Evening star., 1898-03-19
TELEPHONE exToaTIoN
How tho People Ars Ground by This
Monopoly.
WasAington's Saecessful Fight for
Lower Rates Has Attract.
ed Alteration.
From CITY and State PhIladelpal.,.

The Swiss government, II is reported,
has put into force a new telephone tariff.
cutting down rates Just one-half. Form
erly SO francs. or S16. a year was charged
for the use OF an instrument: hereafter ii
will be only 50 a year, and this gives the
subscriber connection within the entire
town where he lives. As in this country.
an extra charge is made for outside con-
nection, but these charges are also greatly
lower than with us. The switching rates,
with a three-minute time limit, are cents
for up to 81 miles. and 10 cents up to g.
miles. and Is cents for greater distances.
This schedule will seem astounding to
many grown familiar with what in most
places they have to confront in this land.
In Washington they have been having a
telephone war. which has stirred the city
prodigiously. Notwithstanding the regular
rate Is higher there than in almost any
other city. yet limitations are imposed
upon the service that are exasperating in
the extreme. physician at the house of
patient, 1t is said, cannot call up by tele
phone his own residence or Office without
a fee of 10 cents. A delivery man cannot
telephone an order back to his own store; a
caller at q friends house cannot send a
message to his own home without paying a
10-cent fee.
So the Washington folk have been taking
counsel of Governor Pingree of Michigan
and are endeavoring to get light and lead
ing from his experience in Detroit. There.
two years ago, a similar condition of
things prevailed. The rates were unusually
high, with added charges for every half
mile increase in the distance from the city
hail. So an independent company was
formed, which received a municipal fran
chise providing, on a three-year contract,
business rate of $40 and a residence rate
OF SIS q year, with no increase of price
allowed for distance from the exchange.
The metallic or long-distance system was
employed. This company has been remark
ably successful, SO that already 1t has over
$500 contracts, and 800 telephones in
stalled; and, as stated in a letter of Gov
ernor Pingree, although the old company
promptly, In competition, cut under the
rate of the new one, yet it's subscribers
have fallen OF from about 400 to about
2.2O0.
Still. the Washington people are finding
as the Detroit people found before them
that it takes an unusual amount Of pole
mic force and organized energy to fight,
with any prospect of success, a grasping.
cunning. well-intrenched and -tyrannical
corporation. The people will continue from
season to season to bear wrongs that are
irreparable. and until at length they be-
come absolutely no longer endurable, be-
fore any movement is made to put them
down or thrust them out. and even after
such movement is started. how tediously
slow and hesitating find they the steps
which it takes in getting into effective
shape, and how scarce and hard to come at
any proper leaders therein, not one man in
a thousand being truly qualified by native
and acquired equipment and temperament
to guide or push such q fight or movement
to triumphant issue
The moral of all which is that no wise or
careful community will lightly grant fran
chises for the rendering of a public service
to any corporation; where such are given
they will be watched vigilantly and kept
under masterful control: that II is really
best or wisest for city community not
to grant such franchises at ALL but to keep
closely within itself-so that all its people
shall realize their responsibility. and feel
at once and sharply any remissness there
in|ts management of great public sery-
ices and its ministration of wide common
utilities. Our municipalities cannot pos
sibly prosper SO long as they are not mu-
nicipally managed - managed in close
shrewd way by the municipality for the
sake of the municipality.
So long as chief services which touch
the necessities Of all citizens are farmed
out or jcbbed out, the city is going to be
robbed and its people robbed and oppressed.
Great combinations of designing. artful.
plausible, greedy men lie constantly in
wait among US on every side where there
is no government or one only in name-a
mere set of official dicKerers in and dealers
out OF spofls-to prey upon our municipali-
ties, especially the richer of them, robbing
them not only of their wealth, but of every
form of worthy life. And to such a pass
have things come in multtudes Of Ameri-
can cities that today, municipality as we
know. they have fallen to be a mere laugh
ing stock. a marvel, kissing and by
word In the earth.