The Greeley tribune., 1905-07-27
COMMON SENSE
OVER The WIRE
Continued from pag0 !

that the business of their Nela
county system had grown so mucli
faster than the income from it that
some change was necessary II they
were to do business at profit. Some
men with telephone experience, hou
connected with the Bell, said they
were right in making the charge
The average telephone subscriber
didn't know, and didn't care. All
that interested him was the lact
that he had to pay a nickei Wlleii
before he had talked free, and he
kicked hard.
He is still kicking.
This was Spears opportunity for
new graft. Afraid to ask for an
other franchise over his own name,
he associates with him C. II. Ram
say, Willis Hill and S. II. Sourhard,
and together they are getting ready
to force the public to buy another
colt. In furtherance of their scheme
they got hold of Weber, the Immac.
ulate, who would today be doing
dirty work for the Bell company if
that company had considered his
goods worth the price, and they go
after every man who won't fall III
with their plan. They abuse the
Commercial Club, the aldermen who
fail to agree with them, the news
papers who don't support them,
every business man who fails to see
the utility of three telephone systems
in Greeley. They have vilitied, lied,
misrepresented and fomented trou-
BILE. Every man who refuses to sign
their petition for a. franchise is
bought by the Bell,' according to
them and their organ-the Greeley
Sun-the paper of the people. "
AS business men The Tribune has
not a word against either Of the
above named gentlemen. They have
a right to build telephone lines, buck
other corporations, run grocery or
dry goods stores, or any other line OF
business. But the Tribune does pro-
test against the injustice of having
to pay rentals for three sets of tele-
phones when only one is needed The
present independent telephone sys-
TEN is costing the business and pro-
fessional men of Greeley easily 81, 800
Il year for the 100 firms who have to
use both phones, to say nothing Of
the annoyance. The proposed new
company means another 81, 800 year
with practically no advantages. OF
course they can give away their old
horse and the woolly colt that Spear
sold them four years ago, and wait
till this new colt grows up, but
what do they, the people, get out of
it? The real answer is, Spear needs
the money.
Before going further let it be
stated that The Tribune has exactly
the same treatment that is accorded
other subscribers of the Bell COM
pany. 1t pays for its phones. If
a talk is had with Eaton, Ault or
Windsor, it pays its nickel for it. If
it talks with Denver or Fort Col
lins it pays full rates for it. If it
receives an advertisement from the
Bell people it exacts pay for it, and
the same ad is pretty sure to go into
the other papers as we'll.
AS before stated, the Colorado
Bell Telephone company is a corpor-
alton, therefore greedy and grasp
ing, in the eyes of most people.
Nevertheless, the Colorado Bell Tele-
phone company is enterprising and
does everything in its power to i'm
prove its service, not necessarily for
the good of the people, but because it
pays to do so. 1t has given Greeley
good treatment heretofore, and has
accorded every other town similar
good treatment, whether there was
an independent company there or
not. Fort Collins has the same treat
ment, and the same scale of rentals
as Greeley. So has La Junta, Canon
City, Rocky Ford, Grand Junction,
and all other farming towns of like
size in the state, yet they have no
independent systems to bring the
Bell to time" Comparisons of Gree
ley and the Cripple Creek district
are not fair. Charges are higher
there for everything than in agri-
cultural districts, and telephone con-
struction and maintainance are alb
normally high and rates are. grad
uated accordingly.
The new local toll system inaugur-
ated here the first Of this month is
anything but satisfactory to most of
the Bell subscribers, and the COM
plaint against it is General. We
should like to see this abolished,
even to the extent of Increasing the
rental charges somewhat, If neces-
sary to cover the additional expense.
We believe vet that the matter will