The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-03-28
The CASE STATED
By the Baltimore Representative of
the National Telephone Company.
Claims Part of the First Branch
Opposition is Not Disinterested.


the National Telephone Company.
Claims Part of the First Branch
Opposition is Not Disinterested.
After council adjourned last night
the Baltimore representative of the Ma
tIonal Telephone Company said to an
Intelllgencer reporter:
I'VE regret the delay. but knowing.
as we do. that our ordinance will be
adopted we will go on with our prepar-
atoms for putting in our telephone sys-
TEN. We know our ordinance will be
adopted when 1t becomes fully under
stood that we are about to give Wheel
ing competition In the telephone bus
mess, and that our only substantial
opposition is the Bell Telephone Com
pany Had the situation been fully un-
derstood Tonight our ordinance would
have been passed.
THE ordinances OF the Home Tele-
phone Company and OF the Citizens
Telephone Company were fairly defeat
ed in the second branch. but the sItua-
ton was misunderstood and the first
branch of council wanted to wait till
all were before that branch. The fact
is that the second branch being
against the two other applicants, the
first branch OF council Is face to face
with condition that means the adop-
ton of our ordinance or the perpetual
ton OF the Bell Telephone Company's
monopoly We have been before this
council time and again for about a
year now. and know we have the Bell
Telephone Company to fight, but the
people will eventually have competl-
ton.
I'VE have definite information that
the local manager of that company
has been working for both the other
companies ordinances, and saw his en-
ploye working for them on the floor
OF the first branch.
THE preteRse that the effort Is TO
get franchise in good faith will soon
be fully understood. and every man
who finds that his opposition to us is
working to the end that the Bell mou-
opoly Is to be perpetuated will come to
u.s. except the few members who are
actually in favor Of the Bell Telephone
Company. and they will continue to
masquerade as friends o. other com.
panies while they are really fighting
for the Bell monopoly.
I'VE will proceed to get our contracts
for subscribers and will go on with the
effort In council till we succeed. and
then we Will promptly construct our
system.
when & is considered that the Bell
Telephone Company can well AFFORD to
spend 10000 year to defeat US, 1t can
be seen that we have hard fight on
hand, but we understood this when We
presented our ordinance.
"The competition viii promptly com
mel n reduction OF rates that will reduce
the receipts OF the Bell Telephone Com
pany from $50 to 800 n day. Now you
can understand why we are fighting
hnrd-why its manager is fighting
against us and for the other two applI-
cants,
81 would not have you understand
that / regard the members of the first
branch. who voted against considering
our ordinance tonight, as being against
US, Many Of them wanted to give the
three ordinances q hearing, and will be
for us when they come face to face
with the question Of adopting our or
dinnncc or perpetunting the Bell mon
opoly. or COURSE, that company has a
few friends in the first branch Of coun-
eli who win stick to 1t, but telephone
competition In Wheeling is sure to
come.
"our solicitor will go to work at once
securing subscribers for our tele-
phones"