The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-01-04
TURN TO PHONES.
Queer Complication of Kansas
Politics and Business.
Anti Burtonites Backing Inde-
pendent Telephone Systems.
LELAND is IN 1T.
With Him Is Albaugh, Brown,
JObes and Lambert.
Bitter Fight Now in Progress
at Wichita.

1t looks as though Kansas is on the
eve OF a big telephone war and it is
breaking out largely along the lines of
the factional divisions in the Republi-
can party.
Already the war has broken out fierce
ly in Wichita The Missouri & Kansas
company backed by the Mulvanes and
consequently the Burton interests, are
on one side, and on the other is an in
dependent company owned by Frank L,
Brown, Cyrus Leland, Mort Albaugh, L.
s. Lambert, c. S. Jobes, and ]. c. o.
Morse.
A convention of the independent tele-
phone men has been called to meet in
Topeka on January % and "a for the
purpose of forming a state association
and to analgamate their interests. The
dates set are during the Midwinter fair
and Immediately following the big re-
ciprocity convention.
1t is said that two big centers for the
independent telephone systems will be
established, one at Wichita, and the
other at some eastern Kansas point or
Kansas City There are over 200 indie
pendent telephone exchanges in Kansas
and only about 20 belonging to the Mis-
souri, S Kansas which are in successful
operation. The Missouri & Kansas SyS-
tenn has an excellent system of toll
lines, however, and the amalgamation
of the independent systems is largely
for the purpose of getting control of the
toll business in Kansas as it has of the
local exchange business. AT present the
independent companies are working un-
der disadvantage in the toll line busi-
ness because the toll lines belong to so
many widely scattered companies. 1t
is necessary, If one wishes to talk any
great distance over the independent
toll lines, to use the lines of eight or ten,
perhaps more, companies.
The new Wichita company is headed
by Frank l. Brown, who secured d
franchise from the Wichita city coun-
Gil some time ago. 1t proposes to erect
it's own office and exchange building in
Wichita, and Mr.. Brown says it will
expend 100000 there in the near future
Its makeup is peculiarly political The
owners form a Sextette of Republican
politicians who belong to the anti
Burton crowd Frank L. Brown is clerk
of the United States district court and
owns independent exchanges at Garnett
and Ottawa. Morton Albaugh is state
bank commissioner, chairman of the
Republican state central committee,
and he too is interested in independent
exchanges a his home in Kingman and
in other southern Kansas towns. Cyrus
Leland is about to step out OF the pen
sion agency. I. E. Lambert has recent
ly stepped out of the office of United
States district attorney G. s. JobeS
has just resigned the office of national
bank examiner and has become presi-.
dent of the National Bank of Com
merce, the largest bank of Kansas City.
j. c. o. Morse is superintendent of the
The franchise of the Missouri & Kan
saS company in Wichita expired some
time ago, but the company has recently
commenced to rebuild its local ex-
change there. 1t was ordered by the
city authorities to desist but the work
men continued A few days ago gang
of men was arrested for putting up
poles and wires in the streets and alleys
without authority from the city. The
company put another force to work and
they also were arrested The city coun-
Gil then held a special meeting and or
dered the Missouri & Kansas company
to remove it's plant from the streets by
September 19, the date on which the
new company expects to be ready for
business. The Missouri & Kansas COM
pany claims to have $40, 1000, 900 back of
it and will put up a big fight.
These are not the only Republican
politicians who are interested in fight
ing the Missouri and Kansas company.
Grant Hornaday, the Fort Scott CAP
italist and leader of the opposition TO
Senator Burton in Bourbon county, has
a number of independent exchanges,
and only this week he took out char
ter for company to put in $4,000 ey-
change at Pittsburg, which will prob
ably be the independent center for
southeastern Kansas
Salina was probably the pioneer in The
independent movement. Seven years
ago number of Salina business men
put in an independent exchange, and
ever since the old company has offered
use them, but the Independent company
, now has about six hundred subscribers
and the other company scarcely any
The independent company has also built
toll lines from Council Grove on the
east to Sylvan Grove on the west
In addition to the 200 independent ex-
changes many of the farmers are put
ting in lines Nearly every town and
hamlet in central Kansas from the Ne
braska line south to Oklahoma has its
Independent telephone connections, and
the farmers have party lines of their
own running into the towns and con-
Meeting with all the houses in a neigh
horhood In most of the small towns
the rates charged for phones average
one dollar a month, and on the farmers
lines where the farmers nave built and
operate their own systems, the cost is
even less
The reason for this activity in the
telephone business is the big profits to
be made in the business. Since the pat
ents have expired on the Bell company's
instruments anybody can make them,
and they have been greatly improved.
They ere now comparatively cheap and
the expense of building exchange IS
comparatively small.
An exchange was built at Lincoln
three or four years ago. The man who
in advance for one year at the rate of
one dollar a month. The subscribers
were willing to do this in order to have
the exchange built. Enough money is
said to have been collected before the
plant was commenced to pay for it en-
tire and when it was completed the
builder sold it for more than it cost to
local parties, who are now making
profit of nearly 100 per cent. on their
investment.
come from the toll lines brings in
enough to nav the 0XDeQSeS of ODQrat-