Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1904-09-23
Cumberland Telephone Company
Is Getting Scared Up.
Sends Out Comparison List, Which
Is Promptly Answered BY the
Home Company.

supposed comparative list of sub
scribers of the Cumberland and tn,
Home Telephone companies II
begin with, in order to attemp
to make a showing for themselves
they listed 800 subscribers that are
not in Hopkinsville, and in add
ton thereto, listed over As names
that have no Cumberland phone al
all, which fact can be proven, alb.
solutely, to any ones satisfaction
in few hours time.
The Home Telephone Company,
therefore, according to the Cumber-
land telephone company's own
statements, has more phones in
Hopkinsville today than it has,
although the Home Company has
only been in operation for two
months. While the Cumberland
company has been here so long
that its franchise has expired and
it is now attempting to operate
without any.
If the Cumberland Telephone Com
pany wanted to be fair, or wanted
to give fair comparison, why
d dn'rih y publish comparative
statement of the territory we have
built over? Why did they have to
add on all Christian county in
order to make a showing? Why
did they have to publish lot of
dead ones" in the city,? Why so
cowardly, Mr.. Cumberland? 1t has
only been a short time back when
you called Pembroke, Lafayette,
Gracey, etc, foreign exchange, and
if Hopkinsville subscribers hap
pened to want to talk to any of
those points, and had strong
enough lungs to be heard over your
lines, it cost him from Is to IS cents
every time he made the attempt.
If he wanted a monthly rate, with
county privileges, 1t cost him $4.15
Those were times too when the
sworn value of your property was
only from IS, 900 to $1,000, although
you were collecting from the people
more than twice that amount every
year in rents.
After the Home Company pur-
chased the franchise you refused to
purchase one, (although you admit
yours expired in 1902. You at.
tempted by every unfair method
known to keep the Home Company
out, and above oil things, to keep
us from building. After we began
our construction and you realized
there was no use in trying to run a
bluff any further, with your rotten
and out of date equipment, you at
once went to work and attempted to
improve your service. In 1902 you
said that you could not afford to
improve your service unless you
increased your rates, and further
more you would not accept or tie
yourselves up to any franchise
rate. Since that time you have
changed your mind and would be
glad 10 do anything, for the time
being, if you could only rid your
selves of competition so you could
put your rates up to any price you
might name.
You said some time ago that ow
ing to increased and improved SER
vice, you could afford TO reduce
your rates. In Nashville, where
you give still larger service, you
had to raise your residence rate to
81 so per month, but OF course
Nashville has no competition, and
you need the money.
Down at the bottom of your com
parative sheet you say if there are
any points where the Home Compan.
les are doing business and have
Bell competition, you would like tc
know where the Home Companies
are in the lead For the benefit oil
your patrons, we ask and then dare
you to publish comparative list Of
jackson, Tenn; Winchester, KY.
Mt. Sterling, KY; Morgan6eld, Ky -
Fort Wayne, Ind. Indianapolis,
Ind; South Bend, Ind, Logans.
port, Ind; Toledo, O; Lima, Ohio
and many more, if the above are moi
enough for you.
We will also donate to any char.