Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-06-24

REFERRED TO THE SOLICITOR.
THE HOME TELEPHONE AND
TELEGRAPH ORDINANCE WENT
THE SAME WAY-THE ORDI-
NANCE OF THE NATIONAL
LIGHT, HEAT AND POWER
COMPANY RECOMMENDED FA-
VORABLY-A VERY HOT DE-
BATE OVER THE NATIONAL
TELEPHONE ORDINANCE-RE-
MARKS BY GENERAL ALFRED
CALDWELL.
1t was pretty sultry everywhere with
in the city limits, last evening, but it
was particularly SO at the City Hall,
at the session of the Council Commit
tee on Ordinances.
Four franchises were on deck, for
action by the Committee, and it was
pretty well understood, previous to the
session, that not only was a fight on,
but that certain things would happen
as to certain measures.
1t turned out exactly that way. There
was a fight, and the anticipated results
occurred just about as they had been
forecast.
That there was good deal of inter-
est in the proceedings as illustrated by
the facts that although Jeffries was in
town and the mercury was unpleasantly
high, there was a full attendance of
the Committee, and in addition such
notables as His Honor the Mayor,
Clerk O'Brien, M. A. Chew, City So
licitor Nesbitt, General Alfred Cald-
well, Mr.. j. J Coniff, County Clerk
Richard Robertson, Mr.. Joseph Speidel,
Mr.. Ward, of Baltimore, representing
the National Telephone Company, and
at least a dozen Councilmen. There
was a general shedding of coats and
vests, and then the trouble COM
menced with the reading of the Ma
tional Telephone Company ordinance.
When the document, as previously out
lined in this paper, lad been COM
pleted, the City Solicitor submitted his
comments and suggestions, which were
read by Clerk Worls. A synopsis of
the comment is:
Il find that the certificate of incor-
poration has not been recorded. (Mr.
Ward here interrupted to say that it
had been during the day.. That the
proposed incorporators are five Balti-
more gentlemen, who have subscribed
$500 of stock, only 500 of which has
been paid in. That permission is given
to increase the capital stock to $780,
900. / suggest that the Committee as
certain the financial responsibility of
the applicants, as the $500 subscribed
is not a sufficient amount to finance
the Company"
This was replied to by Mr.. Ward,
who said that as to the stock subscrip-
tions, it was not deemed wise to in
crease the stock beyond a nominal fig
ure until it had been ascertained wheth-
er or not a franchise could be secured.
When that point was settled the money
would be forthcoming. AS to the finan-
cial responsibility of the incorporators,
Mr.. Ward said he was prepared to an
swer for one alone, Mr.. ]. H. Shirk,
and read a mercantile statementas to
his standing, it showing that he was
worth at least 100000. In reply to
questions, Mr.. Ward said there was
no agreement as to the amount of
stock the incorporators would take,
but it was expected that books would
be opened in this city, and that citi-
zens would subscribe. Mr.. Nesbitt
pointed out that the proposed grant
was perpetual, to which Mr. Ward re-
joined that he had been guided, in
drawing the measure, by the ordinance
of the Bell Telephone Company. Mr..
Nesbitt suggested that the ordinance
should state specifically whether the
system was to be overhead or under
ground, and as to what extent of either
system. He insisted that the city
should have the power to compel a
change from one system to the other,
and generally that the city should care
fully assert its perfect control over
particularly desirable where a Com
pany was financed upon a basis of
$500. Mr. Ward replied that the Com
pany did not expect to do business up
on a basis of $500. That amount had
only been subscribed to enable the