Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-11-18
WE RISE TO DEFEND THEW.

Who will say that even a Tammany
Council could have done better? We
are willing to leave 1t to any fair
minded man! Here was the Bell Tel
ephone Company asking for the right
to charge the people anything it wish
ed. and. In its good pleasure, desired.
and that Its watered stock called for.
That is one side. Here are the people
asking that some limit be put upon the
Bells franchise in accordance with the
requirement of the City Ordinance.
They complained at having rates
doubled. They appealed to the Coun-
ellis. and there was n fight between the
Bell Company and the people. Who
won? Well. that's easy! The Honor
able Bell Company won. of course.
What are the Councils here for, any
way? That ordinance meant. say
about $4,000 year to the Bell Com
pany! And the Honorable Councils
corporation losing money like that!
Just SO,
Now, here comes our friend. the Pc
tersburg IndeN-Appeal. always sensi-
BILE and practical, and makes faces at
our beloved pets. Why our esteemed
contemporary actually talks about our
Councils doing u.s." and "a plenty"
and such talk. To be accurate, 1t says:
''lfcanichilo, tchat your Councils hare done
for you ,cith the Bell Telephone Company
is plenty"
Now, we do not desire to misunder-
stand our contemporary, but we love
these Councils, and they love us. In
deed they go around and borrow other
peoples copies of the Virginian- Pilot
TO find what the paper is saying! And
the people love them. They love them
at present just about $4,000 worth.
Every time n telephone rings. one can
hear their names mentioned. They
are on every tongue with n few others!
So. it becomes our painful duty to
search amongst the moss bound books
of antiquated libraries and find If our
Petersburg friend has severed every
tie that has bound us, by suggesting
something curious" or funny" about
Jul lllG Duh ICiSPHOhS
Company. Indeed, should the people
laugh, or get mad?
We don't want to raise any unneces-
sary row. particularly with such near
neighbor like the Petersburg Index
Appeal, but nobody shall say anything
funny about our Councilmen and we
rise to defend them. What our Coun-
ellis have done for us is plenty" is it?
Well, now, we don't want the people
all over the State finding out about our
valuable Councilmen, and we will not
have it! They are the great.
the noble. the honest and faith
full representatives of the people
of Norfolk. and we do not even ad-
nit that the Bell Telephone Company
has any ownership in them. So, you
will please let our Councilman alone!
We have plenty" of them. of
course; and what they did for us
WITH the Bell Telephone Company"
was it plenty?
Another thing, we resent the idea
that our Honorable Councilmen. as our
contemporary says, did plenty to
us WITH the Bell Telephone Com
pany." They didn't do 1t WITH the
Bell Company-they did it alone! OF
COURSE THEY DID! WHAT DID
THE BELL COMPANY HAVE TO
DO WITH IT? Our Councils know
what to do without the help OF any
Bell Telephone Company! Indeed. they
had made up their minds before the
Bell Company saw them? Their opin-
ions published in the papers? Yes; it
is very true they did vote differently.
but they changed their minds; and
you see they changed them, as Mark
Twain expresses 1t. 80 all-flred-sud
den-like" that they really have not had
time to form sufficient reasons to be
able to give any reason to the dear
public for that flop. NOW. Mr.. Pc
tersburg 1ndex-Appeal, don't you I'M
derstand how the thing is. anyhow?
What? @
THE PEOPLE MUST PROTECT