Footnotes
Reading edition
Postmaster-General Cresswell said in 1872: “If the effects of rivalry between the telegraph and the mail upon the revenues of the post office have not been serious, it is due alone to the liberal management of the latter as compared with that of the companies, a management which since the invention of the telegraph has reduced the rates of postage from 25 to 3 cents, and increased tenfold the correspondence of the country” (Rep. 1872, pp. 22-3).
One of Hannibal Hamlin’s three great reasons for a postal telegraph was “for the sake of the post-office system, which may at any time be depleted by a strong telegraph in private hands” (Cong. Globe, 42-2, p. 3554). Return to text
The telegraph system would no longer be subject to such disasters as that so well described by the Hon. Wm. Roche in the Ohio legislature Jan. 29th, 1885: “A convulsion of the trade and commerce of the entire country resulted, when, on the 19th of July, 1883, 12,000 operators left their posts after the flat refusal of the magnates to give audience to their representatives to state their case.” Return to text
The Report last quoted contains the testimony of Mr. Bell of the Typographical Union, May 20, 1896, in which he says: “The news of this country is controlled by two great press associations, and in any place in which either has a footing, no new journal can be established and secure telegraphic news except on such terms as may be prescribed by the paper or papers that already occupy the field. In England, on the contrary, all papers are on an equal footing.” The Typographical Union is fully alive to the benefits of a government telegraph; in fact, labor and commerce in general very strongly favor the reform. Mr. Bell says: “In this movement of ours we are supported by all the organized bodies of workingmen in this country. We are a unit on this question” (p. 17). Return to text
Transcriber’s Notes:
The transcriber made these changes to the text to correct obvious errors:
1. p. 165 aggressivenes --> aggressiveness 2. p. 182 assest --> asset 3. p. 200 uncalculable --> incalculable 4. p. 208 involutary --> involuntary 5. p. 221 Footnote anchor missing for footnote #9. Footnote text placed after most likely paragraph. 6. p. 226 aud --> and 7. p. 259 abtruse --> abstruse 8. p. 266 falculties --> faculties
Also, the transcriber added the table of contents.