The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-12-16
'TELEP HONE
DISCUSSION.
The Dixie Bill Considered at
Length BY the Courts OF
Justice Committee.
HEARING FOR BOTH SIDES
Opponents and Advocates Of an
interchangeable System Both
Thoroughly in Earnest.

Tho Senate Committee for Courts of
Justice sat practically all the afternoon
yesterday and we'll into tho evening,
giving hearings OH tho House bill In re-"
lation to public service corporations
From 3 until g p. NJ. tho hearing was
upon the Duke amendment to tho bill IN
relation To telephone companies, requir-
ing them to connect with each other,
as id the railways. The amendment IN
question, which has passed the House
and Is now before the Senate committee,
consists of the insertion OF the
following language after the word com
pany," on page 80 Of the corporation bill;
land It shall be the duty of evory tele-
pholle company to receive dispatches OF
messages from and for any other tele-,
phone company and from. or for any per-
son, regardless Of the kind OF receiver Or
4transmltter used by said company or per
son, so that said receiver or transmltter
be such as Is In general use In telephone
companies In said state, or in the county
or city having telephone service
TELEPHONE PEOPLE THERE.
Practically all the telephone companies
OF the State were represented at the
hearing by their agents or attorneys.
Hon. w. r.. Duke, member of the House
from Albemarls, and his brother, cS-
Judge r. r w Duke, appeared 10 adFo-
&C. tie the amendment, while Hon John 8.
Moon, Of Charlottesville; Mr.. Hunt Chip
ley, OF Atlanta and Hon. a. 9. braS-
ton. Of Staunton and Mr.. ". H. SANDS,
Of this city, and others, appeared III op-
position to tho amendment
There was II large crowd present III
the committee room, among them being
Hons. Alexander Hamilton, of Peters,
burg. and a. p. Thorn, OF Norfolk; Col
cnol THOMAS II. Carter, of the University
CT Virginia: Mr.. +. f. Montague, OF thls
city; Hon. Addison Maupin, OF this city:
Hon James Mann. of Nottoway; SherlII
N. c. Watts, of Augusta county, ana
others, most Of them as listeners only.
Messrs Thorn, Hamilton and 5IVlckllnm
appeared before the committee later
while the sections of the bill relating
ttr; other public service corporations was
under cons Iteration
Tho air reyerberated with oratory while
the telephone bill was under discussion
Judge Duke, who explained that ne APP
peared voluntarily aud without remun-
e, alton of any sort to advocate the BILL
c.pened the discussion in vigorous and
forcefu appeal for the amendment lie
was followed by Mr.. Moon, Mr.. Chipley
and Mr. Braxton, in opposition TO the
amendment, and Hon. w. K. Duke
closed tho hearing for the amendment,
yielding part Of his time, however, 70
his brother IN closing.
THEIR CONTENTION.
The advocates OF the bill commended
that a telephone company, like rail-
way company. was n public service cor
poration and that it was to thu Interest
Of the patrons Of such companies to have
hem connect just rs railroads and tele-
graph lines do. They denied that any
hardship would be exposed or danger in
CURED by tn eadoption Of the amend
mcnt, already passed by tho House.
The opponents of the bill commended
that the measure. imposed hardship
upon the telephone companies, and re-
uuired a practical impossibiity of them
The question was argued from the stand
point of cxpediercy,, practicabllity as to
the mechanical difficulties. and the con-
stitutionallty Of the measure. Mr.. BraX-
ton, who represented the Mutual Tee-
phone Company, of Staunton numerous
lines in Augusta county. Lexington,
waynesboro, Clifton Forge and Harrt-
scnhurg, made an elaborate argument on
the constitutional phases of the question:,
and afterwards on the mechanical diiii-
culties in the way OF giving efficient SER
vice under the plan proposed by the
amendment
The Messrs. Duke closed with an i'm
ma toned appeal for the amendment
which they said, was in the Interest of no
company, but OF the people of the State
They contended that the General Assem-
loly had the right and the power to re-
uuire te.anhone connections, and 1t was
good public policy to do SO. Mr.. w, +.
Duke vigorously assailed the Bell Tele.
phone Company as a monopoly standing
IN tho way Of the public interest. Neither
was being paid to appear here but both
he and his brother were here OF their
own volltlon In the interest of the people
Of their county and State.
A GOOD SPEECH.
Judge Duke. who closed the argument
for the bill, made an impassioned speech
IIe is of tn. whirlwind order of speaker.
speaking with great rapidly and i'm
petuoslty, and with a fluency and grace
that made 1t easy to follow him, Flo
nterspersed his speech with some witty
sallles and some clever by-play In COLO
Guies with opponents of the amendment.
all in tho best OF good hunor
At the close OF the hearing, at 6 o'clock.
tho committee took no action on the
amendment, but passed by the further
consideration of the section and mme-
diataly went into the hearing of argu-
raent as to the statutes In relation to
ether public service corporatlons nspe-
cially railways, Messrs. Thorn, Hamilton,
Wickhnm and others appeared for the
railways and went over the bill with the
committee section by section. pointing
cut their objections and suggesting
amendments thereto, The hearing occu-
pied practically all the evening. The
committee finally adjourned without
reaching a vota on any Of the suggested
amendments,
The hearing was one Of the best at-
tended of the entire legislative session,