New Ulm review., 1904-07-27
VICTORY LOOKS HOLLOW
Tri-Sfate Company Given Fran.
chise at WilImar.
Consideration Demanded Makes II
of Little Value.
Widely Circulated Newspaper Re-
port is Misleading.

Willmar has been having telephone
troubles similar to those that beset
New Ulm a few months ago, and their
discussion has created quite as much
feeling as was stirred up near here.
The controversy was due to identically
the same cause, it arising from the
application of the Tri-State Tele-
phone company for permission to
operate an exchange in Willmar and
is of interest locally from the fact that
many of our people are interested in
the company with whom they seek to
compete. The Tri-State is said to be
the same concern that petitioned for a
franchise in this city, although the re
quest was made under another name,
and when it was rebuffed here it's Off
cials determined to invade the terri
tory of the Minnesota Central Tele-
phone company right at the headquar-
ters of the latter.
Accordingly the Willmar council
was asked to make concessions but
turned the exchange proposition down,
finally compromising by giving the
Tri-State permission to open toll
booth, a step that was taken with the
full acquiescence of Pres. D. N. Tall
man of the Minnesota Central The
aldermen, however, specifically pro-
vided that the Tri-State must pay the
sum of 81, 900 before they could erect
one pole in the city. This amount has
not been paid as yet and is not likely
to be-
When the bob-tailed franchise was
granted, the Willmar Tribune pub
lished an article favorable to the Tri-
State peolpe. Papers containing it
were very widely circulated through
the territory in which the Minnesota
Central operates, probably with view
to injuring the standing of the latter.
The article was headed: "Victory For
Honesty and Good Government, and
the opening paragraphs were as fol-
lows:
Seldom in the history of our thriv-
ing and enterprising city, have we
been called upon to chronicle an event
which reflects so much credit on our
board Of aldermen as the granting of
a permit to the Tri-State Telephone
company to transact a toll business in
Willmar. From the day when this
company applied for franchise, the
local company brought every possible
pressure to bear on our councilmen to
Sbpt cut the Tri-State company and
maintain the monopoly in the tele-.
nhone business now existing; but deaf
10 all such arguments, our consclen-
tions representative did their duty
5noblV and manfully. We hereby con
orae}1late our fellow citizens and share
With them the pride of having our pub
lie affairs in the hands OF such honest
and Trustworthy officials.
This is the more noteworthy when 1t
is borne in mind that the men who are
interested in the local company are
among our richest and most 1nt1uen-
tial citizens, and the pressure bfOught
to bear by them was certainly very IN
sistent and difficult to withstand.
The above quotation is misleading:
and is unwarranted, unjust and untrue
so far as it relates to the local tele
phone interests, says the Wlllmar lie
publican Gazette. That the city coun
Gil acted wisely and in the best inter
ests of the city in deciding to adml
the Tri-State company under the terms
provided by the resolution adopted, i
generally admitted.
So, too, have the local telephon
men commended this action of tn
council, and the Republican-Gazett
challenges the Tribune to name sin
gle individual (alderman or citizen) t,
whom any officer of the local compan.
has said word against admitting tn
Tri-State company to Willmar unde
the terms proposed by the council
The opposition Of the local compan
and of others who were Interested wa
based entirely upon the fact that if tn
petition of the Tri-State company wa