The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1903-02-06
The Country Telephone.
By Edgar L. Hampton, in the Seattle Mail
and Herald.

by Edgar IL. Hampton, IN Ine Seltlle mdil
and Herald.
In the West the country telephone is
new thing. As matter of fact it is
not more than a few years old in any
part of this country. Within ten years
its value has become recognized in few
sections of the East, and it has now
come to stay in the New West.
During the week Of holidays just past,
l was in the city OF Portland, Oregon,
and in several of the smaller towns that
the hand of thrift and enterprise has
sown so thickly and so well along the
two banks of the Willamette river. In
these smaller towns and IN the country
round about ! became somewhat con-
versant with the history and some OF
the intricacies of the country telephone.
The idea of country system OF
phones originated in the New West, first
among the thriving business men of
Newberg, Oregon, town of 800 in
habitants or thereabouts, situated on
the west bank of the Willamette river,
twenty-three miles from Portland
1t was the outgrowth OF bluff on the
part of that well-known, soulless Corpo-
ration, The Pacific States Telephone and
Telegraph Co., known in Seattle as the
Sunset Telephone Co. The business
men of Newberg called the bluff.
To begin with there was the VILLAIN
ette Telephone Co., a small long-distance
concern connecting the county seat of
Yamhill county with Portland. This
company placed a few phones in each
town through which it passed, and it
thus placed a few phones in Newberg
As the town grew in Importance there
was demand for more phones, and the
Bell company came along and put in a
system, charging rental of $l0O per
month for resident, and for business
phones, 81 so per month.
But the country round about New
berg is very populous with small ranches
and gardens, dairy and fruit farms.
There was a necessity for a better and
closer means of communication between
these country people and the town mer-
chants. Therefore the merchants united
with the country people in requesting
the Bell Telephone Co, to put in coun-
try system.
OF course the Bell company refused,
laughing at the idea. In fact it laughed
once too often. For the merchants, be-
coming vexed at it's sneers and its gen
eral demeanor, called public meeting,
formed an organization, elected officers,
incorporated under the laws OF the state,
secured franchise and subscribed
money for a telephone system of their
own, both country and city, similar to
the one known to be in successful opera
ton in some Eastern states. This is the
story of the beginning of the first coun-
try telephone system, so far as know,
in the Pacific Northwest.
Its history from its inception, twelve
months ago is most interesting. | regret
that space prevents my telling it here
at greater length.
OF course the Bell company put in a
competitive line in the country forth
with; and with great bluff and buster
put men forth into the country districts
to install telephones, using the argu-
ment that all the merchants in Newberg
had the Bell phone and only a few had
the "home" 'phone-a statement that
could not be denied. And of course,
then, mass meeting was called of the
patriotic town people and all the Bell
phones in the city were ordered out in
one day; just as might have been expec-
ted of any plucky country town.
The one card held by the Bell COM
pany was the fact that the Bell phone
people had persuaded the railroad to re-
fuse to put the "Home" phone in the
local railway station. Here was des-
perate strait But it was speedily rem
edied when all the merchants of the
| yvit nrI nf al ,nti
began to ship their freight back and
forth by river. Thus the hand of the
plucky country people was on the throat
of the monopoly; and it is the first in
stance outside of the Bible, wherein two
have successfully put ten thousand to
fight.
As for the Newberg Telephone COM
paHy, if the best reports may be credited
it is as well established and firmly fixed
as Gibralter. Its example has inspired
spirit Of emulation in other towns, and
at least half dozen towns in the valley
have already put in similar systems,
each town running its own line out half
way to meet its neighbor; 50 that they
are joined together by the local tele-
phone system all over the valley. Diff
| lCIChb lOCullblCS IdNC ulSO lOl llSu pluull
companies, running their lines in to
meet the switch boards in the several
towns. Seven of such lines run into the
little town of Newberg, at an expense of
less than $500 per phone per year. In
this way at least two thousand square
miles OF the beautiful fertile Willamette
valley are made network OF telephone
wires.
The valley women sell their eggs over
the telephone. Farmers residing up
under the brow of Chehalem mountain
telephone their banker about overdrafts,
Young married people visit by proxy,
as it were, enjoying all the conveniences
of city life. Farmers sell their horses
and cows; dates are made and broken
again, by phone. Young men WOO BASH
full maids in open daylight, unmolested,
hiding their blushing cheeks in the
shadow of the friendly receiver, while
they pour out to the listening telephone
the utmost longings of their hearts; and
many warm goodnight kiss has gone
pulsating. by telephone, over the blue
ridges of the Willamette valley in the
silent, purple hours Of twilight.
Style at the White House.