The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-09-29
The TELEPHONE QUESTION
prAsOxs WHY THE CONTRACT
SHOULD BE GIVEN THE
HOME COMPANY.
They Will Use the Mason Instrument
which IL Manufactured In Richmond
A Statement Of Facts.

The following Is a copy OF ictef
addressed TO each and every member
of the city Council and Board OF Alder
men. II is now given through the press
10 the public at large. tnat all interested
i'm the matter OF telephone FRANCHISE may
know what is going on.
ASSUMING that you desire all the facts
nerfafntng TO the matter or telephone
franchise, now before the CITY Counch,
in order that you may act lntclhsehtiy
and for the best interests OF the COM
munity, We respectfully submit the loi-
In June last the Home Telephone COM
pany. OF Baltimore, composed or ana con-
irolled by some of the mcat eminent CHI
zeus ana capitalists OF that city COM
missloned an electrical expert - inquire
into all Of the different systems or telo-
phone service I'm actual use outside Ok
The Bell Company. After inspecting al
others this expert came 10 Richmond,
and after making a thorough examination
into the system of switch board ana tele-
phones owned and controlled by MT. O.
s. Maxwell the manager OF the Massl
T'eianhona COMPANY and the Electrical
Cor 8tructi0n Company, or TINS CITY, no
reported the same 10 the baltimore Nom-
pany with his positive endorsauOh AZ
the hest TO be found. The Baltimore
Companv then engaged Professor Louis
Duncan Of the Johns Hopkins university,
who Is also president Of the American
Institute of Electrical Engineers, or tue
United States. to inquire into the merits
and utility of these devices. and also into
the validity OF the lctterS-patent upon
which they were based. During THIS M
qulry he visited an exchange when uses
our instruments and inspected the af-
tual working of these devices, and nis
report unqualihedy confirmed th"ir eN-
celence and superiority After TINS report
the Baltimore Company at once adopted
the Maxwell system, ana determlhtu 10
81. falf o. los "a
with itself, viz, Baltimore Jersey ivy
Newark. y. j., Bridgeport, patterson,
Washington. and other places whefe '.t1
have franchises. In order 10 control tne
use Of these devices I'm the cities namea
and elsewhere. they have made a PROPOSE
ton to order 5000 phones within sixty dayf
and this number to be Increased 10 5of'
within the next twelve months, ana lh
addition thereto 1000 each year for the
next succeeding nve years. Inc accep-
lance Of such a contract means business
of considerably more than a million 81
dollars. IL means the employment on large
capital. which VIII be owned exclusively
In Richmond, IN "A class OF manufacturing
which IS entirely new to the south, ana
IL means the disbursement Of hundreds
Of thousands of dollars 10 the MERCHANTS
and labOring men or this city. III means
too the establishment On our MIDST or
technical school. FOR here the sons or
the poor can learn something or the
mystery Of electricity and at the same
time earn wages necessary FOR the sup
mort of their widowed mothers. Hereto
fore such Young men have been denied
the privilege OF such an education We
already have IN our employ sons or some
of our best-knOWn citizens, ana IT. II OUT
desire TO enlarge our usefulness IN tnat
An enterprise OF such character and
magnitude must Of necessity elevate tho
standard OF home labor and add 10 me
good name and commercial standing on
- ia cir "a We therefore. IL
is well worthy OF your careful attehtlo"
and favor.
some of you. we are informed. have
promised your support 20 an opposition
company, but IL is the wise man who.
when he sees his error cOrrects H. me
system offered by the Home Company -
as good as can be had, and It's iachiues
for carrying out the requirements YOU
may make are fully equal 10 those OF
It's competitors. If these things bee true,
we have an abiding BELIEF that tpu, as a
citizen, but more PARTICULARS as the
representative Of the interests OF thou1-
ands Of others, will grant the franchise
asked 10 that corporation which VIII give
satisfaction 10 its patrons, and at the
same time build mp the Industries or this
community. We're this faint raging else
where the sound of our voice would not
be heard, hut We cannot afford 10 Dee silent
If there even be- possibility OF aeleal
Of the company which purposes 10 use OUT
system What would TIE balance or the
country think If Richmond declined 70 use
the goods manufactured within It's wailsl
Ii is unnecessary 90 make answer
Hoping that this question may present
itself 10 your mind. as 10 does 10 US anu
apologizing for writing at such length,
we are,
Very respectfully.
gacdfnccc cctao tao taoi aoin olnrilur
THE MASON TELEPHONE co,
THE SOUTHERN ELECTRICAL
CON. co,
by T.. \. CATbIN, President.