The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-02-24
TELEPHONE BILL Il
WAS DISCUSSED. Isl. &.
.ItsP rovisio1ls D Debated Be
fore House Committee
THE BELL COMPANY.
TWAS Several Times Mentioned by
Opponents ofthe Measure.
A VOTE. WAS NOT REACHED.
rIessrs. Meredith, Pollard. Church
man, Watts and Nloomaw Against
the Act and Mr.. Christian and
General aIcany For It-oiay.
Agree Cnon Report
To-Day.

agree L non n 4keport
To-Day.
The House Committee on General Laws
listened to a three hours debate on the
bill to incorporate the Virginia Telephone
and Telegraph Company last night. a
vote was not reached. This matter will
be taken UP In executive session to-day.
The committee sat in the Senate cham
Der. Many spectators We're present in
Guiding Messrs. ]. Taylor Ellyson, John
8. Purcell, S. w. Travers, George L.
poratOrS.
Each side was given three hours within
which to present its arguments.
AS soon as the committee had been call
ed to order, NIr. Gravely offered an amend
| rcnt providing that the company should
not ,churge more than $40 per annum for
| a phone nor more than fifty cents for
| long distance coaversa tions, not exceeding
! five minutes each.
! Mr. Frank w. Christian opened the de-
| bate in favor of the bill. He advanced
| practically the same arguments he used
| before the Senate Committee on General
! Laws.
| He first addressed himself to the much
| criticised provision which allows the COM
| pany to enter a city or a town without
| first securing the permission of the NUM-
cipal council. Mr.. Christian argued that
| there was no good reason for impeding
the progress of a great enterprise by al
| lowing every local council to place OBJ
| structionS in the way of a scheme in which
| the whole State is Interested.
STATE. ENTERPRISE.
| This being an enterprise in which the
! State was interested, A1r. Christian said
the Legislature should deal with it as
| SUCH and make the provisions of the act
| apply to the entire Commonwealth. 1t
was not desired to destroy the principle
| of local elf-government. Far from it.
(! The bill took from the local councils
| power to keep out of their municipalities
this proposed telephone system, but 1t
gave to the councils the right to impose
all reasonable regulations.
Mr.. Christian paid good deal of atten-
| ton to the term reasonable regula-
TONS He interpreted the provisions of
| the bill to mean that the regulations
could be imposed before the company
| should enter city or town! Its coming
would be anticipated. The gist of the
| whole matter was that the bill took from
| the councils the power to arbitrarily keep
| the company out or to repeal an nrdi-
|
ever the corporate authorities might see
| fit to do So. Capital, he said, would not
! invest in a great State enterprise If its
| interests should be -jeopardized by pow
| ers conferred upon every little town or
| city. Reasonable regulations meant
| nothing more nor less than lawful reSu-
| lations,' and the interests of the munich
| palities were fully protected under the
| bill.
| Mr. Christian addressed the committee
| for forty-tive minutes, and made strong
| presentatio Of the case from his stand
| point.
| MIR. MEREDITH HEARD.
Mr. C. W Meredith was the next
speaker. He told of the Ions fight
| Richmond had made before getting from
| the Supreme Court OF the Unsted States
| decision to the effect that it had the right
! to control telephone companies within the
| limits prescribed by the States statutes.
| The only question, in his judgment. TO
| be considered was whether or not this
| decision should be uprooted. The ques-
| ton was one OF public policy He thought
| it would be the part of wisdom to leave
| the cities free to deal with local ques-
] tons as they may arise.
| It had not been proven, Mr.. Meredith
| contended. that any city had blocked any
| public Improvement. The fight between
! Richmond and the Bell Telephone Com
pany was simply with reference to which
! should rule, and the city won. Every
.city in the State would reap the fruits
| of this victory. city was simply 4
| handmade OF the State government. Be
| fore changing long-established principle
! OF government great thought should be
| given to the necessity for such change
The speaker claimed that it would not
| be the part of wisdom to change the es-
| tablished principle OF government. He
thought that instead OF amending the
1 law in the direction proposed the statutes
should be so changed as to confer upon
! the boards of supervisors of the counties
| the right to say what corporations should
| use the public highways and upon what
| conditions they should be used.
Mr.. Meredith could not see how 1t was
| that il this proposed enterprise would
be such {, good thing for the people at
| large the Bell or the American company
should have. as had been stated. come
into the State under the cover of the
| names of reputable gentlemen of this
state, and asked for the franchise. It
was like Santa Claus, silently creeping
| up TO the little boy and putting the good
things into his pocket.
H Mr.. Meredith next took up the bill and
\ discussed its provisions in detail. He
rtTdled many Of its provisions, and offer-
| ed an amendment to carry into effect his
views on the subject
The speaker said that under this bill.
while The company was require Ge within
three years to establish telephopic COM
munIca tion with every county In the
State, there was no provision for main
tanning the service The result would
be that such counties as did not pay
| would be dropped, and the company
would operate only where It received q.
paying revenue.
THE VALLEY SERVICE.
Hon. ]. ChurchHaan, one OF the
on behalf OF his cons utuents, entered hts
solemn protest against the biz. He sin-
7 troduced Mr.. N. c, Watts. the manager.
OF THE telephone system In Augusta and
+ staunton, who told Of the splendid tele-
nhone service in the Valley. Mr. Watts