The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-02-11
STOLE MARCH
ON ENEMY
MONTANA 4 WYOMING TELE-
PHONES SHARP MOVE.
RUNS ITS LINE INTO CITY.
Took Advantage Of Sunday to Fiji!
Gap Which Kept It
RUNS ITS LINE INTO CITY

The Montana & Wyoming Tele-
phone company is now doing business
in the city and has its talking appa-
ratus in direct Communication with
Red Lodge and thence south into
northern Wyoming.
To accomplish this in spite of the
opposition of the Rocky Mountain
Bell company and the refusal Of the
city council to grant it a franchise
without further considering the ques-
ticn, obliged the company to resort
to a little strategy, and in this 1t
was highly successful.
AS published some days ago in The
Gazette, the Billings Telephone COM
pany, working in conjunction with
the Rocky Mountain Bell company,
refused to longer make connections
with the Montana & Wyoming and the
latter company found itself shut out
of the city, Notwithstanding that it's
line extended to the very. corporate
limits. Beside annoying and discom-
moding their rival, the two companies
also greatly embarrassed many o. the.
merchants and others who have been
accustomed to make use OF the ar
rangement which formerly existed be-
tween the Montana & Wyoming and
Billings companies by which the lat
ter allowed the former to use it's switch
board for it's long distance service
to the west and south. To r~e-establisa
connections and get even" with it's
enemies was the consideration which
prompted the shut out company TO
resort to a little sharp practice, and
in which it was eminently success
full.
Came Without Leave.
Early Sunday morning, long before
anybody thought of getting up, tire
Montana & Wyoming company had a
construction crew at work stringing
a line from it's terminus neal the
Northern Pacific round house, west of
the city, and by short cut connecting
it with an instrument in an office es-
tablished in the Sansome block, in
Minnesota avenue. The job was COM
pleted by noon and a little later the
severed communication between the
two towns was restored and JOY
reigned in the minds Of those who
had successfully engineered the coup.
They had circumvented not only the
opposition, but also the city council
and mayor. BY taking advantage Of
Sunday, when the courts are not do
ing business, and by keeping their
own counsel they had stolen a march
on those who opposed them and were
practically masters of the situation.
Yesterday the line was working and
doing a good business. Those who
had found themselves denied the priv
ilege of talking to their friends and
customers in Red Lodge and the
string of towns to the south were con-
graduating the company and joining
in the satisfaction of it's officers.
Here to Stay.
AS 1T is a maxim IN law INA InOSe
in possession hold nine out of a pos
sible ten points, the victory seeming
ly rests with the Wyoming & Mon
tana people, as it may prove a difficult
task to Dust them, should the attempt
be made. Whether anybody will en-
deavor to make trouble remains to be
seen. While it is true that the com
pany has come into the city with its
wires without having gone through
the usual formality of obtaining per
mission to do so, the fact, neverthe
less, remains that it is here and to sc
it out is another proposition. Pent
ing future developments the company
is not borrowing any trouble and say:
l it is here to stay.
, For the accommodation of it, pa
( irons it will establish a messenge
! service which is to be used in notify
ing those for whom calls may be re
1 ceived from the othet end. ~,