The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1897-09-03
The Fight of Telephone Com
panieS in Columbia
ArOuses the Subscribers of Memphis
and They Demand the Rates
Given Columbia.
panies Shall Treat All Appli-
cants Alike, without
Discrimination.
From the Memphis scimitar.l

From present indications a merry
war will soon be on in many parts of
this State between the Cumberland
Telephone Company and the Gus
toners and prospective customers
of this company. Already score
of lawyers are busy in the matter
and the fight has all but begun.
Recently the telephone company
made a rate of 80 cents per month
for residence telephones in the town
of Columbia, Tenn, and many resi-
dents of that town are now using
the phones at this cost. Here in
Memphis the rate for residence
telephones is from fifty to sixty dol
five dollars per month. The rate
charged in Memphis is about the
same as that of the same company
in Nashville, Chattanooga and
Knoxville. .... ,...
The telephone company is quasi
public corporation, and as such is
amenable to certain laws for the
express purpose of reaching such
corporations. The lawmakers, in
order to prevent the exclusion of
competition, made a specific law
governing telephone companies.
The law as reported in ShannOn's
Code, section 1912, is as follows:
"Every telephone company doing
business within this State, and engaged
in general telephone business, shall
supply applicants for telephone connec-
tions and facilities without discrimina-
! .; in1t l.
cants comply or offer to comply with
the reasonable regulations of the com
pany; and no such company shall i'm
pose any condition or restriction upon
any such applicant that are not i'm
posed impartially upon all persons OF
companies in like situations, nor shall
such company discriminate against any
individual or company engaged in law
full business by requiring, as condition
for furnishing such facilities, that they
shall not be used in the business of the
applicant or otherwise, under penalty
of one hundred dollars for each day
such company continues such discrimi
nation and refuses such facilities afteI
compliance or offer to comply with the
reasonable regulations, and time tt
furnish the same has elapsed, to be re
covered by the applicant whose appli
cation is so neglected or refused"
When it became known in thi
city that the 50-cent rate had beer
made, in Columbia Messrs. Cary anC
Ewing, OF the law firm of that nam,
in this city, acting for themselve
and for H. S. Spinning, H. G. Polk
w. II. Avery, G. M. Brasfield, w. G
Graves, Hunsdon Cary, II. B. Arm
istead and r. G. Guinee, made ap
plication for the use Of telephones il
their residences at the rate of 8
cents per month. Each application
was made out as follows:
"To the Cumberland Telephone an,
Telegraph Company, Memphis, Tennes
see: l hereby apply for the use of
J telephone in my residence at, cit,
OF Memphis, Tennessee, at 30 cents
!, month, the rate charged by your com
pany at Columbia, Tennessee, for SIM
! lar service, and | state that am read
, and willing to comply with the rea
sonable regulations of your company il
= respect to the use of such telephone.
"This demand is maze under and b.
virtue of section 1912 of Shannon's Cod
of Tennessee, and the forfeiture therei
allowed will be claimed in the event @
- your refusal to comply herewith.
"This the 2Sth day of August, 1897.
"