The Telegraph And The Mails

ihe JNew York Tnlune saya: In the trial of au English election pe tition tho otber day the postoffice authortics wero required to produce the telegrama which had pussed between certoin persons during the election. A olerk aecordingly at tended with " i uackíul " of the desired docuuients, but refused tu givu them up without an order of tho court. The Judge took threo days for consultation and reflection, aud then declined to interiore. " His lordship said lie (lid not intend to go into the reasoD for this decisión, . because ha hnd no wish to say that cases might not irise wlicrci ntrong specific grounds might justify the interposition of the election judge." Tho demaud was not pressed, and the teiegraiii3 wero not read. The inquiry is now raised why telegrams shoulc! not be held as sacrod as letters, and protected absolutoly agaiust tho espionago which they seem to have narrowly escuped on this occasion. The increasing use of the telegraph as a substitute for the postgives this question considerable iraportanco in this country as well as in Kngland. There is no good reaaon why the correspondence which is sent by wire should be any less sacred than the correspondence which is sent by rail ; but the law on the subject is in st very unsatisfactory state, and nothing but tho fear of public odium protects the telegraph office now from legal iuquisitions. We have proof that the mails have occasionally been tampered with by custoni house oflicers, and a newspaper holding intimate relations with the administratioii calmly told us the other day that the government had under consideration a more complete system of postoffice espionago for the protection of the rovenue. What would happen if government officials had tho the handling of all our telegraph messages V A letter is sealed, and to read it involves delay, trouble and the risk of detection. But dispatches are open. Copies are taken of them. They are read always by two and generally by three or more persons bofore they reach their destination, There can hardly be a doutb that while the average character of public oflicers is as low as it is now, the conhdence ot the people under a govornmcnt telegraph system would be systematically violated. In times of political exoitement, opponents of the party in power would be practically debarred frotn the use of the wires tor political purposes, because they could never trust them. Opposition uowspaperscould not communicate freely with correspondents, and tho press genorally would. get no intelligonco the authorities saw fit to suppress. And then imagine what the result would be when the government began to watch the telegraph office " for tho better protection of the revenue." and every importor became subject to a perpetual inspection of his private corresijondence. It is one of the rarest of iueidentsnowa-days, for the secrecy of the tolegraph office to be violated. There are two reas ons for this. In the nrst place the business in the United State3 is very well managed - much more efiiciently than any government business could be - and in the second placo the companies are liable for any darnages tor any wrong to their customers. But if the postoftice losses a letter, or sends it to a wrong address, or detains it, the sufl'erer has no redress whatever ; and there would be none for blunders and dishonesty in postal telegraphy.