The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1901-10-18
Some Sc, 900 or ST, 900
Now Due.
THE FEE NOT YET PAID
6y q Telephone Company
Plan Now to Take Some
Action Relative to
the Company.
From a Staff Correspondent.

From a Staff Correspondent.
Columbus, Oct. 15.-The progress of
the Independent telephone companies
in the state, the immense number of
new plants being put in by these COM
panies and the interest Of citizens at
taching thereto, make of wide inter.
est story that has been circulated
here, concerning the alleged consolida-
tion Of the Citizens company, of Co
lumbus, with the Central Union com.
pany, or rather the alleged absorption
Of the former by the latter. The new
company has gained foothold in this
city that is most remarkable, and its
service has been very satisfactory to
the people, so there was much specula-
tion when the report got about that
the old Bell company
GOT CONTROL OF 1T.
The report is denied by the officials
of the Independent company, and one
of the officials states that nothing of
the sort has been considered at all.
1t is said that 1t would not be possible
for the new line to be sold without
srippling the whole Independent line
of the state, hence there has been no
plan to sell. The officials do not state
that they have not been approached
and it is conceded that it would be
master stroke on the part Of the Bell
in the capital city, and thus cripple its
competition. The story is said to
have grown out of conditions as set
forth in the report of the state board
of appraisers. The Citizens company
was not appraised by the state board,
and it was thought that the omission
was Intentional, in view of the report
ed transfer and the fact that the Bell
company was appraised at a higher
rate than last year. But the denial
of the officials sets the stories at rest,
but the report serves to call attention
to the fact that the Central Union
is likely to be
CALLED UPON TO PAY
into the state treasury between $4,000
and $1,000. 1t is claimed that the
company has not paid the fee of one.
tenth of one per cent, required by the
law governing foreign corporations
and it is said the Central Union is
really Chicago corporation. There
has been great deal of comment
concerning this alleged favoritism,
particularly in the face of the great
display made by the state board in
the matter of the steel trust. 1t was
claimed by Attorney General Sheets
that the steel trust was corporation
of foreign nature and that it would
be ousted from this state if it didn't
pay it's fee, which
AMOUNTS TO A LARGE SUM.
Though this notice was sent to the
corporation when the strike was at its
height, there is nothing in evidence
here to show that the trust ever paid
any particular attention to the request,
and it Is now claimed that the demand
was made merely to satisfy public
clamor against trusts in general and
the steel trust in particular, when 1t
was engaged in its struggle against
organized labor. Now that another in
stance has been shown where a large
corporation has not paid its fee to the
state or has not been asked to, there
Is much speculation as to what excuse
the state board really has for it's ex-
istence. 1t is now the plan to force
some action with reference to the tel
ephone company, and it is probable
that the Independent companies will
not allow this opportunity to pass
without causing their rival some incon-
venience.