The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1903-01-30
THE BELL COMPANY
WILL NOW COME IN.
AN UNLIMITED AND UNRESTRICTED
FRANCHISE GRANTED BY COUNCIL.
Special Agent J. EppS Brown Makes a
Plain Business PrOpOSitiOn-VOte
Stood Five to One In
HIS Favor.

VII TeuleSuiy ngnC granted TO the
Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph
Company an unlimited and unrestricted
franchise. The company, through it's
special agent, Mr.. j. Epps Brown, i'm
mediately gave written notice of it's
acceptance, and will in the near fu-
ture begin the work of rebuilding
the system now in operation, and
putting in a modern and first-class tele-
phone system.
1t will be remembered that on several
occasions previous to this the Bell Com
! pany had made efforts to secure such
franchise, but in each instance fran
chlse was granted which, on account of
certain restrictions contained therein,
the company deemed it advisable not to
accept. Previous councils thought that
a maximum rate of charge should be
+, fixed and that the franchise should be
limited to twenty or thirty years. The
Bell Company has held all along that it
could not afford to come into town
and spend its money and then have its
franchise expire and be left with USE
less plant on its hands. 1t would not
accept franchise fixing maximum
rates because, as it held, the future
price of labor and material could not
be estimated with any degree of accu-
racy, and it is on this that its rates de-
pend.
| Some time ago the local system now
in operation in Newberry was purchased
by Mr. Gentry, general superintendent
of the Bell Company, and it was de-
cided to make one more effort to secure
the franchise asked. Special Agent j.
| Epps Brown was sent to Newberry sew
eral weeks ago to present his company's
proposition to city council and to the
people of Newberly. This he did in
plain, straightforward manner.
The people of this city have long
known and highly esteemed Mr.. Brown,
and in matter of this kind they knew
he would make none but fair and
honest presentation Of the case. A pc
tition asking that the franchise be
granted was circulated among the citi-
zens, and was vely largely signed by
the business men Of the city. The pc
tition was presented to council on We'd
nesday night. 1t reads as follows
| THE PETITION.
! TO the Honorable the Mayor and
Aldermen of the Town of Newberly,
State of South Carolina:
The undersigned citizens of said mu-
nicipality would most respectfully pc
ttion your Honorable Body that, in
order to keep abreast with the wealth,
growth and commercial progress of our
town, we need an enlarged and i'm
proved telephone system with long dis
tance phones, toll line facilities, and
improvements in local service, and feel
ing that the Southern Bell Telephone
and Teleg raph Company can speedily
supply these needs, we, therefore, earn
estly petition your Honorable Body to
grant said company such liberal fran
chise in the premises as will insure
its acceptance of the same, and we will
ever pray, etc.
| At the meeting on Wednesday night,
there were present each member of the
city council, City Attorney F. l.. Bynum,
Mr.. j. Epps Brown, Special Agent for
the Bell Company, and Col. o. l..
Schumpert, who was retained by Mr..
1 Brown.
| COL. SCHUMPERT OPENS.
/ Col. Schumpert opened with an argu-
ment for the Bell Company. He said
he appeared for the purpose of asking
a franchise. 1t was matter that was
not connected with the financial de-
| partment, that does not require any
levy, and one in which the wishes of the
citizens should be largely considered.
Last year the Bell Company appear
ed asking for the same franchise. At that
time there was local company which
it was thought would suffer if the Bell
| Company was allowed to enter. That
consideration was now gone, although
it should not have entered into the
matter at any time. Not only do the
citizens of Newberry ask that the Bell
Company be allowed to enter, but the
progressveness Of the age demands it.
| Other towns of like size have it, and
there is no reason that Newberry
should lag behind. Mr.. Schumpert
presented the petition from the citizens
of Newberry given above.
Mr.. Schumpert briefly called the at
tention of council to the fact that not
only would the granting of the franchise
asked for not affect those who do not
want to use the Bell Company's phones,
but it would, he said, give those who
may desire to use them, advantage of
the excellent out-of-town connections,
and the same commercial advantages
which are now enjoyed by Abbevile,
Spartanburg and other cities through
out the State, which have granted the
franchise now asked from Newberry.
In reply to a question from Mayor