The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1897-02-26
THEPEoPLE VS.. rHEMoNOPoLY.


ter of private business of which we
have no right or intention to COM
plain. But being matter of bust
ness it is purely on that ground that
we present in this article some facts
for the careful considera tion Of the
citizens and telephone-users of this
city and county.
The Bell Telephone Company had
for many years a monopoly of the
telephone business, until the decis-
ion of the Supreme Court of the
United States adverse to their patent
opened up competition by other in
dependent companies. But for
long while after this, and even now
in large majority of territory, they
have a practical monopoly, because
they are so we'll established that no
new company is able to compete
with them. But in some cities their
charges and rates were so burden
some that the people banded tOgeth-
er for their own protection and put
up their own telephone system, and
run it simply at the actual cost of
economical service. This cost is
generally about one dollar per month
for each phone and in some in
stances they have been able to re-
duce the cost to siXty-flve cents.
Now some of the citize ems of Co.
lumbia and Maury County have put
into successful operation their own
telephone system. The Bell Com
pany were charging them eXtortion-
ate rates, $500 per month for bust
ness houses in the city and from
SO to 81 per month for farmers, and
$3.50 for residences. The citizens
made an organized effort to get re-
ductiOn of the rate to $500 per
month, but the Bell Company very
sternly refused any concessions and
laughed at their complaints. But the
citizens were in earnest and de-
termined to have their own system
as other cities and towns were doing.
They set about it in an active bust
ness way and by the 1st of July last
year 1885, they began operations
with a switch board of about II con-
nections. They have managed it
very successfully and have grown
steadily until now they have 146 con-
nections with the maiu switch board
in Columbia, and also about % 9TH
err connections through other switch
boards. Besides this, through the
Jealous cooperation of the citizens
of these respective places, they have
lines.running to Bigbyville, Goodwin,
Mt. Pleasant, Frierson, Lipscomb
and Ashwood, all of which lines are
fire e to all subscribers to the Citi-
zens' Telephone Company. The OBJ
ject and purpose of the Citizens
Company is eventually, through like
cooperation, to have a perfect net
work of free telephones over all the
county. The cost of running this
system has only been one dollar per
month to the subscriber, and he
gets free telephone connection with
various points in the county, where
before he paid So per month and
then had to pay twenty five cents
every time he talked to other points
in the county. The Citizens Com
pany is a cooperative concern, or
ganized not to make money, but to
save money, by providing a means
to save themselves from eXtor-
ton. They have gone into the
work vigorously and have
made success of it, despite
the big and little war which the
Bell Company has made upon them.
TIE Bell has used every means and
all its power to crush the crescent
power of the Citizens; they have
offered every inducement to the in
dividual to get him to keep their
phones, or to induce him to take
them. Their first step was to run the
rate down to one dollar per month
but the Citizens kept steadily on and
the Bell kept steadily down. In
manv cases they have offered to put
in their phones and give service
free of charge. They went even tC
greater lengths than this; they offer
ed coal dealer their long distance
phone for nothing and free talking
to the mines. But mind yOu, thest
liberal offers ,Oere made only to sub
ScriberS to the Citizens phone. Blu
they have brought to bear all kinds
of influences on the people to usc
their phones. They have even haC
Nashville wholesale merchants tt
exert their influence upon merchant
in this town. But all to no purpose
the Citizens Telephone Compan!
> has kept the even tenor of its wa!
and has grown stronger and stronger
: every day.
But the Bell Company still con