The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-01-24
TEL EPHONES ARE
HELD AT BAY
Must Regard the Local Authori-
ties.
CAUSED A HEAVY DEBATE.
Must Regard the Local Authori.
Messrs. Thorn, Ayers and Others Wanted
them to Come luto Cities Without Con-
sent of Councils Messrs. Mere
dith and Glass Opposed.

The familiar old subject Of telephones
| was up in the conventia1 yesterday and
consumed almost the entire days session,
| which laste0 from 10 A. NJ until las p.
NJ
The matter came UP on an amendment to
| the report Of the Committee on Cities
| and Towns, allowing telephone companies
! rights in cities without the consent of the
municipal authorities. It was advocated
| by: Messrs. Carter, Thorn, Ayers and oth-
ers. and strongly opposed by Messrs
Glass, Meredith and others. and rejected
| ayes, 26 noes. IS. On account of the in
disposition OF Chairman Brooke, the
body, at :45 P. NJ, adjourned until 10
| o'clock to-day.
THE DAY. IN DETAIL.
The convention met at 10 O'Clock. Prayer
was offered Ey Rev. w. 3. Beauchamp,
! of sBroad-Street Methodist Church Sew
enty members were present.
| Judge Harrison presented petition
| from the City Council of Winchester.
+! opposing every section Of the report OF
! tho Committee on Cities and Towns ID,
| Leaves of absence were granted sew
! eral members.
! The convention went into COMMITTEES OF
/ the Whole to consider the report or the
t Committee on Cities and Towns.
! Mr. Meredith moved to amend section
! q by providing that no ordinance apPEo-
| priating more than $ioo Should become
/ law unless adopted by a vote of Two
| thirds of all the members, and if vetoed
| by the Mayor could not become la"
! unless overcome by a three-fourths vote
| OF all the members elected.
/ The Meredith amendment was rejected
! ayes, 80; noes, so.
! Section was then adopted without
J amendment.
/ Section 10, providing that no street rail-
| way rraa u-a for sfe or electric heat
!! ing, light or power. cold storage, COM
| pressed air viaduct conduit. telephone
| or bridge company, nor any corporation,
+; association. person or partnership, en-
! gagged in them or like enterprises, shall
| be permitted to use the streets, alleys or
public grounds of a city or town without
the previous consent of the corporation
authorities of such city or town, was
! taken up.
Mr. Summers moved an amendment
i Sc. that a public service company could
/ upon refusal to grant q franchise, secure
one by the proper condemnation proceed
ings.
TO BREAK IT Up.
/ Chairman Brooke said the sole purpose
| of the section was to prevent the Lesis-
lature from granting q charter to a cor
| poration to have privileges IN a. city
/ without the consent of the city or town
/ authorities. II the Legislature was siyer
j =tnSE- rlSUC cOIuelEIl- IHG SlESctS Oi
other property in i town or city, 1t
would destroy the streets or parks of 4
! city or town. without the power of such
municipality to prevent it.
/ The amendment vas rejected.
| 4 Mr. Carter moved Co insert local be-
fore the word telephone. He said there
/ was no use OF guarding against a dam
/ ger that did not exist A very irnpor-
| tant principle was involved. 1t meant
| The taking away from the State & great
{! power and was placing veto power in
the hands of little villages without
rhyme or reason and with no power Of
redress for the damage
Mr.. Glass strongly opposed the amends
+ ment. He stated that it was but the re-
vivaI of a fight which was before the
! General Assembly two years ago.
s'Such another scene he said, was
never witnessed in Richmond Some
/; OF us We're nearly put in our graves re-
sistiEg the proposition, backed by an IN
sistent and powerful lobby OF giant
corporation, who proposed to run rough
shod over the rights of the towns ana
cities of this State. We won that HSht
/ there, and behold it is up again.
i Mr.. Thorn in supporting the amendment
! declared that any citizen Of the State OF
1 Virginia had q right TO talk to the Gov
| ernor of the State in the Capitol at Rich
mond over a telephone.
! The city OF Richmond has the poorest
telephone service of any city in the State,
and yet it has refused to grant to citi-
! zens of Norfolk the right to satisfactory
,4lehose facilities witt, their Capital
city, and to that extent has greatly nam
/ pered commercial progress OF both cities.
OBJECTION RAISED.
/ Mr.. Meredith: Why do you call 1t
fight of the city of Richmond. It was u
State tight?'
Z! Mr.. Thorn: 'I say the whole trouble
was stirred up here in Richmond. AND
from Richmond it was worked up through
out the State
{. Mr. Glass: why, the very bill was
introduced in the Senate by a Senator
from the city Of Richmond
Mr.. Thorn continued to argue with great
+, force and earnestness that a fundamental
principle was involved ard not local
issue. and said he did not refer to the
city of Richmond with any purpose to
bring that trouble UP, but simply to II
/ lustrate the point he was making.
Mr. Meredith replied TO Mr.. Thorn by
| declaring that in every Legislature there
1 were charters which gave electric, telc-
1 phone or other corporations the right 70
4 use their franchises i'll every city IN
/ Virginia and it required the utmost VIC
i ilance from some of them snpplhs
through, which in reality would take
away Tile pIOLeCtlol- Stseil ~ cIitci -
/ porations Ey the payment OF an immense
amount Of taxes to the municipalities for
4 their franchise.
i Mr.. Ayers earnestly advocated the
amendn.snt. He said it was not right
for any city to have the absolute power
1 to protect, create and continue a monopc-
q ly. The opportunity for the unjust
a exercise Of such a power should be pre-
4 vented rather than encouraged.
/ Mr.. Wysor asked Mr.. Meredith what
1 would Richmond do when wireless teies-
\ raphy and flying machines became acttI-
3 alities, and Mr.. Meredith retorted that
4 Mr.. Wysor would be employed to bloW
them away if it was found desirable.
1 DUE TO IGNORANCE.
4 Mr.. Glass explained that he did not
| mean to imply in his former remarks
i that the bill passed the Senate by any
4 corrupt methods. The fact was 1t pass
i ed the Senate without members being
I aware of its far-reaching privileges. II
i contained no restrictions on the corpora
i ton whate as originally adopted.
4 Mr. Barbour hoped members would no
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