The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-22
ALBRIGHT OPPOSES THE ADNIIS-
SION OF THE LONG-DISTANCE
TELEPHONE COMPANY
ON THE TERMS ASKED FOR.
REPRESENTATIVES, OF THE CON
Germ DISCUSS THE NATTER
WITH THE COMMITTEE.
HITCH OVER A LOCAL FRANCHISE
Hello People Claim They Need That
to Do Business With the Estab-
Iished Company.

If st. Paul is to secure the advan-
tage of the long distance telephone sys-
TEN, which the American Telephone
and Telegraph company wishes to OBJ
tain a franchise to operate, it seems
likely that the company will have to
accept an ordinance differing material
ly from the measure considered by the
assembly committee on streets yester-
day afternoon. The committee grant
ed a hearing to the representatives Of
the American Telephone and Telegraph
company late yesterday, but nothing
definite was accomplished.
The matter was brought up by AS
semblyman Dix, who, with Messrs. Al
brecht and Kirke, constituted the sub
committee appointed to confer with the
corporation attorney and the telephone
people concerning the application of the
latter. Mr. Dix said that an ordinance
had been drafted, but that, inasmuch
as Mr. Albrecht was opposed to it, the
subcommittee had decided to submit
it to the full committee without recon-
mendation.
The proposed ordinance was there
upon read. 1t not only grants long
distance, but a local telephone fran
chise, permitting the company to OPP
crate a telephone system in st. Paul,
and therein lies the main objection.
The ordinance, in substance, grants
the American Telephone and Telegraph
company a twenty-five year local fran
chise to erect and maintain poles, wires
and conduits and to operate the same
for telephone and telegraph purposes,
within the city and between the city
and outside points, the company to be
subject to all ordinances and regula-
lions governing companies of this char
acter. The ordinance prohibits the
erection of any poles in the business
district, south of Eighth street and
west of Broadway, to the intersection
of Fifth and Seventh. 1t finally re-
quires that a long distance line from
ST. Paul to Chicago be established
within ninety days after the passage
of the ordinance.
T. D. Sheehan in behalf of the Amer
lean Telephone and Telegraph COM
pany, briefly reviewed the history of
the application of the company for a
telephone franchise. Mr.. Sheehan said
that State Senator Morgan, of Mime
apolis, and G. E. M. Cole, of New York,
who represented the company, were
present, and asked that they might be
heard
Mr.. Cole was thereupon granted
hearing. Mr.. Cole said that the COM
pany he represented was popularity
known as the long distance telephone
company" which covered all territory
east of the Missouri river. The COM
pany had built line to Minneapolis,
that city having given the company a
franchise One of the conditions Of
the franchise was that the company
should build 500 miles within year,
and this condition had been fulfilled.
Mr.. Cole said it was not intended to
erect single pole in st. Paul 1t must
have a franchise to operate a local
for the company to be in as good a po-
sition in St Paul as any other local
telephone company in the city
Referring to existing ordinances re-
quiring all telegraph and telephone
companies to obtain permission from
the council before erecting poles or es-
tablsihing conduits, Mr.. Cole said that
the proposed ordinance specially des-
ignated these ordinances ard made the
company subject to them. Mr.. Cole
repeated that his company could not
Paul unless it was extended the same
rights and privileges as the present
or any future local telephone company.
Senator Morgan said that the COM
pany proposed to conform to all the
conditions that such companies were
legally subjected to. There was no
fower, he declared, in any city in the
state to compel such companies to pay
any tax in excess of, 3 per cent on the
ta
would be absolutely void. 1t didn't
seem right to place this concern under
the disadvantage of an additional bur-
den Senator Morgan repeated that
the city had not the power to impose
such additional burden.
Assemblyman Albrecht conceded the
great advantages of longdistance
telephone system, but the fact must
be admitted that the council was con-
sidering the application of an econom-
ic monopoly. There were two tele-
phone companies to be considered, and
the city could not maintain two COM
panies doing a local business side by
side, for the American. Telephone and
Telegraph company wanted to do
local business as we'll, and by abuse
of this privilege it could perpetually
bar out any other company from com
ing to the city. Mr. Albrecht wanted
the American company to consent to
the granting of a franchise to any
other company to come into st. Paul
with the same privileges, but to this
the company had declined to agree.
Mr. Albrecht said that, under the pro-
posed ordinance, the city could do
nothing but impose police regulations.
AS to the question of taXation, Mr.. Al
brecht did not think it was. SO vital.
The council already had an appllca-
ton from another telephone company.
Should a franchise be granted 1t, now
could it operate here, If the other COM
pany declined to enter into business
arrangement with it.
But Mr. Albrecht's main objection
to the ordinance was that it granted
a local franchise.
Mr.. Cole, in reply to Mr.. Albrecht,
said that ST. Paul had had a telephone
plant in operation since 1880. The
Northwestern Telephone company was
in the business to stay. Could any
other company come into st. PauI and
compete, except under equal privileges?
That was the vital question. The
American Telephone and Telegraph
company must be allowed to build up
their business under the same privi-
leees 1t was impossible for any COM
pany to come in here and drive out
the Northwestern company Mr.. Cole
wanted to be put in position to deal
with the Northwestern telephone COM
pany. Mr. Cole didn't see that his COM
pany was getting very much out CT
pany was getting very much out of the
proposed ordinance. Mr.. Cole admitted
that his company could build its long
distance line to st. Paul under the gen
eral laws It simply wanted fran
chise to do a local business here, in
order to provide facilities for making
local connections with st. Paul.
Frequent reference was made to the
application of the Mississippi Valley
Telephone company for a franchise.
After some further observations the