December 5, 1860 Mountain Democrat
The Pacific Telegraph
The St. Louis Correspondent of the Sacramento Union sends the following singular intelligence to that paper:
"It may seem strange to your readers that the Central line, which but a few weeks ago was selected with such unanimity, should be so soon abandoned� and the rival route so eagerly sought. For this change, independently of the reasons above given, there are others which it is proper the people of California should be advised of. The gentlemen who have charge of the Pacific Telegraph have long been in communication with Messrs. Bee, who control the line from Placerville to Carson Valley, with which they will have to connect, on the Central route, and, I am sorry to say, that they have been unable to come to terms at all satisfactory. From what I can glean here, the Messrs. Bee set a very high estimate upon the value and importance of their line. They made demands which are regarded as exorbitant. "
This information will surprise the Directors of The Company, who were certainly ignorant that any propositions had been made by the gentlemen who have charge of the Pacific Telegraph for a connection with the "line from Placerville to Carson Valley." The Messrs Bee have no authority whatever to act for the Placerville Co. F. A. Bee, Esq. is President of the Company, but Albert Bee is "not even Director, scarcely a stockholder". If propositions for a connection were made to them they kept the matter profoundly secret from the Directors. F.A. Bee is the mere agent of the Company � Albert has nothing to do with it � and the agent can transact no business whatever without first getting the authority and consent of the Directors. He has no control over the lines. He would have been removed from his present position at the last meeting of the stockholders, had it not been for what we must now regard as generous but unappreciated sympathy. That he has abused that sympathy and greatly, perhaps fatally, injured the Company, the above almost warrants us in saying. A Sandwich Islander has as much authority to act for the Company as Albert Bee has. The Company is not responsible for his acts, nor do they recognize his acts. The President had not the power to appoint him an agent � the Directors refused to. We can scarcely believe that without authority, he would have the presumption to claim to be an agent of the Company. We are emphatic in our statements, - we feel justified in using unmistakable language, because we derive our information from perfectly reliable and responsible gentlemen, from Directors of the Company, who are mortified and annoyed at the presumption and mismanagement of the Messrs.Bee. They have acted strangely and injudiciously and unauthoritatively. They had no right to make demands on the Pacific Telegraph Company without first consulting the Directors of the Placerville Company. And they did not consult them.
When Mr. Wade, the Agent of the Western Union Company, arrives, we feel justified in saying, he will find the Directors of the Placerville Company ready and willing to arrange matters on the most satisfactory and liberal terms, whether they be agreeable to the Messrs. Bee or not. They desire the connection and will not hesitate to make some sacrifices, if they be necessary, to obtain it. They have no "exorbitant demand" to make, and are annoyed and displeased with the conduct of them who pretended to represent them.