The Portland daily press., 1900-11-10
THE DIRIGO TELEPHONE
COMPANY OF MAINE WILL
NOT SELL OUT.
Monopoly Latest Effort to Deceive the
People and Pref udics the city Cow
eminent Against Competition.

10 the Citizens Of Portland;
The desire and pstition OF almost all OF
our prominent business firms and tele-
phone users, that o ompstition in tele-
phone service be admitted to our city
whereby reduction In rates, and improve
ment OF service may obtain with the
elimination OF many of the annoyances
now existing, (which competition only
will bring to pass), would seem to ex-
clude any objection that might be raised
against the admission Of the Dirigo Tele-
phone company of Maine to Portland for
the Installation Of the latest and most
i'm proved method and equipment for a
Telephone Exchange, especially since
substantially all of It's officers, and stock
holders are prominent business men OF
Portland. Yet, and Notwithstanding
which, more or less false and misleading
statements are being circulated by rep
resentatives and agents OF the old COM
pany (ths enc ny of oompctition), TO the
effect that the Dirigo Telephone COM
pany does not intend TO do business in
this city, but that 1T Is simply putting
up proposition to ipduce the New Eng
land Ielt phone and Telegraph company
to buy It ont.
The fact that the Dirigo company Is
now putting the several hundred miles Of
Its lines in tirst-olass working order with
the latest improved Instruments and
appliances for the use OF its patrons
throughout Western Maine, with large
force of line apd equipment. men at
work, bringing It's operating service
toward Portland as rapidly as possible,
ought to nullify such mislea ling reports.
such statements are absolutely false
and without any foundation Whatever,
other than the desire on the part OF the
enemy, the New England Telephone and
Telegraph company ana its allies, to pro-
duoe q prejudice against the new COM
pany, in order to defeat It's application
for license to do business in Portland for
the protection and business welfare OF
our citizsns. Several times In success
sion, have the stockholders OF the Dirigo
company been approached from one
source or another, and solicited to sell
out its business or majority OF Its
stock.
The solicitation has bs en- peremptorily
refused without qualification. Other
propositions from similar sources, with
the same object In view, evidently, have
been made, to buy majority OF the
stock of the company, but with the same
result, absolute refusal to entertain any
such proposition, the acceptance OF which
would be an abuse OF public confidence
and treachery to our citizens who have
subscribed to the prospective service, in
addition to the shameless imposition
upon the many petitioners who have
honored the company with their favor
by their request TO the municipal off,
cers TO grant the oompany's petition to
do business for the benefit Of the munich
paIity and It's citizens. The oompany's
stockholders are in the Independent tele-
phone business because they believe that
there Is splendid opportunity through
out the state OF Maine, and particularly
in Portland, to do q successful business,
which Is so strongly demonstrated In the
central and western sections OF the coun-
try, and which Is now rapidly extending
tnroughout New England,
1t is not to be wondered at, however,
that our people should be suspicious OF
such projects with the record OF the past
fresh in their minds. Only few years
since there was movement for indie
pendent telephone service In Portland.
Then when the merchants had signed
for several hundred phones and 1t
looked as though there waS going to be
competition, sure, the managers OF the
new company, using the cudgel OF pub
lilo support, demanded their price and
soil the Casco Bay Telegraph and Tele-
phone company, Its stock, charter rights
and all their interests, to the old monopo-
Iy, the New England Telephone and
Telegraph company, for an amount of
cash which they distributed among them
selves, with other considerations, in
stock or otherwise.
Inc Dirigo Telephone company OF
Maine will not follow their example I'M
der any circumstances whatever, unless
our officials and the citizens at llrge
refuse the company the right to do busi.
ness and thus protect their own (the citi-
zens), interest, as competition only
will. Its management believes that their
obligation to the public is an honorable
compact for mutual interest and benefit,
based upon the principle that the public
have rights, which corporations should
be in honor bound to respect, to degree
equal to, IL not in excess or, that which
prevails in business and private life.
THE DIRIGU TELEPHONE COMPA.
NY OF MAINE.