Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-10-12
AS TO WRITTEN STATEMENTS

Judge Wilcox. counsel for the South
ern Bell Telephone Company is report
ed 10 have stated before the Committee
of Councils that his client had not an
swered the questions submitted to it.
more than month ago. by the Com
mittee. because it did not wish to make
its reply in writing. He suggested that
the committee Invite" representative
Of the Bell Company to appear before
it, and answer verbally such questions
as its members desire to ask.
This is the same policy of delay and
postpouement that has been pursued
by the Bell Company every time an
effort has been made TO call 1t to ac-
count in this City. BY these same tao
tics it avoided the acceptance Of any
franchise, whatsoever, for q year after
notice was served that II must apply
for franchise. Then. as now, it quiet
~ ignored the Committee OF Councils
as long as possible, and then asked for
time, and yet more time.
Judge Wilcox made his request for
delay on the ground that the list of
written questions sent to the Bell Com
pany, more than a month ago. ashe 1
for information that the company did
not want published TO the world
and, therefore. it was necessary TO send
representative from New York to .nr-
nish this information verbally. Why
did not the company follow the usual
course and send to Judge Wilcox. its
counsel. the answers to these questions
inSfrnrfipr- hin, nc n xtrfch l,o
purpose of the whole proceeding was
not merely to delay action on the par,
of the City Councils? Certainly. the
company could afford to trust its own
attorney with this precious irtIorma
| ton.
The coyness of the Bell Company. as
| to putting statement in turiiing, is divert
ing in the extreme. The Bell Company
is past grand master in the art OF
shuttle. and it has not been ''ur
against" half the City Councils OF
America without learning that there is
no shulling from words and figures put
down in black and white. Verbal ex-
plantations leave so much more room
for unctious and imaginative iisrcs-
| SONS.
The Bell Company is particularly So
fictitious that certain facts, asked for by
the Committee, shall not reach the pub
lie, and for the same reason that il is so
violently opposed to having 4 maximum
rate fixed for its scrvice-they might IN
iluencc the Councils OF other Cities
When the fight was on in Portsmouth.
the Bell Company made no secret of it's
opposition to the maximum rate on the
ground that If it accepted n maximum
rate in one City it would have to do
so in other Cities where it operates. In
other words, II proposes to operate it's
Norfolk system in accordance with it's
interests in Richmond, Lynchburg, Mo-
bile, Duluth, or 1<amschataka, and not
in accordance with what is only (under
the circumstances OF the case here)
lawful. fair and just to the telephone
using public OF this City. Norfolk must
fall in with the general scheme of the
American Bell Telephone Company.
and the Councils of our City must pio-
late its contract loiM another company. Uhe
Southern States Telephone Company
because If Norfolk makes the Bell Com
pany do the fair and legal thing. other
cities will be encouraged to take SINH
lar action!
| This is not the tale that the Bell rep
resentative is coming all the way from
New York TO unfold to the Committee
of the Councils That tale is a beauty,
and can only lie appreciated when
HEARD,-not seen or READ!