to #dfc1igc1--more than fifty 
times the number sent in #ahea1  or an  
increase of more than five thousand per 
cent in eight years1  without any       
reduction in rates4 ,the increase in the
 number of messages  during the next    
eight years1 from #aheh to #ahff1 was   
only six hundred per  cent1             
notwithstanding a reduction in the      
tariff from #g4fj to #b4gi  francs4     
,this same peculiarity of increase1     
without regard to the cost1 is also     
observable in all other countries1 as   
will be seen by a perusal of the        

official tables4                        
,,table ,k4           ,statement showing
 the ,progress of ,telegraphy in        
,france4        ,,date4,number of       
,messages ,annually4                    
,home4  ,foreign4 ,total4               
#ahea                     #i1jad        
#aheb                    #dh1aje        
#ahec                   #adb1jfa        
#ahed                   #bcf1jah        
#ahee                   #bed1ecb        
#ahef                   #cfj1bii        
#aheg                   #dac1faf        
#aheh  #cdi1hhg #aad1jhf  #dfc1igc      
#ahei  #dec1iih #add1gjc  #eih1gja      
#ahfj  #efh1cfe #aea1hhe  #gbj1bej      
#ahfa  #gcd1beb #ahf1ceg  #ibj1ceg      
#ahfba1bia1ggd #bbf1bgja1eah1jdd        
#ahfca1dij1jbc #bfd1hdda1ged1hfg        
#ahfda1fed1djf #cac1cdba1ifg1gdh        
#ahfeb1jih1fde #cge1ajbb1dgc1gdg        
#ahffb1cgi1fca #dfb1hgcb1hdb1eed        
,,date4 ,gross ,receipts per ,annum in  
,francs4    ,average ,cost per          
,message4                     ,home4    

,foreign4     ,total4                   
,home4,foreign4,total4             ,fr4 
ct4     ,fr4 ct4     ,fr4 ct4    ,fr4   
,fr4 ct4  ,fr4                          
ct4          ct4                        
#ahea                                   
#gf1gbb4fj               #g4hd    #aheb 
#edb1hia4eh              #aa4bh    #ahec
                        #a1eaa1iji4eg   
#aj4fd    #ahed                         
#b1jfd1ihc4ga               #h4hd       
#ahee                                   
#b1dhg1aei4ba               #i4gg       
#ahef                                   
#c1aia1ajb4jd               #h4fh       
#aheg                                   
#c1ccc1fie4gd               #h4jf       
#aheha1gdi1iac4cea1gba1gae4cec1eaf1fcc4g
j #e4ac   #ae4ji  #g4fj                 
#aheib1jgb1cad4aea1iej1dhe4fcd1jbb1gii4g
h #d4eg   #ac4dh  #f4gb                 
#ahfjb1ceh1ebe4baa1hbi1edj4jed1ahh1jfe4b
f #d4ae   #ab4je  #e4ha                 
#ahfab1hdj1dde4hdb1jgi1bib4abd1iai1gcg4h
f #c4hb   #aa4af  #e4cd                 

#ahfbb1ihd1dij4bab1cag1iej4cde1cjb1ddj4e
e #b4ca   #aj4bd  #c4di                 
#ahfcc1cje1iic4heb1fca1iaa4jhe1icg1ijd4i
c #b4bb    #i4id  #c4ch                 
#ahfdc1efe1icc4fhb1eeg1cch4chf1abc1bgb4j
f #b4ae    #h4af  #c4ac                 
#ahfed1aei1dde4deb1hib1fid4cdg1jeb1aci4g
i #a4ih    #g4ga  #b4hh                 
#ahffd1eac1jie4cbc1aid1die4big1gjg1eij4f
a #a4ij    #f4ij  #b4gi                 
,,greece4    ,the ,kingdom of ,greece   
has twelve telegraph stations4 ,all the 
messages  between the ,greek and        
,european lines pass through ,turkey1   
and  consequently the rate is very high4
 ,it is proposed to establish a direct  
line between ,greece and ,southern      
,italy by continuing the ,corfu cable to
  ,pauras or ,missolonghi1 across the   
,ionian ,islands4                       
,,prussia4    ,in ,prussia the number of
 messages transmitted in #ahff1 the last
 year of  which we have data1 was       
#a1ifd1jcj1 and the gross receipts were 
#a1bge1ghe  thalers1 making the average 

cost per message seventy cents in our   
currency4 ,prussia had in that year a   
population of #ag1gdj1jjj1 and the  area
 of her territory was somewhat less than
 the ,new ,england ,states and  ,new    
,york4 ,distance being regarded1 the    
,prussian rates were at that  period    
double our own4                         
,,table ,l4           ,statement showing
 the ,progress of ,telegraphy in        
,prussia4                               
,number of    ,gross ,receipts          
in,average ,cost per         ,,date4    
,messages4        ,thalers4             
,message in                             
,thalers4                      #aheb    
#dh1gea          #aad1eci               
#b4cej              #ahec               
#he1afa          #bji1idd               
#b4dfj              #ahed               
#aaf1cac          #cbh1ejf              
#b4hbj              #ahee               
#aeb1hbj          #dcd1abb              
#b4hdj              #ahef               
#bba1daa          #eia1jch              

#b4fgj              #aheg               
#bda1ede          #gbf1eag              
#c4jaj              #aheh               
#bdg1bjb          #gcj1ehd              
#b4iej              #ahei               
#cdi1iig          #hjh1eba              
#b4caj              #ahfj               
#chd1cce          #gia1aja              
#b4jfj              #ahfa               
#dei1jjb          #hge1ghc              
#a4ihh              #ahfb               
#ffj1eja          #ied1eej              
#a4dej              #ahfc               
#hgg1ehc        #a1jci1ifa              
#a4ahj              #ahfd               
#a1bei1eij        #a1aej1jjh            
#j4iac              #ahfe               
#a1ebg1dee        #a1bdb1dhi            
#j4hab              #ahff               
#a1ifd1jcj        #a1bge1ghe            
#j4fef       ,it will be observed that  
the number of messages transmitted in   
#aheb was  #dh1gea1 and in #ahfj1       
#chd1cce1 being an increase in nine     
years of nearly  #hjj per cent1 although

 there was no reduction in the average  
tariff  during this period4 ,from #ahfj 
to #ahff there was an increase of only  
#ejj  per cent1 notwithstanding a       
reduction in the rates from #b4jf to    
#j4fef  thalers per message4    ,prussia
 was among the earliest of ,continental 
countries to adopt the  electric        
telegraph1 and it is still far in       
advance of most of its  neighbors in the
 practical development of the           
enterprise2 and yet1 with  a population 
more than half as great as the ,united  
,states1 she only  transmits one sixth  
as many messages per annum4 ,were the   
system left to  private enterprise1 as  
in this country1 there can be no doubt  
that this  enlightened and thrifty      
people would greatly extend the system1 
and in  place of the meagre supply of   
#ech offices she would have upwards of  
#b1jjj1 and in place of #a1ifd1jcj      
messages per annum would transmit seven 
or eight millions4                      
,,russia4    ,european ,russia1 with a  

population considerably more than twice 
as great  as the ,united ,states1       
contains but #cjh offices1 or one to    
#bcj1jjj of  people2 and sends annually 
but #hch1fec messages1 or one to each   
#hj1gbc  of her population4    ,any     
person examining the telegraphic map of 
,russia will be satisfied  that the     
rose-colored descriptions of government 
telegraphs as  illustrated in ,russia   
are overdrawn4 ,the lines radiating from
 ,st4  ,petersburg1 and extending to    
,warsaw1 ,moscow1 ,odessa1 ,sebastopol1 
,nichni-,novgorod1 to the ,persian      
frontier1 and to ,kiakhta in            
,siberia1--all  important military      
points1--and with scarcely any          
connecting interior  lines1 suggest     
anything but a desire to afford ample   
telegraphic  facilities to the people4  
,,switzerland4    ,the situation of     
,switzerland1 in the centre of ,europe1 
and forming the  pathway between        
nations1 places her in a peculiar       
position with  reference to the         

transmission of messages from one       
country to another4  ,just as ,belgium  
is situated in relation to intercourse  
between ,france  and ,germany1 so       
,switzerland is placed in regard to     
telegraphic  communication between      
,france and ,italy1 and ,italy and      
,germany4  ,switzerland1 from many      
circumstances1 is a country in which    
telegraphic  communication is eminently 
useful4 ,in the first place it is a     
mountainous country1 over which postal  
communication is necessarily  slow1 and 
conducted at all seasons under          
disadvantages4 ,besides all  this1      
,switzerland1 at certain seasons of the 
year1 is a country full of  travellers  
and tourists from all parts of the      
world1 who find great  advantage and    
convenience in being able to transmit   
short messages from  one place to       
another1 respecting hotel               
accommodations1 baggage  arrangements1  
lost packages1 horses1 places in the    
diligence1 and  general matters relating

 to their route1 as well as business and
 social  messages to their relatives1   
friends1 and agents at home4            
,switzerland is in the same position    
with ,belgium in respect to the means   
of cheap telegraphic communication4 ,the
 railways of the country all  belong to 
the state2 so that every railway is     
available1 without charge1  for the     
passage of wires along the line1 and    
every railway official may  be employed 
for telegraphic service1 at the pleasure
 of the government1  for nothing4 ,it is
 scarcely necessary to point out how    
different must be  the working of such a
 system from that of the ,united        
,states1 where the  railways are in the 
hands of private companies1 and with    
whom terms have  to be made for the     
right of way4               ,,no        
,,analogy ,,between ,,the ,,united      
,,states ,,and ,,switzerland4    ,the   
analogy between the ,united ,states and 
,switzerland seems in every  sense      
imperfect4 ,the telegraph stations in   

,switzerland only number #beb1  or less 
than the number contained within a      
radius of fifty miles in and  around the
 city of ,new ,york4    ,the total      
number of despatches transmitted        
annually in and through  ,switzerland   
only amounted in #ahff to #ffh1iaf1     
whilst of these probably  more than half
 were either transit or international4  
,these transit  telegrams1 of which     
there are none in our country1 involve a
 most  important difference4 ,belgium   
and ,switzerland can make up the        
deficiencies which arise from losses on 
internal communication by the  surplus  
derived from transit telegrams4    ,in  
#aheb the average number of messages per
 day1 for all ,switzerland1 was  less   
than ten4 ,as the system became         
extended1 and the people were  educated 
to its use1 the number of messages      
increased1 until in #ahff  they exceeded
 #b1jjj per day1 approximating1 for the 
entire country1 the  number sent and    
received daily by fifteen female        

operators in one of the  rooms of the   
,western ,union ,telegraph ,company1 in 
the city of ,new ,york4  ,probably one  
half of these were transit messages     
passing through  ,switzerland from      
stations in ,france1 ,belgium1 and      
,italy1 leaving about  #a1jjj messages  
per day of inland business1 which1      
divided among #beb  offices1 would leave
 an average of a little less than four  
messages per  day for each office6 ,this
 is not a very magnificent result1 and  
is not  over encouraging as a model     
system1 which gives to its twenty-five  
cantons ten offices1 with an average    
revenue from each2 for inland  business1
 of only three francs per day6 ,and     
this1 notwithstanding that  the         
government coaches convey1 without any  
extra charge1 messages1 from  towns     
unsupplied with offices1 to the nearest 
telegraph station4                      
,,table ,m4         ,statement showing  
the ,progress of ,telegraphy in         
,switzerland4                           

,number of    ,gross ,receipts          
in,average ,cost per         ,,date4    
,messages4         ,francs4             
,message in                             
,francs4                      #aheb     
#b1hgf         #c1eda4ie                
#ahec           #hb1ehf                 
#abg1hgj4jd             #a4ee           
#ahed          #abi1afg                 
#bjh1hhg4cf             #a4fb           
#ahee          #afb1hea                 
#bea1cia4bg             #a4ec           
#ahef          #bbg1jgb                 
#cai1idg4bb             #a4dd           
#aheg          #bfj1afd                 
#cfi1bbf4ja             #a4db           
#aheh          #bdg1ajb                 
#cdc1eig4ch             #a4ce           
#ahei          #bhf1hgf                 
#dbe1ehg4eg             #a4dh           
#ahfj          #cjc1icj                 
#djh1dbi4jd             #a4cd           
#ahfa          #cca1icc                 
#ddh1jef4je             #a4ce           
#ahfb          #cgc1deb                 

#ecj1dag4ej             #a4db           
#ahfc          #def1hga                 
#fcj1gdh4bf             #a4ch           
#ahfd          #ead1ieb                 
#fae1cag4jj             #a4bj           
#ahfe          #eia1bad                 
#gbf1efd4af             #a4bc           
#ahff          #ffh1iaf                 
#fhd1cai4hi             #a4jc           
#ahfg          #gjh1igd                 
#gge1jbd4jj             #a4ji       ,it 
will be observed that the increase in   
the number of messages  transmitted in  
,switzerland was from #b1hgf in #aheb to
 #ffh1iaf in #ahff1 or  more than       
#bcj1jjj per cent in fourteen years1    
although the tariff had  only been      
reduced #cc per cent4                   
,,spain4    ,spain1 with a population of
 over #af1jjj1jjj souls1 and possessing 
the  advantages of forming the pathway  
between ,france and her ,african        
possessions1 as well as between         
,portugal and the rest of ,europe1      
transmits a less number of telegrams per

 annum than the ,dominion of  ,canada1  
with her #c1jjj1jjj inhabitants4 ,that  
this insignificant amount  of business  
for so great a country is owing to      
government control is  evident from the 
following royal decree1 issued in       
conformity with the  request of the     
,minister of ,state1 who says3 8,the    
petitions presented to  your ,majesty   
from different towns1 companies1 and    
private individuals  are so numerous and
 repeated1 praying that the advantages  
of telegraphic  communications should be
 granted to them1 that the minister who 
now  humbly addresses your ,majesty has 
lamented more than once that the care   
of the government has not extended that 
satisfaction to legitimate  wishes so   
deserving of attention40                
,,royal ,,decree ,,relating ,,to        
,,telegraphs ,,in ,,spain4    ,in       
conformity with what the ,minister of   
,state for ,home ,affairs has  proposed 
to me1 for the concession of telegraph  
lines and stations4    ,i have decreed  

as follows3--    ,the districts1 towns1 
and public establishments1 who wish to  
form new  lines or stations1 can solicit
 them from the government1 which will   
inquire into the influence of the       
establishment of the said lines or      
stations upon the state telegraphic     
system4    ,the necessary cost of the   
lines and service must be paid by the   
petitioners1 and they must also give    
sufficient guaranty for the cost of     
repairs and service4    ,the petitioners
 will be obliged to pay to the state the
 difference that  may result between the
 annual income and the cost of the      
service4    ,if at the expiration of    
five years the expenses exceed the      
returns1 the  line or station will be   
considered as property of the state4 ,no
 line or  station can be formed without 
the consent of the ministers in council4
    ,service in all kinds of stations   
and lines can only be performed by a    
staff from the government telegraph     
corps4    ,all despatches passing       

through ,spain 7including the ,balearic 
,islands7  and ,france 7including       
,corsica7 will pay the rate of five     
francs per  message of #bj words1 no    
matter from what telegraph office they  
proceed  or to what station they are    
addressed4 ,each ten words or part of   
ten  words1 beyond #bj1 will pay half   
the amount of a single message4    ,the 
cost of a single message transmitted    
from ,france to ,algeria1 or  vice      
versa1 passing through the ,spanish or  
submarine lines1 as also of  the        
messages between ,spain and ,algeria1   
transmitted either by land or  ,french  
cables1 will always be eight francs4    
,the messages received or  forwarded to 
,tunis will pay two francs more4    ,the
 messages exceeding #bj words will pay  
an extra charge1 in accordance  with the
 rule already established4    ,no       
despatch whatever will be delivered out 
of the radius of the  locality wherein  
the station addressed to is situated1   
through any other  means than by post4  

,telegrams addressed to localities where
 there is no station will be  delivered 
by the last telegraphic office to the   
post1 which will  undertake to convey   
them to their destination as certified  
parcels4    ,when one despatch is       
addressed to several persons in the same
 locality1  as many telegrams will be   
charged for as there are individuals to 
receive it4    ,the acknowledgment of   
the receipt of a telegram will be       
charged for as a  new despatch4         
,prepayment of despatches can be made1  
but if no answer is returned1 or  if it 
should contain less words than those    
paid for1 no return of any  kind will be
 made4 ,if the answer contains more     
words than paid for1 the  station which 
sends it will charge the difference     
between the amount  paid and the        
corresponding one to this new despatch4 
,the claims for delay or irregularity of
 telegrams will only give  occasion for 
future inquiry into the causes which    
have produced the  irregularity in the  

service1 for the knowledge of the       
interested party1  and to punish the    
functionary who should prove to be      
culpable4      ,given at ,aranjuez1 on  
the #bb;d ,may1 #ahfd4    ,if there is  
any special benefit accruing to the     
people of ,spain by  having the         
telegraph under government control1 we  
fail to discover it4                    
,,turkey4    ,turkey contains           
twenty-eight telegraph stations1 of     
which twelve are  open for night        
service1 nine during the whole of the   
day1 and seven for  a part only4        
,constantinople has two stations open   
for international  correspondence1--one 
at ,stamboul1 the other at ,pera2 the   
first is  principally confined to the   
transmission of messages for the        
,ottoman  government1 and the second for
 that of ambassadors and private        
persons4  ,in the case of an            
interruption of the cable which crosses 
the  ,hellespont1 the ,dardanelles      
station is removed to ,kaled-,bahas1 and

 the  despatches are subjected to an    
additional rate of #ij cents for their  
conveyance1 by boat1 from ,kaled-,bahas 
to the ,dardanelles4 ,the tariff1  upon 
messages between ,paris to any ,turkish 
station1 varies from #b4hj to  #f4jj1   
according to the distance4    ,the      
construction of lines in ,turkey is of  
the most defective  description1 and the
 materials used very inferior4 ,the     
lines pass over  the steepest and most  
inaccessible hills2 and this state of   
things is  made worse by a very         
inadequate inspection1 by men who are   
both too few  in number1 wretchedly     
paid1 and generally incompetent4        
,repairers are  compelled to provide and
 keep a horse out of their pay of #cjj  
piastres  7#ac4jd7 per month4 ,the      
chiefs of stations1 and all other       
employees1 are  ,turks1 whose lazy      
habits and incompetency cannot be       
wondered at1 when  the smallness of     
their pay is considered4 ,added to these
 difficulties1  the service has to      

endure very frequent and arbitrary      
occupation of the  wires by the         
government1 interrupting1 on many       
occasions1 business of  the most        
pressing nature1 for the transmission of
 some trivial  communication1 which     
would lose nothing by a short delay4 ,it
 may be  imagined that as the service is
 in the hands of government1 much       
depends  upon the director-general of   
the department4 ,unfortunately1 this    
official is in the unenviable position  
of holding office on such a poor  tenure
 that it may be said he has a daily     
apprehension of being turned  out1 and  
replaced by one of those numerous       
intriguers who swarm about  the cabinets
 of the ministers1 or work through the  
more effectual  influence of the        
harem1--the great bane of the country4  
,it has been  proposed to the ,turkish  
government to employ a large staff of   
,english  inspectors and operators1 but 
the natural jealousy of employing       
foreigners stands in the way4 ,the      

,turks insist upon having all messages  
sent through in ,turkish1 so that       
frequently1 when retranslated1 they     
bear very slight resemblance to the     
original4    ,all the important         
telegraphic intercourse between ,europe 
and ,india  passes through the ,turkish 
dominions4 ,the effect of the control of
 the  ,turkish government over the      
telegraph is most disastrous1 and       
renders  this important connection with 
,india almost worthless4    ,repeated   
efforts have been made by the ,english  
telegraph companies1 who  have so great 
an interest in the successful operation 
of these lines1 to  induce the ,turkish 
government to relinquish its management 
of them1 but  thus far without success4 
,,reasons                               
,,why    ,,government ,,should ,,not    
,,enter ,,into ,,competition ,,with     
,,the ,,people ,,in ,,the               
,,operation ,,of ,,the ,,telegraph4     
,the foregoing presentation of facts has
 shown that there are no  sufficient    

grounds for destroying the value of the 
investments of the  people in existing  
telegraph companies by governmental     
competition1 the  telegraph system of   
this country being unrivalled in its    
extent1  unequalled in its              
administration1 and unparalleled for the
 low rates  which it has always         
maintained4    ,in this country the     
people have not been accustomed to rely 
upon the  government to provide those   
things for them which they are able to  
secure by their own exertions4 ,if this 
principle is right in regard to  one    
enterprise1 it is also in relation to   
all others2 and if infringed  upon in   
the case of the telegraph companies1    
what pursuit will be safe  from         
governmental interference8    ,it is    
undoubtedly true that1 were tariffs     
designed simply to provide a  revenue to
 support the lines1 they are capable of 
reduction1 provided  present            
arrangements with railroad companies and
 others could be  maintained1 by which  

the labor of the one is utilized in the 
service of  the other4 ,but for this the
 country makes no demand4 ,it recognizes
 the  telegraph as a legitimate         
enterprise for the investment of the    
capital  and labor of its citizens4 ,if 
false counsels guide its development1   
public reprobation is ready with its    
remedy4 ,its absorption by  government  
would not only be a public calamity1 but
 a breach of the  theory and spirit of  
our institutions1 and would soon result 
in its  necessary return to individual  
control4         ,,political ,,reasons  
,,why ,,government ,,should ,,not       
,,control ,,the ,,telegraph4    ,one of 
the most serious objections to the      
government of the ,united  ,states      
assuming the control of the telegraph is
 the political one4 ,in  monarchical    
countries1 where the sovereignty is a   
patrimony of a  particular family1 and  
where no change is made except by       
revolution1  everything which tends     
towards the permanence of the reigning  

dynasty is  looked upon as in the       
interest of law and order1 and for these
 reasons  the absorption of the         
telegraphs by the government is regarded
 as a  proper and legitimate act1 and   
consistent with the public weal2 but in 
a  republic1 where the rulers are       
changed periodically1 and where the     
purity of the elections is of the first 
importance1 the placing of so  great a  
power in the hands of the government    
would be a public calamity4  ,it might  
be supposed that rulers could be elected
 who would not take  advantage of the   
control of the telegraph for selfish    
purposes1 but the  temptation to do so  
would be great1 and1 even if not yielded
 to1 the  suspicions of the people would
 be constantly aroused1 and confidence  
in  its impartial administration would  
be destroyed4 ,in every election the    
whole army of postmasters and the       
machinery of the department is  enlisted
 in the service of the party in power4  
,shall we give it the  telegraph also8  

,what would be the influence on election
 returns8    ,the censorship of         
telegraphic correspondence1 always a    
subject of public  disapprobation1 is   
generally exercised by all governments  
which have its  management4 ,in ,france 
the control of the telegraph by         
government is  loudly complained of1 in 
consequence of notorious abuses which   
result  from it4 ,amongst other things1 
it is well known that the authorities of
  the ,bourse1 in ,paris1 have          
opportunities of seeing every telegram  
which  reaches or leaves that city on   
matters relating to the stock exchange  
operations4         ,,the               
,,post-,,office ,,department ,,not      
,,competent ,,to ,,manage ,,the         
,,telegraphs4    ,if it should ever     
appear to be for the public good that   
this agency1 so  capable of use as a    
political power1 should pass into the   
hands of  government1 it seems proper to
 await such a demonstration of the      
self-sustaining capacity of the         

department under whose control it is    
proposed to be placed1 and such         
efficiency in that service1 as will     
furnish reasonable assurance of ability 
for the united control without  burden  
to the state1 or lessened convenience to
 the people4 ,a department  which is    
still confessedly imperfect1 which      
cannot even tell the number  of letters 
which it transmits per annum1 whose     
receipts are unequal to  the cost of    
service by over #f1jjj1jjj1bh which     
could not secure  skilled labor in this 
new field except by foraging from       
existing  enterprises1 and which could  
not avoid heavy losses at the rates     
proposed1 is not at present a fit       
recipient of so important a trust4      
,footnote #bh3      ,the postal revenue 
for the year ending ,june #cjth1 #ahfh1 
was    #af1bib1fjj4hj1 and the          
expenditures during the same period     
#bb1gcj1eib4fe1 showing an excess of    
expenditures of #f1ccg1iia4he4    ,from 
the report of the ,postmaster-,general4 

,the ,post-,office ,department1 which   
already has more duties than it is  able
 to perform1 instead of seeking to      
absorb the telegraphs1 had better  apply
 itself to its proper task of developing
 the correspondence of the  country1 and
 endeavor to make itself financially    
profitable to the  nation1 instead of a 
serious burden4    ,that the post-office
 undertakes more than it can perform is 
shown by the  delays and irregularities 
of the service1 and the enormous and    
constantly increasing number of its dead
 letters1 which amounted1 in  #ahfg1 to 
over #d1ejj1jjj6 ,were the telegraph    
companies to deal with the  messages    
committed to them for transmission as   
the post-office deals  with the letters 
committed to its care1 there would be   
good grounds for  governmental          
interference2 but there are very few    
complaints of  non-delivery of          
telegrams4    ,it should be borne in    
mind that electric telegraphy is a      
science1 and  its successful operation  

requires a thorough knowledge of        
electricity1  skill in manipulating the 
apparatus1 and many years of constant   
training  in the practical duties of the
 business4 ,many of the employees of    
this  company have been constantly in   
the service for more than a score of    
years1 and still consider themselves    
students in this new field of  practical
 science3 without wishing to be         
invidious in our comparisons1  we may   
fairly say that the intelligence and    
skill which are ample for  the duties of
 filling a bag with letters and         
despatching them by horse  or steam     
power1 would not be competent to the    
duties of successfully  transmitting an 
important despatch through the invisible
 agency of the  electric current4       
,,government ,,assumes ,,no             
,,responsibility4    ,another serious   
drawback to the value of the telegraph  
under government  management is its     
failure to make reparation to private   
individuals for  losses caused by the   

errors or imperfection of its service4  
,in no  country where the telegraph     
exists under government control is there
 any  assumption of accountability for  
errors or delays in the transmission of 
messages4 ,in some countries they will  
not even inquire into the cause of      
delay or errors1 and in others1 as in   
,spain1 they will only do so for  the   
purpose of punishing the delinquent     
employee1 but in no case to  reimburse  
the patron of the telegraph for his     
loss4 ,this failure to  assume any      
responsibility in the matter is of great
 importance to the  public4 ,the amount 
paid by the ,western ,union ,telegraph  
,company per  annum1 on account of these
 unavoidable errors and delays1 is very 
considerable4 ,the public would be      
reluctant to leave the correct          
transmission and delivery of their      
important messages to the chances of  a 
government system which is notoriously  
defective1 and which would in  no case  
reimburse them for losses occasioned by 

errors in the  transmission of their    
telegrams1 or failure to send them at   
all4 ,the  scheme proposed by ,mr4      
,hubbard1 owing to the divided          
responsibility of  the service1 would be
 even worse than the absorption of the  
lines by the  government4 ,public       
opinion could not reach the contractor1 
because he is  the servant of the       
government1 and not of the public1 and  
it would fail  to influence the         
,post-,office ,department1 as it does   
not itself perform  the service1 and1   
because being a department1 it is       
practically  irresponsible4 ,how much   
influence1 for example1 has public      
opinion on  the collectors of internal  
revenue or customs1 or even the         
postmasters  of this country8    ,if    
despatches were left at the             
post-offices1 or dropped in the street  
boxes1 as provided for in ,mr4          
,hubbard's bill1 they would have to take
  their chances of transmission and     
delivery1 with no recourse1 in case of  

failure1 for redress from any source4   
,if a despatch should fail to reach  its
 destination1 and complaint was made to 
the postmaster1 he would  reply that he 
was not responsible for its             
transmission1 and would refer  the      
aggrieved person to the telegraph       
contractor2 while the latter would      
answer that he was a servant of the     
government1 and not responsible to  the 
public for the imperfections of his     
service4 ,and the result would  be1 that
 while the sender of the despatch       
obtained no redress1 he would  not have 
even the satisfaction of knowing which  
service was at fault1  the post-office  
or the telegraph4       ,,the           
,,proposition ,,to ,,erect ,,competitive
 ,,governmental ,,telegraphs ,,unfounded
                 ,,in ,,public          
,,necessity1 ,,unjust ,,and ,,delusive4 
,the proposition to erect a competitive 
governmental telegraph line  between    
,washington and ,new ,york1 as described
 in the paper of ,mr4  ,washburne1 and  

the bill designed to authorize it1 is a 
scheme founded  upon no public          
necessity1 unjust and delusive4    ,it  
is easily demonstrable that the tariff  
proposed by the bill1 if  adopted by the
 government1 could only be maintained by
 large drafts upon  the national        
treasury4 ,it is well known that the    
active hours of  telegraph service are  
about five1 and the ordinary average of 
transmission not over fifty messages per
 hour1 the general allowance  being     
forty4 ,thus each of the four wires     
proposed to be erected under  the bill  
would be capable of earning1 at the     
maximum1 five dollars per  hour1 or a   
total daily income of one hundred       
dollars1 an amount unequal  to the      
provision of the most ordinary indoor   
service1 to say nothing of  the cost of 
management1 repairs of lines1 battery   
power1 stationery1 and  many other      
necessary expenses4 ,the annual cost to 
our company of repairs  and inspection  
on this route alone is #bj1jjj4    ,this

 company denies the exorbitance of the  
rates it has adopted1 and  which it is  
now actively engaged in modifying so as 
to secure the  fairest correspondence to
 other branches of labor1 and the utmost
  development of the system4 ,it        
therefore deprecates as illusory1 as    
well  as unjust1 the proposal to        
establish rates lower than those which  
in  ,belgium have caused a loss of one  
third of the tariff on each message     
sent1 and which1 under the management of
 a department now showing an  enormous  
annual deficit1 cannot fail to prove    
perplexing and disastrous4  ,it         
deprecates also1 as utterly illusory1   
the idea that under such  tariffs a     
product would be realized that would    
provide for the extension  of the       
government lines to other regions4 ,this
 delusion1 which makes it  possible for 
an intelligent public man to predicate  
so absurd a result1  has for a basis    
that which is ever used to allure men   
into schemes of  promised wealth4 ,the  

insane speculation which1 thirty years  
ago1 ruined  tens of thousands of our   
people1 by counting the leaves of the   
,morus  multicaulis as the products of  
veritable mulberry-trees1 on which      
delighted caterpillars would feed1 and  
enrich their owners with untold  webs of
 native silk1 was not more illusory than
 that which to-day1 by  showing the     
possibilities of each hour by day and   
night1 crams the wires  with possible   
messages which will never be sent1 and  
estimates balances  which cannot be     
earned4    ,this scheme would be unjust 
to government1 by undermining and       
perilling  a business which pays        
#cjj1jjj per annum to its revenues1     
besides  casting upon a nation1 great   
because of the energy which has         
characterized its private enterprises1  
the odium of initiating  competition    
with one of the most useful products of 
the national brain1  before time has    
been given to complete the design of    
those who direct  it1 and to fully      

illustrate its capacity4    ,the policy 
and practice of the ,western ,union     
,telegraph ,company favor a  reduction  
of the rates on despatches as rapidly as
 the necessary  expenses of the service 
will admit2 and if the government will  
abolish  its tax on the receipts for    
transmitting telegrams1 this company    
will  immediately lower its rates until 
the reduction upon the gross amount of  
business done shall be twice as much as 
the tax remitted4    ,this would lessen 
the rates for telegraphing nearly ten   
per cent1 and  would be a far better    
plan for furnishing cheaper telegraphic 
facilities  to the people than the      
construction and operation of government
 lines at  the expense of the national  
treasury4       ,,the ,,telegraph ,,bill
 ,,proposed ,,to ,,be ,,enacted ,,by    
,,congress ,,without ,,national         
,,example4    ,it must be borne in mind 
that the remunerativeness of telegraph  
lines  depends largely upon the revenues
 of a few important cities1 without     

which the enterprise would not have an  
income sufficient to support it4  ,to   
take away the receipts of ,new ,york1   
,philadelphia1 ,baltimore1 and          
,washington1 with ,boston1 ,chicago1    
,cincinnati1 ,st4 ,louis1 and a few     
others of like importance1 would make it
 impossible for any company to  maintain
 itself1 far less to meet the constant  
demand of an enlarging  population and  
new settlements for the extension of its
 lines4 ,this is  not peculiar to       
,america4 ,in ,great ,britain1 where    
there are #b1aea  stations1 seventy-six 
per cent of the entire receipts are     
received at #ah  stations1 fifteen per  
cent at #ha stations1 and only nine per 
cent at the  residue4 ,even of the      
seventy-six per cent received at the #ah
 stations1  one half of that whole      
percentage was received in ,london1 and 
one  quarter from two other cities4     
,in ,france1 three departments collect  
#d1agh1ccb1 out of a total of           
#g1gjg1eij francs per annum2 and of this

 amount1 ,paris 7,dpartment de la       
,seine7 collects #b1gid1gfh4dj francs1  
being more than one third of the  total 
receipts of the whole empire4    ,the   
,western ,union ,telegraph ,company's   
revenues come to it in a similar        
manner4 ,from its #c1cca offices it     
derives its receipts as follows3--      
,from  #acf offices1 #ge per cent4      
#caie         #be per cent4    ,of these
 #acf offices1 a large proportion of    
their receipts is derived  from twelve  
chief cities1 of which four are on the  
route proposed by  this bill4           
,government1 by thus operating lines of 
telegraph over the choicest and  most   
productive route1 at rates below the    
cost of the service1 and which  could   
only be maintained by large drafts upon 
the national treasury1  would assume an 
attitude towards private telegraph      
enterprises of the  most unjust and     
unexampled hostility4    ,such a partial
 experiment as that proposed by ,mr4    
,washburne1 or even by  ,mr4 ,hubbard1  

would destroy the unitary character of  
the service which  the ,western ,union  
,telegraph ,company has done so much to 
secure1 and  would be a most decidedly  
reactionary measure4    ,mr4 ,hubbard's 
bill to incorporate the ,united ,states 
,postal ,telegraph  ,company1 and to    
establish a postal-telegraph system1    
provides for the  establishment of      
telegraph lines to all cities and       
villages of five  thousand inhabitants  
and over in the ,united ,states4 ,were  
this scheme to  be adopted1 and the     
government thus enter into a partnership
 with the  new company in the telegraph 
business1 in accordance with the terms  
of  this bill1 what is to become of the 
smaller towns8 ,according to the  census
 of #ahfj there are only three hundred  
and thirteen cities and  villages in the
 ,united ,states having the five        
thousand inhabitants  necessary to      
entitle them to an office under this    
postal system4 ,who1  then1 is to       
maintain telegraphic facilities at the  

remaining three  thousand eight hundred 
and thirteen small towns now having     
offices8    ,private companies1 if      
driven out of the field by the          
establishment of  this semi-government  
competing line1 could not do it1 and1 as
 this  scheme makes no provision for    
them1 they must necessarily be deprived 
of  the facilities they now enjoy4      
,under this bill ,arkansas1 ,florida1   
and  ,oregon would not be entitled to an
 office2 ,minnesota1 ,mississippi1 and  
,south ,carolina to but one2 ,north     
,carolina1 ,texas1 and ,vermont to but  
two  each2 ,delaware and ,tennessee to  
but three2 ,connecticut1 ,georgia1      
,kentucky1 and ,michigan to but four2   
and ,indiana1 ,kansas1 ,louisiana1      
,maine1 ,missouri1 ,new ,hampshire1     
,rhode ,island1 ,virginia1 and          
,wisconsin  would be entitled to less   
than ten each1 while those provided for 
the  whole ,united ,states would be less
 in number than the branch offices      
furnished for the convenience of the    

public by the ,western ,union           
,telegraph ,company at the hotels1      
docks1 piers1 and other places in the   
large towns alone4#bi    ,footnote #bi3 
,the ,postmaster-,general is permitted  
to establish postal-telegraph           
stations at any city or village through 
which the lines of the    contracting   
party may be extended1 though said city 
or village contain    less than five    
thousand inhabitants2 but as the        
proposed company makes    no provision  
for the payment of the operators or any 
of the expenses    of such offices1     
while it secures to itself the receipts 
for    telegrams1 it is hardly to be    
expected that the ,postmaster-,general  
would feel disposed to open many        
stations under such circumstances4      
,the proposal presented to ,congress is 
one which the governments of  ,europe1  
from which it professes to draw its     
inspiration1 have never  entertained4   
,no government there has ever yet       
attempted to engage in any  public work 

by the destruction of the property of   
its people1 except  after just          
compensation4 ,the recent example of    
,great ,britain in  acquiring the       
,british lines of telegraph is eminently
 illustrative of  this national justice4
 ,neither cavilling with the nature or  
condition of  their structure1          
cheapening the value of their property1 
nor defaming  the officers of any       
company1 the ,british ,parliament       
doubles the  valuation of its owners1   
and pays a price therefor which         
satisfies the  most exacting4 ,in       
striking contrast to this is the        
enterprise proposed  to the ,american   
,congress by the ,washburne bill1 which 
begins by  attacking the integrity of   
the official management of the existing 
system1 depreciating the value of its   
property1 and proposing the  competitive
 use of a grand invention which it      
refused to purchase1 and  now proposes1 
without consideration1 to possess4 ,in  
such a project there  is no national    

example which would give it sanction or 
respectability1  even though1 in times  
of great national peril1 and amid the   
necessities  of despotic governments1   
monarchs have at times seized and made  
their  own the profitable traffic and   
pursuits of the people4                 
,,appendix4                       ,,the 
,,telegraph ,,and ,,the ,,government4#cj
    ,footnote #cj3      ,from the       
,cincinnati ,gazette4    ,the building  
of telegraph lines in the ,united       
,states1 from the date of  their        
inauguration down to the present time1  
has been overdone4 ,there  are now too  
many wires for the business1 at the     
prices that are charged2  consequently  
there are few1 if any1 lines that pay a 
fair interest on  the cost of their     
construction4 ,so great is the cost of  
maintaining and  operating lines1 too1  
that it is a question whether sufficient
 business  could be done1 as it is      
conducted at very low rates1 to pay     
expenses4 ,in  business hours1 for      

example1 there is a great rush of       
messages1--say from  #i ,a4 ,m4 to #c   
,p4 ,m4--that is1 between commercial    
centres4 ,after #c o'clock  there is    
comparatively little business1 except   
what is furnished by the  newspapers4   
,consequently1 in the after part of the 
day1 and during the  night1 many wires  
and operators are idle4 ,in order to    
make business for  this portion of the  
twenty-four hours1 the telegraph        
companies adopted a  low schedule of    
rates for night messages1 but this has  
been attended  with poor success4 ,the  
lines are mainly used1 it is found1 by  
business  men and newspapers4 ,business 
messages require immediate delivery1 and
  are not valuable except when          
transmitted and delivered during        
business  hours4 ,hence the reduced     
rates for night messages has not created
 much  new business4 ,neither would low 
rates for day messages create new       
business1 unless the despatches could be
 promptly forwarded and  delivered4 ,low

 rates for day messages1 prompt delivery
 being insured1  would undoubtedly      
largely increase the business1 but this 
would require  more wires and more men4 
,the question then is1 would the income 
at low  rates be sufficient to pay for  
the increased expenditures8 ,telegraph  
managers have decided this question in  
the negative4 ,there is1 it must  be    
borne in mind1 a limit to the capacity  
of telegraph wires for  conveying news4 
,herein this system differs from the    
postal system4 ,there  is1 practically1 
no limit to the capacity of the railroad
 companies for  carrying the mails1 and1
 of course1 the profits of the postal   
department  are in proportion to the    
amount of business they transact4 ,these
  preliminary remarks are made in order 
that the public may the better          
understand the proposition which has    
been made1 and is being agitated1       
looking to the purchase of the telegraph
 lines by the government1 and  their    
operation in connection with the postal 

system4 ,the pretext is1  that the      
government could afford to reduce the   
tariff to a low point1  say one cent per
 word for five hundred miles or less1   
and two cents for  over five hundred up 
to one thousand1 c4 ,this would make the
 tariff  between ,cincinnati and ,new   
,york three cents1 whereas it is now ten
  cents1 for private messages4 ,this is 
the pretext1 but the real secret of  the
 movement is this4 ,there are two       
parties who favor the proposition4  ,one
 of these has been quietly buying up    
telegraph stock at thirty or  forty     
cents on the dollar4 ,they propose to   
have ,congress pass a law  authorizing  
the ,president to appoint three         
commissioners to value the  telegraph   
lines of the ,united ,states and        
providing for their purchase at  such   
valuation4 ,here is a fine chance for   
speculation4 ,it would afford  an       
admirable opening for the gentlemen who 
practise in the lobby4 ,the  second     
party favoring the purchase is composed 

of members of ,congress  who are anxious
 to have the franking privilege extended
 to the telegraph  lines4 ,what a       
splendid thing it would be if members of
 ,congress could  use the telegraph     
lines free1 as they use the mails4 ,but 
the people  would have to pay for the   
free business on the telegraph          
lines1--pay  dearly1 too1 as they pay   
for the uses and abuses of the postal   
franking  privilege4 ,besides1 the      
government1 in connection with the      
postal  system1 is mainly conspicuous   
for its mismanagement4 ,it does not     
compete  successfully with private      
enterprise1 and never can so long as the
  abominable system of filling and      
vacating offices is continued4 ,the     
telegraph business is decidedly         
complicated4 ,it requires skilful men to
  operate it4 ,how would it be if       
telegraph offices were to be filled as  
post-offices and revenue offices are    
filled8 ,we need not stop to answer     
this question4 ,besides1 secrecy is an  

important feature of the telegraph      
business4 ,it is not as carefully       
enforced as it should be2 but what a    
political machine the telegraph would   
become if partisan politicians  should  
get hold of it6 ,imagine the telegraph  
during an exciting  presidential        
campaign1 with one party controlling the
 wires and reading  all the private     
despatches that passed over the lines6  
,there would be no  secrecy about it2   
neither would it be reliable1 and in the
 end it would  cost the people more than
 those using it would save4 ,not one man
 in  twenty would use the telegraph if  
rates were even lower than is  proposed2
 and consequently nineteen men would be 
taxed for the benefit  of one4 ,the     
whole thing would be a tax upon the     
people1 without  compensating           
advantages4 ,if private enterprise1 with
 sharp competition1  cannot carry       
messages between ,new ,york and         
,cincinnati1 at ten cents per  word1 and
 make money1 the government could not do

 it at three cents1 or  at any price up 
to ten4 ,nothing more certain than that4
 ,besides1 the  corruption connected    
with office-holding and office-getting1 
in this  country1 is sufficient to cause
 the people to shudder at the mere      
proposition to add fifty thousand       
offices to the already enormous  federal
 patronage4 ,the government is          
staggering now under the tremendous     
load of corruption consequent upon the  
federal patronage and the mode of       
distributing it1 and the people must    
soon choose between a reform in  this or
 a revolution4 ,let it be first         
demonstrated1 therefore1 that the       
government can successfully1 honestly1  
and economically manage the  business   
intrusted to it before it undertakes to 
assume exclusive  control of other      
branches of private enterprise4 ,but1 as
 already stated1  the present movement  
is merely a scheme to saddle upon the   
government  the non-paying telegraph    
lines of the ,united ,states1 at three  

or four  times their value4 ,the result 
would be amazing corruption in the      
management of the lines1 the violation  
of private confidence for  personal or  
political purposes1 and a cost to the   
people for  telegraphing greater than is
 now borne by those who use the wires4  
,,postal ,,telegraph4--,,extension ,,of 
,,the ,,interference ,,theory4#ca       
,footnote #ca3      ,from the ,chicago  
,evening ,post4    ,we beg the advocates
 of the ,postal ,telegraph scheme not to
 stop4 ,the  justification of what they 
propose to do1 if in accordance with    
their  theories of government1 will     
cover many other things necessary to be 
done4 ,after having taken possession of 
the telegraph lines1 and  increased the 
number of officers necessary to insure  
the harmonious  working of their plan1  
let them turn their attention to the    
,express  business of the country1 in   
which there is room for great reform4   
,this1  we are told1 is practically a   
monopoly1 by the greed of which the     

transmission of merchandise and         
valuables from one part of the country  
to another is often slow1 and always    
expensive4 ,if it is the province of    
the government to take charge of the    
telegraphic correspondence of the       
people1 surely there is no abuse of     
authority in undertaking to carry1  and 
in making a monopoly of carrying1 their 
express packages2 and the  reasons which
 commend this telegraph scheme cover and
 justify the  extension of governmental 
interference with the small freight that
 the  express lines usually convey4 ,we 
state these reasons seriatim1 just as   
the advocates of governmental           
telegraphing rehearse them4 ,they are1  
first1 cheapness2 second1 certainty2    
third1 celerity2 fourth1 promotion  of  
intercourse and traffic between         
different sections of the country2  and 
consequently1 fifth1 the wider          
dissemination of intelligence4 ,if      
these are sufficient1--and no promoter  
of the telegraph scheme can doubt  that 

they are1--they admit of still wider    
application4 ,most of the  telegraphic  
correspondence of the country is of a   
business character1  and so most of the 
service rendered by the express is of   
the same sort4  ,the telegraph and the  
express are the adjuncts of our great   
commercial  transactions by which people
 are fed1 warmed1 clothed1 and supplied 
with  the implements and raw material of
 labor4 ,there is1 then1 no reason why  
the railroads1 which are only larger    
instruments of the same kind1  should be
 omitted in the list of things that the 
government may manage  and monopolize4  
,it is surely of as much moment that a  
train-load of  flour or butter should be
 carried with cheapness1 certainty1 and 
celerity from ,chicago to ,new ,york1 as
 that the despatch announcing its       
shipment or arrival should be sent in   
the same way2 and if we cannot  manage  
the latter to our satisfaction1 how     
shall we expect to manage the  former8  
,as it will never do to have a          

competitor in this carrying trade1  the 
government must also take possession of 
all the canals4 ,of course  these       
recommendations will1 if adopted1       
largely increase the salaried  officers 
of the country1 and make our political  
contests tenfold more  corrupt1         
acrimonious1 and dangerous than now2 but
 as the ,pennsylvania  editor said about
 protection--8,if protection is a good  
thing1 we cannot  have too much of      
it60--so say we of officials1 the more  
the better4    ,but we see still larger 
fields that the government may occupy1  
this  interference theory being         
established as the rule of its relation 
to the  people4 ,as the growing of wheat
 and the production of meats1 to supply 
the prime necessity of our nature for   
food1 are of far more importance  than  
the correspondence which occurs in      
getting the wheat and beef to  the      
consumer or than the method of their    
transit2 as the people must die  if they
 have nothing to eat2 as farming1 as now

 done1 is a careless1  haphazard        
business1 pursued without the aid of    
adequate machinery or the  proper       
division of labor2 as the cost of farm  
produce might1 by the  universal        
adoption of improved methods1 be greatly
 cheapened1 thus  promoting the increase
 of the race1 and adding immensely to   
the general  happiness1 the government  
ought1 first of all1 to take the        
agriculture  of the country into its    
keeping4 ,then how easy1 if it should be
 imposed  upon by the men who make      
agricultural implements1 to turn        
manufacturer  at some hundred convenient
 places and make all the tools it might 
need4  ,just think of the immense       
advantage of being able to go to a      
government  warehouse and get a barrel  
of flour for half what it now costs1 or 
of  stepping into government shambles   
from which1 of course1 the people will  
be fed1 and getting a rib-roast or      
tenderloin steak at a figure that  would
 make our city butchers ashamed4 ,of    

course1 every farmer would be a         
government officer1 sure of his pay1 and
 without the most powerful  stimulus to 
exertion2 but if each man who handles a 
letter or sends or  delivers a despatch 
is to have the livery of public service 
on his back1  why not8 ,finally1 as food
 is useless unless cooked1 we see the   
necessity--still reasoning on premises  
which the telegraph men furnish--of     
having the cooking and management of the
 kitchens of the country turned  over to
 such officers as the government shall  
select4 ,for doing this1  just as soon  
as the plan of governmental telegraphing
 is put into  operation1 the reasons    
will be entirely conclusive4 ,what1 we  
ask1 can be  of more importance than    
that our food should be of good quality1
  healthfully prepared1 quickly and     
neatly served1 and peacefully eaten4    
,put the ,national ,telegraph by the    
side of the ,national ,dinner1 and see  
how it is dwarfed by the comparison4    
,contrast the annoyance of a  telegram  

overcharged1 missent1 or delayed1 with  
the unutterable horrors  of indigestion4
 ,look at our hotels1 restaurants1 and  
private houses1 and  see how cruelly the
 people suffer2 then think how perfect1 
how quick1  and how cheap the relief    
that the government might extend4 ,we   
well know  that1 had government cooking 
always been the rule of the nation1 the 
great rebellion would not have occurred4
 ,the war was the result of the  bad    
food and worse kitchens of our brethren 
of the ,south4 ,it had its  origin in   
hot bread and hog1 which ruined the     
stomachs1 perverted the  morals1 and    
inflamed the worst passions of the      
,south4 ,as we have already  sacrificed 
half a million of lives1 and ten        
thousand millions of  treasure to repair
 the consequences of government         
carelessness in  suffering national     
cookshops to remain unestablished1 we   
cannot make too  much haste in opening  
them now4    ,but we have adduced       
examples enough to show the absurd      

conclusions to  which the reasoning of  
these telegraphic schemers logically    
leads4 ,our  government1 good as it is1 
has objectionable features enough now4  
,the  disparities in the condition of   
the people are due more to the operation
  of unjust law than to differences in  
natural gifts2 and the great source  of 
mischief is in the usurpation by        
government of functions it ought  never 
to exercise4 ,we do most assuredly need 
reform2 but we shall not  find it in    
enlarging the sphere within which the   
government may act1 nor  in curtailing  
or circumscribing the liberty of the    
individual4 ,let us go  in the other    
direction2 and instead of making the    
paternal rule of  ,continental          
monarchies the object of imitation1 let 
us extend the  application of the       
,american idea4 ,instead of clothing    
government with  new powers1 let us take
 from what it has4 ,instead of creating 
an army of  new officers1 let us dismiss
 half we have got4 ,instead of          

increasing the  patronage of the        
executive and the causes of political   
contention1 let  us give greater        
simplicity to our system and greater    
security to the  citizen and the state4 
,instead of training the people more and
 more to  rely upon the government to   
supply their business1 social1 and      
educational wants1 let us give greater  
scope to their individuality1 so  that  
they may more and more rely upon        
themselves4 ,our government differs     
from all other governments in the world 
in nothing so much as in its  capacity  
of letting the people alone in their    
houses1 their business1  their religion1
 and their pleasure4 ,our people differ 
from all other  peoples in nothing so   
much as in the fact that1 comparatively1
 they are  let alone4 ,all that the     
country is1 it owes to the partial      
freedom of  its citizens to go where    
they please1 do what they please1 and   
think and  speak their own thoughts2    
which freedom1 by cultivating strength1 

self-reliance1 enterprise1 intelligence1
 and patriotism1 has wrought the  work  
we see before us4 ,this freedom is to be
 still more extended over  ground which 
inherited abuses now occupy1 and the    
consequences will  astonish the world6  
,no1 no6 ,our government is not a       
wet-nurse for all the schemes which the 
ingenuity of men may invent1 or which   
incomplete and half-seen  considerations
 of public convenience may recommend4   
,it is primarily an  organization for   
the protection of person and property1  
and the  punishment of crime4 ,and to   
keep it within its sphere1 and to       
disassociate it1 as far as possible1    
from the usual business of the  citizen1
 is to insure its life4 ,leave to the   
people all that individual  or corporate
 effort may do1 and they will do it     
well4 ,leave to the  government the     
preservation of order and the punishment
 of crime1 and  the governed will have  
no reason to complain4                  
,,telegraphing ,,by ,,government4#cb    

,footnote #cb3      ,from the ,new ,york
 ,tribune4    ,we use the telegraph very
 extensively and pay it a good deal of  
money2  so that there are few whose     
personal advantage from cheapening its  
use  would be greater than our own2 yet 
we do not regard with favor any of  the 
bills looking to the establishment of a 
,government ,telegraph4 ,here  are some 
of our reasons3--    ,i4 ,the prevalent 
tendency in our day is toward a further 
restriction  rather than an enlargement 
of the sphere of government4 ,we have   
7for  instance7 a good many public      
markets in this city1 which are1 for the
  most part1 public nuisances4 ,had the 
city left this whole business of        
purveying free to private enterprise1   
only overseeing it in the interest  of  
public health1 few can doubt that our   
supply of food would have been  better  
and cheaper than it is4 ,the same is the
 case with many other  attempts to serve
 or save the citizen through the agency 
of government4  ,most certainly1 we     

would not limit the sphere of government
 to the mere  prevention of breaking    
heads and picking pockets2 but we should
 ponder  long before enlarging it4      
,,ii4 ,a ,government ,telegraph is      
usually proposed as an adjunct of the   
post-office4 ,our government already    
claims and enforces a monopoly of  the  
business of carrying letters1 charges   
its own prices1 collects some           
#ae1jjj1jjj a year from the people for  
letter-carrying1 and then loses  some   
#f1jjj1jjj a year by the business4 ,we  
submit that it should show a  better    
balance-sheet on this account before    
extending its sphere of  operations4    
,,iii4 ,we never owned any telegraph    
stock1 and expect to own none2 we are  a
 daily and heavy customer to telegraphs1
 and expect to live and die  such4 ,we  
presume that a ,government ,telegraph   
would somewhat cheapen the  cost of     
messages2 but the money invested in     
establishing it would never  be returned
 to the treasury4 ,the clamor for a     

reduction of charges 7as  now with      
letters7 would steadily overbear any    
hope of profit4 ,can it be  right1 we   
ask1 to tax the whole people for the    
benefit of that small  minority who send
 messages by telegraph8 ,would it not be
 better to start  government            
establishments for potato-growing on a  
gigantic scale1 so as  to supply the    
poor cheaply with wholesome and         
nourishing food8 ,where one  wants cheap
 messages1 many would be benefited by   
having a sure and ample  supply of cheap
 potatoes4    ,,iv4 ,government1 in this
 and other free countries1 is and must  
be largely  an affair of party4 ,the    
government of this country has been1 is1
 and  must be1 to a great extent1 the   
rule of the dominant party4 ,would it be
  well to have the telegraph under the  
absolute control of either party in  an 
excited ,presidential election8 ,could  
the outs safely use it8 ,could  the     
people implicitly trust it8 ,remember   
how the mails were rifled under         

,jackson1 with the tacit approval of    
,postmaster-,general ,kendall1 on the   
assumption that it was right to take and
 burn ,abolition documents if           
circulated in ,slave ,states4 ,consider 
,general ,jackson's and ,governor       
,marcy's official recommendations that  
the circulation of such documents  be   
prohibited by law4 ,we should not like  
to have the telegraph  controlled1      
throughout the ensuing ,presidential    
canvasses1 by our  political            
adversaries1 nor yet by our political   
friends4    ,v4 ,the government is      
heavily in debt1 and its finances are   
not in good  condition2 yet it is bored 
and importuned for subsidies on this    
side and  on that1--all of them on the  
pretence of public advantage1 many of   
them  with just grounds for such        
assumption4 ,if the ,northern and       
,southern  ,pacific ,railroads could    
both be built within the next five      
years1 we  believe they would add five  
hundred millions of dollars to our      

national  wealth within the twenty years
 succeeding4 ,we demur to their present 
construction by government aid1 simply  
that the state of our finances  forbids 
it4 ,but if our government is able to   
build telegraphs where they  are not    
wanted1 why not railroads where they are
 the very first  necessity of settlement
 and civilization8    ,we might go on   
for an hour longer1 but let the above   
suffice for the  present4 ,we think the 
government should let the telegraph     
business  alone4                        
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,transcriber',s ,,notes       #a4      
,silently corrected typographical errors
 and variations in spelling4   #b4      
,archaic1 non-standard1 and uncertain   
spellings retained as printed4   #c4    
,enclosed italics font in underscores4