New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-11-11
ARGUED, NOT SETTLED.
AN-AFTER-DINNER DISCUSSION.
FOUR PERSONS TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY CALL
IMPOsITIONs-HARD TO DECIDE ON
THE GREATEST.

THE GREATEST
There five Of them in private dihing-room
Of club and II tradition is to be respected at all
they ought to have been on very good terms WIN
the world for they had dned well. Ihey were
At that stage Of the dlnner-and very good din
ner II was given by the banker in honor of his
friend the lawyer-when one can talk with more
or less enthusiasm and feeling 1t was at the stage
when coffee comes and when one taxes win IL d
cigar and whatever else he pleases III ISM inc
proper thing to argue to Insist on proving
things when the dinner is but 1t is exactly prop
er when a few men have been dining together to
make the real piece de resistance follow the din
ner in the form of a discussion. which arouses
more or less spirit and considerably more than less
sincerity.
But to come back TO the five The banker VINO
gave the dinner handled in the course OF long
career enough money to know that silver coin
doesn't signify much when added to banks
assets. The lawyer. perhaps. might think the same
bit OF metal Of very slight Importance. for the rea-
son that It's lawyers business to shift currency
from mans pockets to another. and though one
man loses some of this currency in the operation.
every one comedies that this is TO be expected since
the law will have 1t So The insurance man, who
was at the dinner, certainly knew the value of
mail coin for more and no less than Twas
worth, for though his business might be called
nickel In the slot since man may put In COIN
de- and draw out big roll Of money. he yet
men hate TO play at a game where you have to
die to win. Still another of this dinner party had
been fortunate enough. long before he was born,
to have ancestor who thought that Manhattan
Island good place TO settle down on SO he
bought farm, and his descendants reaped rich
harvests from the farm when IL came to have
perennial crop OF towering buildings. Inc MIN
diner-well. he was the, historian
Now four at least of this group at the time OF the
dinner were in possession of enough of the worlds
goods not begrudge few pennies TO any one
who deserved them. The parting with several of
these pennies every day. or every hour, for That
matter would not have caused them financial dis
tress So it may be said that in considering small
expenditures they would think not so much whether
they could afford them. whether 1t was right
that they should make them. perhaps be forced to
make them.
A single word started the discussion. 1t was
Imposition" said the insurance man. repeating
the word, lis there imposition than the
telephone service?"
perhaps the messenger boy service" answered
the lawyer
Exactly" said the banker, except the teIe-
EXACTLY" said the real estate owner, except
the elevated roads,
Now" said the lawyer. laughing, FOR the weight
of evidence with whom do you voter? he asked,
turning to the historian.
Judge
Every we'll" said the lawyer. Eve will listen TO
the pleading
The insurance man spoke first.
1--WE Will n.cn" he said, with the eXorOant
prices of telephone people. 1t isn't necessary 10
dwell or tha. Everybody knows all about It, Bur
look al a new trick. When you complained or the
miserable service the company informed you that
1t could give you better service II you changed your
instrument. You could change 1t for duplex
something or other for about 800 year more,
think it No.. you didn't think the service was
worth more money you thought 1t was worth less
You'd keep the old instrument. Very we'll The old
instrument got and worse. Whereas. before
the new trick learned. you could get some
service, you could get practically none They
had forgotten apparently how to work the old ma
chimes when the more expensive ones came into use.
More complaints more explanations OF the same
kind. Finally this: You take new and higher
priced instrument well cut you off entiry. That's
what It amounted to. Now. that's what call ar
guing with you by choking you into agreeing.
Now" said the insurance man. warming TO the
subject. 's there man at this table VINO hasn
been cut off in the midst OF his conversation
There wasn't
you've been cut off dozens and hundreds OF
times, haven't your
They had.
But IL you go to the managers OF this concern
and tell them about it, they will assure you that
such a thing is impossbiiity. An impossbility'
mind you, Why? Because some one listened to near
II you are still at the telephone asks you II you are
through. listens again. repeats the question and
then, finding everything on the wire as quiet as a
churchyard, cuts you off.
"Oh," said the insurance man sarcastcaliy, when
you have begun a conversation over the wire and
suddenly find you talking to blank wall. you
kne " that such thing Is an impossibility!
Again. When you have finished talking. you
ring off, Now sometimes you ring Off for five
minutes, and you can't get Central again TO give
you another number. But go TO the managers.
Another mpossbility. Some one is constantly on
the alert to see that this very thing does not hap
pen
"Once more: You ring for Central, and get no
answer You know 1t does no good to ring again.
but you do IT, You keep doing 1t. perhaps Tor
three or four minutes before Central answers
Go TO the manager and ask how this can be. II
simply cannot be. It's another absolute impossl-
Lty Why, your number is hanging right before
the eyes Of somebody all the time. When you ring
the bell It drops out. The person Immediately asks
you what you want. The whole thing doesn't take
fifteen seconds. OF course. when you keep on ring
ing it does no good The number has dropped out
something else TO attract The. girls eye or ear:
girl see it? she CANT hep seeiag 4 That's what
Is there 10 for e2 You nerosve how Impossible 1t
Now" the insurance man went on. Il was going
TO give you some SPECIFIC examples but J can see
you have AL been through the beautiful thing. I'm
willing right here
I'm inclined" said the lawyer, on thinking this
matter over, 10 vote with my friend. bat / don I
like TO yie.d without fight. Listen to the mes,
Sm down TO your Office overlooking City Hall PARK
What does i: cost you? Sixty cents. Isn't it, OF Is i
sixty-fve? | go from here TO my office ir
less than forty minutes. Sixty cents for forty
minutes is ninety cents an hour. That's nearly
dollar In the recent hard times there were thou
sands Of men. ful.-grown. ab.e-bodied and intel
gent. who would have been glad 10 work for a
do,lar day. Who that sixty cents? Certain
" not the poor little messenger boy. Sixty cents
in Boston a herdic will drive you almost that fai
for that money. l rest" he said. with triumphant
smile. , q,
"But the telegraph system" said the banker y
figures company beginning with twenty OF
thirty millions of capital is watered TO one nun
uliilinns II is made TO pay ordinary diydend.