The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-06-24
tent OF 800. Just think OF It! or all the
lmpudence the speaker had ever heard


10 not q natural monopoly, us the tele-
phone Is and should be. Council, In a
spirit of madness, gave the Wheeling
hallway Company q perpetual fran
ch!se. In n very short time the Wheel
Ing company was running Its cars on
the Citizens company's lines. Why?
Because there was no profit for two
companies. EaT
Ihen there was n clamor against the
Wheeling 6 Belmont Bridge Company.
For many years this company could
not declare n dividend: finally there
were dividends. but never over per
cent. The average was not more than
per cent. Then came another COM
pnny. just as this company, "for the
benefit Of the city Of Wheeling" The
Wheeling Bridge Company put up Its
bridge less than Il square from the
Wheeling G. Belmont company's. Has
1t helped US? Instead OF the people
providing for dividends on 100000 cap
itallzatlon. they've got to pay on twice
that amount now, and the clamor
against the bridges is Just as great as
before.
The city solicitor Is right in desiring
investigation into the responsibility of
the people In this National Telephone
Company. After 1t gets started (whcth-
or good or bad) 1t will continue to tor
ment you until It is sold out by the
sheriff II 1t Is unsuccessful.
Almost one hundred OF these opposi-
lion telephones companies have gone
down since Judge Carpenters decision.
1t Will not do for this company's repre-
sentative to say Its system has got to
be good or 1t will not get patrons. We
Know what we've got now. There Is
none better. You should rccollect that
the great market for oil telephone pat
ents Is the American Bell Telephone
Company. 1t is n matter OF absolute
necessity that this should be so. No
evidence of this need be produced. 1t
Is q self-evident truth. The Bell COM
pany gets all the telephone improve
nents at any cost. There Is no produ-
Ger of telephones In the United States
that can compete with the Instruments
OF the American Bell Telephone Com
pnny. How could this be demonstra-
ted? By the words OF this gentleman
from Baltimore who said he paid 81 for
an opposition telephone In his office,
while the Bell phone across the hall
commanded 81. If the Bell instrument
Is not better would 1t command n sin
Gle user at almost double the price of
the opposition phone? Is the telephone
different from any other thing under
the sun? Doesn't the Baltimore gen.
tleman's example indicate something?
Two companies cannot exist. If two
companies are to be had here. three
VIII be better. and four better still
and twelve will give even more compe-
tltion. Let all come In. Don't make
fish OF one and fowl of another. Don't
give 4 franchise to the company whose
maximum price Is si2 and decline to
grant one to the company whose max
imum Is s24. Don't go to your consti-
tuents and say you gave s42 for what
You could get for $2i. It doesn't look
well. and will not appear well In the
public print. Continuing. the speaker
said the Baltimore company is not
financed and no engineer has gone
over this territory.
The Bell Is giving service wherever
applied to. Its line here Is connected
with all the suburban towns, und 1t Is
an instrument OF Interstate commerce.
You can talk ell over the Union on It's
lines.
You have to pay extra for that"
said Mr.. Ward.
But You can't at any price" retort-
ed Mr.. Caldwell. Yours Is purely
local concern. You can't furnish MS
much In the way OF connections us Nc
k'sson's company; they have some
connections.
Mr.. Bradbury-I object to speech of
an hour.
,o,,r,,r a" ~ ,el',,s. nc WIS oNis eA-
ry his friend could not stand them.
He was very rapid awhile ago In
Snis ne ,1oeiosI
o,,i-a, IT, 'a ~. oiili'cN FuIeu tnht any
,.n,.I. W, t.L nave 'i'c P'N'eBe VI
'o'e''ts MS views.
wanted Limit.
Mr.. Brndbury-Then limit him to
flye minutae
Mr. Suiu"eii ''nhkeo the chalr ior
MS consideration. and was sorry 1t was
not unanimous. The Bell. he said has
nothing 10 offer except the merits Of
the case. 1t has no stock to sell. and
no stock to place, He was here as a
citizen OF Wheeling. md without HE
connection with the Central compnny
he would feel sufficient interest as n
citizen to rive respectful attention IN
the recommendations of INV officer
OF the municipality (referrirE to Mr..
Nesbitt's recommendation "T would
not Haunt him TO his face when he
draws attention 10 flngrnnt -omIssions
In the ordinance. As the throwing out
of consideration of tho nrnnositJon. NJ
Mr.. Con!ff's company. whose rates nre
lower than tho othar n noodle NO cow
mcut ut nv hands"
Mr.. Bnchmnn said that. IN n spIrIt
of fairness the Coniff ordinance should
be investigated first.