The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1897-05-21
"Will You Walk Into My ParlOr,
Said the Spider to the Fly"


For the sole purpose of affording rea-
sonable telephone rates and of keeping
our money at home, and with no eX-
pectation of deriving one dollar ofreve-
nue. therefrom, the Citizens Telephone
Company was established. The people
of Maury County have invested from
$4,000 to $1,000 in this home enterprise.
The Cumberland Company is stretch
ing every energy to break down this
brotherhood of Maury CONTAINS, and,
for this purpose alone, is inviting, yea,
begging our people to permit its in
struments to be placed in their houses
at so cents month. When old Shy
lock was seeking to entrap Antonio by
fair and specious promises, Bassanio
said:
II like lot fair terms and Il williams
mind"
OF course | do not mean even to init
mate that the officials of the Cumber-
land Company are Williams. We are
commanded not to speak evil of "digni-
ties" But we like not fair terms and a
monopoly's power and purpose.
To those of our good people who felt
that they could not afford telephones at
former rates, and who are accepting the
offer at 80 cents a month, we put the
question: "If the Cumberland Com
pany succeeds in breaking down the
| Citizens line, and then restores it's
former rates, what have you gained
| Only the temporary use of telephones
I at 80 cents month. What have you
assisted in accomplishing? You have
! absolutely destroyed the value of the
plant, costing your friends and neigh
bors some $1,000 or $S,OOO have raised
the rates of telephones from 81 per
month, as charged by the Citizens line,
to SO or 81 month, which the Cumber-
land Company will surely charge when
| they have destroyed competition; have
put in power over us, a foreign mo-
nopoly, which will drain from our
county annually some $4,000 to 10000
and all this, for the temporary use of a
telephone in each of few houses at 80
cents month.
The Cumberland Company openly
proclaims its purpose of crushing the
Citizens line, and is actively proceed.
ing-in manner that leaves no doubt
of its determination to execute this
threat-if possible, in contempt Cf the
biblical prudence which teaches that
"The fowler setteth not forth his net in
sight of the bird" The Cumberland
Company sets forth its net, and bats
the entrance with the tempting offer of
so cents. If we enter, this monopoly
has us in its power, with the same
grievance against those who estab-
lished the Citizens line that Shylock
had against Antonio, when he whined
"He hath Knocked at my gains: he hath
thwarted my bargains and hindered me
half million. Were he out of my path, /
can make what merchandise l will"
The fight is simply contest between
patriotism, public spirit, common bust
ness foresight and prudence against the
inordinate greed and power of a foreign
monopoly seeking the overthrow of our
local brotherhood of Maury Countians
which has thwarted its unreasonable
bargains.
We appeal to our people to stand by
us in this struggle, confidently belev-
ing that public spirit and business pru.
dence will prevail against the insidious
attempt of this foreign monopoly to
break down our local brotherhood and
restore its former excessive rates We
do not believe the local agents are
clothed with the proper corporate au'
thority to enter into contracts for a long
term of years. Such authority must
come from some due and proper corpor-
ate action. There is doubtless some by
law of the company restricting even its
chief officers from making contracts for
more than year If so, any contracts
made by its agents or officers, can be
repudiated whenever it suits the pur-
poses of the company to do so. We
therefore suggest to such persons as
contemplate making long term con