The Saint Paul globe., 1897-09-26
WHYlT'SBARRED0UT
POSITION CF ST. PAUL'S COUNCIL
TO THE LONG-DIsTANCE
.. TELEPHONE.
FROM THE MISSOURI EAST
THIS IS THE ONLY CITY THAT
HASN'T WELCOMED THE
COMPANY.
WHAT CONCESSIONS ARE ASKED.
Relations of the American TeIe-
phone and Telegraph Company
to Lccal Companies.

II rests with the common council of
this city whether st. Paul is to enjoy
with other cities of the state and coun-s
try the advantages of a long distance
telephone system. The American Tel
ephone and Telegraph company, which
is properly known as the Long Dis
tance Telephone company applied to
the common council for a franchise
over year ago. The application is
still in the hands of the assembly COM
mlttee on streets, to which it was orig
1nally referred. Several hearings were
had at the time the application vas
first submitted. A representative of
the distance telephone company
appeared before the assembly commit
tee upon several occasions. But moth
ing could be accomplished, because the
majority of the committee insisted
upon a condition that the long-distance
telephone people would not listen to.
That was that the company should pay
the city a nominal consideration for a
franchise, amounting to $500 or $500.
The telephone company's representa-
tive refused to accept any such condi
ton, not that the company objected to
pie involved. 1t had secured franchises
III nearly all of the prominent cities in
the country east of the Missouri river
without paying money for them, ard
IL did not propose to pay ST. Paul for
the privileges it had secured free of
charge in other cities.
In consequence of the action of the
assembly committee, which refused to
fecede from the stand it had taken
In the matter of requiring commence
ton for franchise, the telephone neo-
pie dropped the matter for the time
belng, and called on other cities. After
that the st. Paul common council
heard never word from the long dis
tance telephone company for nearly
twelve months. In the meantime tha
| company had secured a franchise in
minneapolis and other Minnesota
towns. Today man in Minneapolis
can telephone to a man in New York
of Boston if he pays the charge. A
man in St Paul cannot telephone to a
point outside the state of Minnesot;,
at any price, and a man in Chicago
or New York cannot talk to a man in
st. Paul. That is the situation.
Last July the long distance telephone
people concluded to try St Paul again.
Its application for a telephone fran
sembly committee On streets got hold
of it and referred it to a sub-commit-
tee. The subcommittee consulted with
the corporation attorney and with T.
D. Sheehan, representing the American
Telephone and Telegraph company
The result was the drafting of an Or
dinance granting the company a fran
chise. But Assemblyman Albrecht, one
of the subcommittee, opposed the or
1ir0 MOI yN-h tn1 hnfn
the full committee early this week.
The committee thereupon adjourned
without taking any action. At that
meeting, which was reported in full by
the G o b e, Mr.. Albrecht stated his
objections to the ordinance. His chief
objection, he said, was that the or
dinance proposed to give the long dl--
tance telephone people a local fran-
chise. Mr.. Albrecht wanted the long
distance telephone company to accept
an ordinance that would compel it to
make connections with any other tele-
phone company that might secure d
local franchise to operate in st. Paul.
This condition the long distance \tele-
phone company refused to accept.
Then, after hearing from the represen-
tatives of the American Telephone and
TELEGRAPH company, the committee adj
journed, subject to the call of the
chairman.
II was evident from the tenor of the re-
marks of Assembymen Albrecht and Thomp-
SON at the meeting referred to, that they
regard the application Of the American Tele-
phone and Telegraph company for a tsle-
phone franchise as the effort of a telephone
monopoly to get control of st. PauPs tee
nhone facilities They and other counclmen
regard the American Telephone and Tele-
graph company as almost identical in inter-
est with the Northwestern Telephone Ex-
change company, and believe that these two
Tn hello
ness in St Paul and between ST. Paul and
every other place. However that may be,
reporter for the o b e ascerta1ned yester-
day what the relations are existing between
the two companies and the American bell
Telephone company.
The American Bell Telephone company
owns the patents on all telephones in use
in the country or claims to. All the patents
the company doesn't own it declares to be in
fripgements.
The Northwestern Telephone Exchange
company, which operates in st. Paul, is
licensed by the American Bell Telephone
its patents over certain territory. That ter
ritory comprises Minnesota and North and
South Dakota. There are various other tele-
phone companies throughout the United States
licensed to use the Bell telephones within
their respective states and territories None
of these companies is permitted to do busi-
ness with Bell telephones and patents in the
territory of any other company.
The American Telephone and Telegraph
company is an institution OF different char
acter 1t is popularity known as the long
distance telephone company because its sole
business has been to establish, long-distance