The Progress., 1896-04-18
TELEPHONES AGAIN
THE PEOPLE SPEAK.
And Ask Their Neighbors to
Hear Their Cause.
What it Means to Allow the
Bell Telephone to Go
ir the Homes of
Citizens.
Another Correspondent Speaks for the
Home Company and Appeals to
the Patriotism Of Shreye-
ports Citizens.
Let Every Lover Of Justice Give
Ear and Defend the Right and
Strike Down the Wrong,
the Oppressor.
EDITOR HE PRoGREss:

EDITOR The PRoGREss:
Always friend to Shreveport; al
=. ways taking the side of right and do
ing all within its power to promot
the interest OF our city and parish
The PROGRESS has endeared itsel
more than ever 10 our people by it
timely and brave position on the tele
phone war which is now going on il
our city.
Ia this article I shall not be yitu
peratiye | have no desire to do sc
and you wouldn's give me space fol
this a.ticle if l did. Everybody
knows the editor of The PROGRESS
lie never hits below the belt, but is
about as hard a man to scare as one
meets IN a great while. [ would
really like to tell you of the many
good things that are said Of you and
THE PROGRESS on our streets, but !
fear that would cause my whole com
munication to be ruled out, and there
is too much at stake for that.
What do some our good people
mean by allowing this Bell telephone;
this great monopoly which has no
kind feeling for living human except
to use them as instruments Of its great
effort to stop the car Of progress now
running so swiftly in Shreveport
| ask the Christian people who have
become the innocent means of advan-
tage gained by this great octopus to
suck the life blood of onr prosperity
to pause and think we'll before they
allow themselves to be used as tools
for such nefarious work. / ask them
again, was Satan actuated by pure
motives when he offered our Savior
all the world if He would fall down
and worship him? Think they then
that the Bell telephone company is
controlled by any but the most SIMS
ter of motives in giving their phones
free? Certainly not; and besides in
doing SO they insult the very name of
justice and honor.
/ shall try not to become too i'm
pRssioned, | know | shall net become
either insulting or unkind to those
of our fellow townsmen who have be-
come blinded into accepting this free
will Offering, which il frAu5nt With so
much evil intent 10 RAIN an enter
prise which was conceived in desire
to promote the public veal.
Why friend, who are using the
Bell phone, We're These instruments
not offered to you before the Citi-
zans' Company was orgaEized' Why
citizens of common town, people
interested and partakers in com.
mon industrial and progressive des-
tiny, did not this Bell Company d.
business on a reasonable basis before
the home company was organized?
All who used THEIR instruments know
that the charges were: For Offices
S46; for private residences, to those
who had them in on office, 1913; but tc
obtain these rates then, the prices had
to be paid in advance. Appeals fol
reduction were always met by al
absolute refusal. They thought they
had monopoly then and could die
tate terms, which were exorbitant
But no sooner does q home company
begin, at prices which declare those
formerly charged by the Bell Com
pany to be moral robbery, when thi
vast vampire, without conscience
soul or sentiment, shoyes its service
to the public free, hoping thereby t.
drive out this dreaded rival-th,
home company which is giving ser
vice for far less than half of what tn,
octopus charged. And you. friend
and neighbors, who are allowing Thu
great, heartless corporation to pu
their phones in your houses gratis
for season only. are ASSISTING ~ j
great enemy to industry, - -