The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1902-02-21
More About the Telephone.

more About the Telephone.
The recent enthusiastic meet
ing of the Business Mems Association
aud the discussion relative to the tele-
phone rates opens up the whole range
OF discussion as to how far the public
should control the operations of rail
roads, telegraph, telephone and similar
corporations. The right of private
contract is one recognized in law as
sound on general principles. So long
as man or corporation asks no favors
OF the state, the state is not in posi-
ton to enact restrictive legislature.
Just as soon, however, as the man or
corporation asks a special favor that
In itself gives to the state the right,
both legal and moral, to have some
control over the child of its favor. In
law we even go further than this, for
there is law against usury. although
the parties to the contract may neither
OF them have received any special adj
vantages or privileges. In the case of
railroads, telegraph and telephone
lines and kindred enterprises the state
has been largely instrumental in Great
ing property value, and it also gives to
these corporations rights which are
| denied the Individual No matter how
greatly one may desire a particular
site for a factory or other private en-.
terprise he could not condemn the
the land as is done by railroad COM
panies. The private individual can
not use the public highway for private
gain as does the telephone company.
All of these extra privileges carry
with them the right, the undoubted
right. of the people to control the
charges in q just and reasonable man
ner. If we expect these enterprises of
a semi-pubic nature to be pushed and
wish to have large systems built up
which will afford rapid means of COM
munication with all parts of the coun-
try we must expect to pay fair profit
There is no reason, however, why any
state or community should be bled by
the child of it's own creation.
In the present instance we believe
that there is not business man in
Denison who does not desire the Iowa
Telephone Company to make fair
profit from the Denison exchange.
Denison has appreciated the enter.
prise of the company in putting in
good instruments, keeping the ex-
change in good repair, and otherwise
maintaining an excellent service.
Denison contains some good business
men, however. They are almost as
we'll able to compute the cost of
telephone exchange and its mainten-
ance and repairs as are the officers of
the company. They know that at the
present rate there is an undue amount
of profit, and that they are paying into
the treasury of the telephone company
far more than would be considered
safe and legitimate profit in any other
business.
1t is therefore without malice and
without threats that the business men
are prepared to go before the officers
OF the company and show cause why
the rates should be reduced.
They also ask in the name of good
citizenship that the employees of the
company be paid wages commensurate
with the intelligence re quired to fill the
position. They feel that thew have
been paying more than enough to war
rant reasonable wages being paic, and
they feel that the duties of the central
force are SO arduous that the best ser.
vice cannot be expected when too long
hours are required.
The party line is another nuisance of
which our business men complain. til
is wonderful how some strong telepathy
moves all the people on the party line
to talk at once.
Another telephone abuse which
should be remedied not only here but
elsewhere, is the messenger fee nuis-
ance. The patron pays good price to
talk to man in certain town. He
thinks he knows what it is going to
cost him, and then just as he finishes
the telephone operator at the other end
of the line sweetly says that there will
be ten, fifteen or twenty cents mes.
senger fees. The patron is,absolutely
helpless. He knows nothing of the
conditions, or whether any messenger
fee was fairly earned or not. He must
simply pay the bill. The telephone
company should do just as the Western
Union Telegraph Company does. Its
service fee should include the sending
of messenger for the party wanted
A boy could be employed here for from
50 to SIS per week who would do all this
work and rid the people of this un-
necessary nuisance of the telephone
service.
We believe that the Denison business
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