Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-05

other letter from Mr.. Bryan. stating that
If the telephone was used as it had been
the company would remove it from the
MOTEL. January II, after / had used the
phone four or five times, a guest of the
hotel US ed it. When he had finished, MI
Bryan called me up personally. He told
me if l didn't cease the 1llegitimate use Of
the phone 1t would have to be removed
We had some conversation over the phone.
which was ended when he said he would
send & man over to confer with me in re-
gard to the matter.
Drawing the Lines.
This representative of the company
visited me. He said had no right to call
Up my own warehouse from the hotel out
side of any business connected with the
hotel l was told that if 1 should tele-
phone to find out whether my wife was
sick or not 1 would have to pay 10 cents.
l WAS told further that rented the ware
house phone simply to sit in my Office and
receive all messages relating to business
connected with the warehouse and could
only send out messages relating to its busi-
ness. The representative of the company
said that the hotel phone was strictly for
hotel business only. and might be used by
employees of the Office. l was again told
that if / telephoned home to find out
whether any of my family were sick
should have to pay the specified amount
1cr outside messages. 1t was stated that
the best way out of the difficulty would be
to put a s'ot uachire in the office. For this
was told / would be required to guarantee.
Sio per month. If the receipts did not come
up 10 tnat L should have To pay the diff
terence. Anything over that would be di-
weed between the company and myself I
would get % Per cent and the company rs
/ refused to do this and the iniunction was
issued"
The attitude of the telephone company
toward the people of the distant suburbs
OF the city is thought by many phone
users 70 be Characteristic of the company
program. There is a serious need Cor tel
ephones in these suburbs, especially those
not connected with the city by Frequently
running street cars. Two cases are report
ed as typical Of others.
A Typical Case.
The people of Langdon, on the Baltimore
and Ohio railroad, sc me time ago desired to
secure te!ephon.c connections. and APPLIED
Tor quotation of rates. The answer of
the telephone company was that if the cit
izens would pay the company $500 a year
1or the maintenance of the telephone they
might have the privilege of paving 10 cents
message to any point of the telephone
system OF Washington. Thus the bargain
was that the citizens should maintain their
own instrument and then pay rate pe-
message that is said to be acknowledged by
the head of the company to be three if NOT
Iour, times the cost of sending the message
Ihe citizens argued that if they had to
pay a message rate larger than the actual
cost OF transmission they ought to he ex-
enpt from the initial charge of instalIa
ton, believing that the company ought to
pay the cost of the installation from the
iarse excess of the rate over the cost of
transmitting the message. But the COM
panys proposition was, in effect that the
citizens must not only pay for the install
-lation but pay heavy profit as we'll upon
the maintenance, and in the end the com
pany would own the plant
Broohland's Experience.
The same experience was encountered by
the citizens CT Brookland. Formerly these
citizens organized to hire a phone paw
ing monthly rental for the installation.
and the subscribers enjoying untaxed mes
sage privileges. Others We're charged 10
cents a message. which went. however, to
the telephone company. This Arrangement
lapsed, and later the people applied for
telephone service once more, meeting with
practically the same response as that
given to the people of Langdon, save that
of $500 For private house phone in
Brookland the company proposed TO charge
S30c.
The Case in Court.
The arguments in the Hotel F'redonia tele-
phone case-the cause instituted by Mr.
William w. Danenhower to restrain the
Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Com
pany from removing a telephone from the
Fredonia-were not resumed today, as ex-
pected. In view of the necessities in an
other case that had been specially set by
Judge Cox for hearing today, the telephone
case went over until Monday
When the matter is taken up, Attorney
r.. ri. Thomas of counsel for Mr.. Danen-
hover, will conclude his opening argu-
nient begun last Monday. He will be fol-
lowed by Attorneys Jere Wilson and A. A.
Hoehling, jr., in behalf of the telephone
company. Attorney Leon Tobriner, of
counsel for Mr.. Danenhower, will close the
arguments. The entire day Monday, 1t is
thought, will be occupied in arguing the
Counsel for Mr. Danenhower, It is under
stood, are in receipt of communications
from large number of business men of
this city commencing the step taken by
the complainant, and referring in no com
pilmentary manner to the methods that
have been followed by the telephone COM
pany.