hn A. Anderson, of Kansas, tells us that "the
Chicago _Inter-Ocean_ had the lease of a private wire from
Washington to Chicago, and published Washington news every
day. A few weeks since, Senator Hill spoke for the postal
telegraph. The _Inter-Ocean_ published the speech verbatim.
That evening word was sent to the _Inter-Ocean_ that the lease
was terminated. The manager of the _Inter-Ocean_ said
afterwards that their relations with the Western Union were
still friendly, but he had to be, of course, in order to keep
the general despatches."

The operation of the postal-telegraph system would result in a
speedy termination of this alliance [between the telegraph and news
association, and groups of favored papers], and will be a very
important step toward the freedom of the press.

Sen. Rep. 577, 48-1, p. 16, says:

The bill [for a postal telegraph] will lessen the danger of a
concealed censorship of news whereby it may be colored and
distorted so as to subserve political purposes, to mislead public
opinion as to the merits or demerits of men and measures, to
pervert legislation, and to favor schemes of private gain.

The press of the nation will not be forbidden to criticise the news, nor
will any paper be excluded from equal participation in the benefits of
the telegraph service--equal rates to all, special privileges to none.
Moreover, the rates will be greatly reduced for all press despatches,
and papers will be able to buy the world's history every day for a
fraction of what they pay now for imperfect and garbled reports.

As a result of National Ownership in England, "the press rates have been
reduced so low that every country paper can afford to print the latest
telegraphic despatches as it goes to press, and a telegraph or telephone
is at every country post office."[9]

[9] Sen. Doc. 205, 54-1, p. 50; Report of U. S. Consul at
Southampton, Consular Reports, vol. xlvii, No. 175, April,
1895, p. 564. The press rate in England averages nine cents
per hundred words. In this country it is at least 40 cents per
hundred; the electrician P. B. Delany says it is 50 cents per
100 (Sen. Doc. 291, May, 1896, p. 3).

The Report last quoted contains the testimony of Mr. Bell of
the Typographical Union, May 20, 1896