| REVIEW OF HON. E. B. WASHBURNE’S PAPER ON THE UNION OF THE TELEGRAPH AND POSTAL SYSTEMS. | |
|---|---|
| Page | |
| A merited Compliment to Professor Morse | 1 |
| Congressional Aid | 2 |
| Erroneous Charges against the American Telegraph System | 3 |
| Brief Statement of Facts | 4 |
| Statistics of the Telegraph in Europe and America for the year 1866, from Official Reports | 5 |
| The Complaint of Indifference to Public Convenience without Foundation | 5 |
| Official Statistics of the Telegraphs in Europe for the year 1866 | 7 |
| Statistics of the Western Union Telegraph Company, of the United States, and of the Montreal Telegraph Company, Dominion of Canada, for the year ending June 30, 1867 | 7 |
| The asserted Union of the Postal and Telegraph Systems in Europe an Error | 8 |
| The Shortcomings of British Telegraphs | 9 |
| The Telegraph System of the United States Unparalleled for its Extent and Efficiency | 10 |
| Asserted Effect of Governmental Control on Belgian Telegraphs | 11 |
| Early Belgian Rates contrasted with American | 12 |
| Natural Increase in Telegraphy | 13 |
| Unfortunate Effects of Low Rates and Competition | 15 |
| American and European Rates compared | 15 |
| The Peculiarities of the Belgian Telegraph Service | 17 |
| Belgian Officials acknowledge the Imperfections of their System | 18 |
| Instructive History of Belgian Telegraphs | 19 |
| Singular Idea that a Small Telegraph System is more Difficult to Manage than a Large One | 20 |
| Necessity for the Unification of the Telegraph System | 22 |
| Estimate of the Cost of Building Telegraph Lines | 24 |
| Doubts regarding the Estimates of Telegraph Experts as to Cost of Constructing Lines | 27 |
| Incorrect Assertion that American Telegraphs are not constructed according to Specifications | 29 |
| Cost of American Telegraphs estimated by European Data | 30 |
| Value of Western Union Telegraph Property, based on European data | 32 |
| Erroneous Estimate of the Value of the Western Union Telegraph Company’s Property | 33 |
| The Organization of the Western Union Telegraph Company | 35 |
| Financial Statistics of the Western Union Telegraph Company | 36 |
| Stations, Lines, and Employees of the Western Union Telegraph Company | 39 |
| English and American Telegraphs compared | 40 |
| Acknowledged Superiority of the early American Service | 41 |
| Remarkably Low Tariffs of the early American Telegraphs | 42 |
| No Similarity between the Telegraph and Postal Systems | 43 |
| Collection and Delivery of Telegrams by Letter-Carriers Impracticable | 45 |
| Mr. Washburne’s proposed Experimental Line | 47 |
| London District Telegraph Company | 50 |
| Telegraphs under Government and Private Control compared | 51 |
| The Telegraph and the Press | 52 |
| REVIEW OF MR. GARDINER G. HUBBARD’S LETTER TO THE POSTMASTER-GENERAL ON THE EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN SYSTEMS OF TELEGRAPH. | |
| Erroneous Statements relative to Belgian Telegraphs | 56 |
| Belgian Telegrams delivered by Post | 58 |
| Want of Uniformity in Rates | 58 |
| Assertion that Commercial Messages are transmitted at a Loss | 61 |
| Correction of Erroneous Statements | 62 |
| Tariffs not Increased by Consolidation of the Lines | 63 |
| Erroneous Assertion that a Large Proportion of the Offices are at Railroad Stations | 64 |
| American and European Telegraph Tariffs compared | 65 |
| Rules of the European Telegraphs | 66 |
| Rules of the Western Union Telegraph Company | 66 |
| Statement showing the Minimum Rate for Telegrams from London to Principal Cities in Europe, and from New York to Principal Cities in America | 67 |
| Singular Notions of Practical Telegraphy | 68 |
| Absurd Theories regarding the Working Capacity of Telegraph Lines | 69 |
| Impossibility of Utilizing the Telegraph Lines by Night as well as Day | 70 |
| Proposed Incorporation of the United States Postal Telegraph Company | 72 |
| Messages delivered within a Mile of the Office free | 73 |
| European Charges for delivering Telegrams | 74 |
| Telegrams to be placed in the Street Boxes | 75 |
| Privileged Persons to have Priority in the Use of the Wires | 75 |
| Proposition to operate Telegraphs at a Loss, and Make Money by it | 76 |
| Speculative Telegraph Schemes | 77 |
| More Startling Inventions for Rapid Telegraphing | 78 |
| Erroneous Table of European Statistics | 79 |
| European Telegrams counted Several Times | 82 |
| Labor the Principal Element of Expense in operating Telegraphs | 82 |
| Prevailing Error of all Theorizers on the Business of Telegraphing | 83 |
| Statistics of Traffic through the Atlantic Cables from July 28, 1866, to November 1, 1868 | 86 |
| PROGRESS OF THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH IN AMERICA AND EUROPE. | |
| The United States | 87 |
| Proportion of Telegrams to Letters | 87 |
| Early History of the Telegraph in America | 88 |
| Evils arising from Separate Organizations | 89 |
| The Unification of the Telegraph accomplished | 90 |
| Telegraph Companies in the United States | 91 |
| Statistics of the Telegraph in the Dominion of Canada | 92 |
| Statement showing the Progress of Telegraphy in Austria | 93 |
| Statement showing the Progress of Telegraphy in Belgium | 94 |
| Bavaria | 98 |
| Denmark | 98 |
| Statement showing the Progress of Telegraphy in Great Britain and Ireland | 100 |
| Decrees regulating the Use of the Telegraph in France | 102 |
| Peculiar Character of the French Telegraph | 103 |
| Statement showing the Progress of Telegraphy in France | 104 |
| Increase in Telegrams not due to Low Rates | 104 |
| Greece | 105 |
| Prussia | 105 |
| Statement showing the Progress of Telegraphy in Prussia | 106 |
| Russia | 106 |
| Switzerland | 107 |
| Statement showing the Progress of Telegraphy in Switzerland | 109 |
| Royal Decree relating to Telegraphs in Spain | 110 |
| Turkey | 111 |
| REASONS WHY GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT ENTER INTO COMPETITION WITH THE PEOPLE IN THE OPERATION OF THE TELEGRAPH. | |
| Political Reasons why Government should not Control the Telegraph | 113 |
| The Post-Office Department not Competent to manage the Telegraphs | 114 |
| Government assumes no Responsibility | 116 |
| The Proposition to Erect Competitive Governmental Telegraphs Unfounded in Public Necessity | 117 |
| The Telegraph Bill proposed to be enacted by Congress without National Example | 118 |