The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1901-03-09
TELEPHONE WAR IN WESTMINSTER.
The C. & P. Company Inaugurates Move
ment to Crush the LCca. C0mpanY-The
Latter Meets Rates and Goes One Better.

ment TO Crush the LCca. Comparable
Latter Meets Rates and Goes One Better.
The Bell Telephone Company, having lost
its suits for Infringement of patents, has I'M
dertaken to crush out all local companies by
reducing rates and furnishing phones free.
The Chesapeake and Potomac Company, a
part Of the Bell combination, is now engaged
in this work in Westminster, Hagerstown.
Frederick and Cumberland.
When the Company built its line TO West
minister about sixteen years ago, its agent
promised complete county service. The
citizens of Westminster gladly welcomed the
Company and the two papers here, particu
larly the ADVOCATE, gave the enterprise en-
thusastic support. In this city nearly all the
business houses, banks and professional men
took phones. The rate was 5000 year,
quarterly in advance, but the rate was not OBJ
jected to because Of the promise of complete
county service. The county service was never
given. not more than two lines being built out
into the county, one to Manchester aud one to
Taneytown. At these points SO few persons
took phones that the lines we're practically of
no use Gradually owing 10 the meagre SER
vice, patrons in Westminster dropped off, un
til not more than five phones were left in the
city and not dozen in the county, couAting
pay stations. The Company still retained its
$4,000 rate, and was as exactng and arbitrary
in dealing with patrons as was possible.
This was the condition practically no tele-
phone service1 when six years ago the West
ern Maryland Telephone Company Of Carroll
County was organized. As soon The local
company began business, the Chesapeake and
Potomac Company made reduction IN rates
The reduction was substantial, but the people
had no faith in the Company after The broken
promises of its agent, and the local company
was going ahead with bright prospects. Lines
were built to the other towns in the county
and the service has been so extended as to
embrace nearly every section of Carroll.
Recently the Chesapeake aud Potomac has
inaugurated an unrelenting war upon he local
company, with the evident purpose of destroy
ing it, and again enjoy monopoly Of this
field From $50. 90 the rate has b zen reduced
10 $24 90 for business houses and $500 for
residences. Business men taking phone nj
S24.00 are given phone at their residence,
free, for one year. By that time the Chesa-
peake and Potomac Company expects to see
the local company ahnihilated and driven out
of business The Chesapeake and Potomac
Company, in order to obtain patrons, has even
offered to trade out the rental.
This offer of $24. 90 for business phone and
a residence phone free, as premium or
chrome, is based upon the right OF The t. IL
z. to put SIX persons upon llne Few OF
the new patrons secured, perhaps, know this,
and later in practice they will find when they
call they will have vexatious delays in getting
communication, and any or all on the line can
hear conversation should they happen to go
TO their phones when the line is in use.
The local company is giving wide, very
good and cheap service 1t is managed by
local people and the capital in it is all locals
1t is in good financial condition, and proposet
not only to meet the rates of the u d r., bus
do better. 1t has decided to give bushes
and residence phone at $24.O0 year, with
not more than four persons on line. AND
this offer is not confined to Westminster, AS IS
the offer of the C. & P, but the local com
pany extends the offer to all places where it
has an acknowledgement, New Wia'isor
and Union Bridge, as we'll as Westminster
In view of the conditions prevailing here
prior to the organization of The local COM
pany-practically no telephone service is
past understanding that any business man of
Westminster would take a C. & P. phone upon
any terms No one should have accepted one
as a gift, because every phone put in by that
Company is Just SO much detflnent to the
local company. 1t is an aid to once cold
blooded and high charging monopoly in its
evident purpose to crush out company that
simply occupied field it acould not couer, and
is giving the people very excellent service
for less than half the c. Il P. charged for
practically no service.
In our Judgment the local company made
mistake in undertaking to meet the cat in
rates made by the c. Il 2. If the business
men of Westminster have no appreciation OF
the wide service at less than half the rate the
~ O. Il. Co worth ms
tioning, when it had monopoly, and choose
to have the local phones replaced by those OF
the c. 4 P, simply because they can thereby
talk to their homes free, the local company
should let them do so. If they choose to sup
port cold -blooded foreign concern in prefer
ence TO local capital let them do so. They
would realize, perhaps, after the local COM
pany ceased to exist, that they had killed the
goose that laid the golden egg. But for the
organization of the local company, Westmin-
ster and Carroll county would not have today
a ielephcne service, and the few business
houses using the C. & p. phones would lie
paying $4,000 year for them. Should The
local company be pushed to the wall, by the
countenance and aid of Westminster business
men, all may be assured no other local CON-
pany would be organized. People could not
be induced to put up $40, 900, the cost of the
would be difficult to find directory that
would work as faithfully and diligently as that
of the Western Maryland Telephone Company
has DONE and without compensation. Should
it pass away, the business men who are taking
the C. & P. phones in order to have free
phone at their residence, will wake up to the
fact that the chrome was but temporary.
They will see the free phones go, and the bus
mess phone rate advanced, and then they will
realize how mistaken they we're in helping to
drive out Of existence the company that gave
a wide service at a cheap rate. And when
they see the G. & P. subscribers dropping off
after the raise in price to perhaps $50. 90. and
the usefulness of their phones growing less,
they will realize they are in the clutches OF a
monopoly again, with a very meagrs service,
and they will deserve to be. And we repeat,
in our judgment the local company has erred
in changing rates. If the business men can
not see further than a temporary saving OF a
few dollars year, let them pay for the know.
edge by being placed at the mercy of the Bell
monopoly.