The record-union., 1899-12-12
PHONE COMPANIES At WAR.
pAPITAL CoMPANY,s CHARGES
AGAINST THE SUNSET.
City Trustees Appoint a Commit
tee to Investigate Allegations
Of a Boycott.

The dove of peace has not yet tounu
roosttng- place on the telephone Wits
Of the two rival companies IN TINS ci.s'
the Sunset and the Capital.
Fred Cox, George B. Katzensteln, 1o-
seph Steffens. H. F. Dillmans w. r.
Gerber, A. A. Van Voorhies, fiann
Ruhstaller, A. Heilbron and n. n
Grau, directors of the Capital Teiepnohe
Company, called on the City BOARD oi'
Trustees last night and through tneil
spokesman, Mr. Dillman. demahoeo
that some action be taken to reslrd4i
the Sunset Telephone Company Iroiii
an alleged boycott against the company
they represent
Mr.. Dillman verbally stated the ma
ture of tbe complaint. He said in sub
stance:
ssNfr Chairman and members of the
Board of Trustees: The gentlemen ap-
pearing before you this evening con-
stitute the Board of Directors of the
Capital Telephone and Telegraph COM
pany, and before state the direct
point embodying our grievance l VIII
go to very limited degree into the
history of our business. 1t is not over
four years since we entered the tele-
phone field against one of the greatest
monopolies in the United States, and IN
spite of every obstacle their great pow
er was able to throw against us we
have grown steadily to our most saus-
factory proportions. Lawsuits were In :
stituted which had no foundation In
fact, but only for the purpose of dam
aging the enterprise.
land while we have gradually over
come all this opposition there. Is SUN
maintained such restrictions upon the
placing of our instruments in certain
semi-public places, which. is unjust,
un-American, and nothing more nor
less than a. boycott The corporation
which, by it's various pulls, succeeds
in maintaining these discriminating ar
rangements, is a user of the streets and
alleys of Sacramento, and is under the
Jurisdiction of this board, and as citl-
zens and heavy taxpayers we call on
this board to exercise the power it pos
sesses in seeing that the citizens con-
stituting the Capital Telephone Com
pany are given an equa field TO 90
business, and that the former monopoly
be not allowed to throttle square, nom
est competition. 1 submit for your con-
s.deration the following resolutions.
Mr. Dillman handed the resolutions to
Clerk Desmond, who read as follows;
whereas. The city of Sacramento as
q municipality, and the Inhabitants of
said city, have in past derived, and are
now enjoying great benefit from COM
petition among those owning and con-
trolling business enterprises conStitut-
ing what is commonly known as public
utilities made practicable and profit
able by the use of the public streets, al
leys and other thoroughfares of the
city, by which the comfort and conven-
fence of the inhabitants of the city as
individuals, as we'll as the city as q
municipal corporation, have been great
Iy increased and the material prosperi y
of the city much enhanced; and.
whereas, 1t is believed to be to
the best interest of the city and the in
habitants thereof that the utmost free
dom of intercourse and exerc Sc of priv
ileges in the public streets and other
thoroughfares of this city on the Part
of those controlling and dealing in ela-
ments constituting public utilities and
other service of benefit to the public
and the inhabitants Of the city general
ly. should be accorded to all so engaged
and believing that it is the duty of the
city as a municipality to afford to al
persons engaged in any business by
which service of general utility is con-
trolled by the use of such public thor
oughfares, the greatest support, liber-
ty and opportunity for extending their
privileges, 80 that all who desire tc
may be able to avail themselves of such
service, and that the city as a munic-
ipality should exercise its powers as a
consumer or user of such utilities tC