The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1897-05-21
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER
Stand the Business and Profess
siOnal Men of Columbia,
TO Resist the Effort of Foreign
Telephone Company to Starve
Outa Home Enterprise.
The People are Beginning to study the
Question, and the More they Study
the Stronger Grows the SEN
timent for the Home
Company.

A HERALD reporter was out talk
ing telephone this week, and he
foInd out a great many things
some of which might be of interest
to the public. He soon discovered
that the town was literally ablaze
with zeal and enthusiasm for the
Citizens Telephone Company, and
that similar fires were breaking out
over all the county, and he heard
nothing but words of earnest en-
couragement and Jealous deter
mination to stand by the Citizens
Company in the war which the Bell
monopoly is now waging against it.
1t was the unanimous opinion, eX-
pressed in various ways, of mer-
chants, bankers, liverymen, grocery
men, drygoodsmen, hardwaremen,
lawyers, in fact all kinds and de-
scriptiOns of business men, that the
citizens of this town and county
should band themselves together
and throw their influence to support
the Citizens Company in the great
fight which the Bell monopoly,
backed by all the power of money, is
making to drive it from the field.
He also learned in his rounds that
another monopoly, as soulless as the
Bell, is aiding the Bell in this fight
against the people. A large ma
iority of the subscribers to the Citi-
zens' Telephone Company about
three months ago sent in a petition
to the proper authorities of the
Western Union Telegraph Company,
asking for permission to put a Citi-
zens's phone in the telegraph office
at Columbia, free of charge to the
Western Union, just for the accom-
mediation of the public. But the
Western Union, being somewhat Of
monopoly itself, was not disposed
to encourage the revolt of the people
against monopoly rule, and con-
sequently the Citizens petition was
utterly ignored, and to this good
day has not even been answered.
The reporter CHANGED upon Messrs.
Horace and Garnet Rainey, who
own, operate and control several
turnpikes running out from town,
and he learned from them that the
Bell Company, since this telephone
war has been on, bad proposed to
put Bell phones in all of their toll
gate houses at fifty cents for each
phone per month. Expressing sur
prise that the company could afford
to put in phones at such long dis
lances for fifty cents month, they
discovered that the object of the
Bell was simply to drive the Citi-
zens' phone from the field. "In
other words" said Mr.. Rainey, "it
was nothing more nor less than an
effort to bribe us with this tempting
offer to help cut the throats of Our
fellow citizens who were making a
gallant struggle against the tyranny
and greed of this monopoly, and we
refused to allow the Bell Company
to put .heir phones in our toll
houses at fifty cents month, or at
anyother price, although we are
very anxious to have telephone con.
nection at these places; but we will
suffer for awhile the Inconvenience
of being without, before we will
give the Bell Company any comfort
in this fight"
The reporter spent an Afternoon
among the business men of the town
going from house to house, and from
office to office, and he found the
sentiments and feelings of all, with
out exception, in that condition
which might properly be termed red
hot, and all expressed a resolution
to uphold and support the Citizens
Company in the fight which it il
making for reasonable telephone
rates.
Yes" said Mr.. John Dobbins, o
the firm of Dobbins & Ewing, hard
ware merchants, 1--WE are using tht
Citizens telephone with entire
satisfaction, and we propose to con
tinue to do so. We are for the Citi
zens' in this fight and will give
them all the aid and comfort W,
can"
"There is no doubt about the jus
tice of the Citizens cause" said Mr.
A. b. Rains, druggist. "Tbey ar,
making fight against a monOpOl!
which has eNtorted from the public
for wears, and with the sympathy
and encouragement of the people
throughout the town and county, W,
will have the best and cheapest sys
TEN of county telephones that cOulC
be devised"
"Rates don't cut any figure will
us, when it comes to fight between
foreign corporation and home en-
terprise," said Mr.. Geo. Nc KennOn
of the firm of McKennOn, Anderson
& Foster, dry goods merchants; "Oul
business does not really require any
telephone at all, but we have put il
a Citizens telephone,ju just to give tn,
Citizens Company our encourage
ment and support. We are glad t
see the citizens making the fight for
reasonable telephone rates, and w
shall give them all the aid we can
Mr.. Geo. s, AlcOrn is an earnes
advocate of the Citizens Company
"and" said he, as the reporter left
"you can put me down as Citizens
man unto the bitter end"
Mr.. A. 5. James, of the firm o