Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-29
Pass the Telephone Bill.

When the Senate adjourned last spring IT
left unfinished a work which required only
it's action to afford relief to the people or
Washington from an intolerable burden. Ii
declined, or neglected, to put upon Its pas
sage the bill, already passed by the House.
granting a charter to telephone company
eager to enter the District to furnish tele-
phonic service to several thousand subscrib-
ing persons and prospectively to many
more, at a rate very much lower than that
stubbornly charged by the Chesapeake and
Potomac Company. This bill Is now pend
ing, awaiting action. and 1t is the hope of
the people of Washington. almost without
division. that soon after converting next
week the Senate will take the measure
from the calendar and pass 1t.
The case demands action. The houses OF
Congress, convinced Of the exorbitance of
the C. and P. CoEpany's charges. provided
In the spring of 1898 that after the first of
July of that year the rates should be re-
duced to range of from SO to $50 a year.
The telephone company proceeded to fight
that enactment and succeeded finally in Sc
curing from the District Supreme Court
decision in it's favor, from which an appeal
has been taken. 1t has served its unwilling
patrons continuously at the old high rates.
Although warned by Congress that 1t was
going too far in its exercise of a monopoly
which the legislature was willing to pre-
serve within reasonable limits, this cor
poration has turned a deaf ear to all pleas
and orders and has granted no real relief.
1t has sought meanwhile to cloud the case
by offering a so-called measured service,
which might permit few individual tele-
phone users access to the service at
somewhat lower rate than the old schedule
required. This relief. however. has not been
real and has not reached the larger users
of the service. those most In need of the
benefits Of the reform.
The telephone company last winter threw
every possible obstacle In the way of the
enactment which was at last blocked in
the Senate. Its representatives were active
at all points. They pointed to the measured
service offers of the company as evidence
of unparalleled generosity. They excused
the effrontery of the company In defying
the mandate of Congress and juggled with
the financial showing of the corporate to
make ii appear that it was impossible to
grant the rates required by Congress and
to earn a reasonable profit at the same
time.
Against this latter declaration stood the
bona tide offer of new company to enter
the field and to furnish the service at the
lower rates with every expectation of reap
ing profit therefrom. The newcomers I'M
rolled before Congress list of subscribers
including many of those held in the bond
age Of the c. and p. company. aggregating
a larger subscription than the old company
could boast. The House recognized this
showing as an irresistible public demand
and passed the bill. The Senate District
committee reported it fayorably. and then
the process was checked on the floor.
There are. it is believed. enough votes to
secure the passage of this bill. Ordinarily
the people of the District would prefer that
the telephone service. reasonably regulated
by Congress in the public interest, should
be retained as monopoly by the old COM
pany. But the monopoly system has failed
and the competitive system must be re-
sorted to unless Congress is to confess its
inability to regulate for the capitai well
fare the telephone service.