The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1905-07-28
An East Brown County TeIe.
phone Company Knocking
at the City's Gate
Meanwhile the Organ Of Monop.
oily Continues Knocking at
City's Best Interests

A short time ago the Grot0n-ter
ney Telephone company petitioned
the city council to allow them an en-
trance into this city No action has
yet been taken but the Dakota Cen
trail Telephone company, cooperating
with what is commonly called the
"machine"i in this city. has been and
will keep on opposing the wishes of
the out of town company. 1t is
natural that they should seek to con-
serve their own interests hut it is a
question whether the other business
interests in the city can afford TIC al
low them to decide this matter to
suit themselves.
Aberdeen aSpires to be the leading
commercial town in the two Dakotas.
1t has become that to a considerable
part of the two states. 1t willingly
spends a good deal of money every
year to popularize Aberdeen with the
out of town business men and, in
fact. with the entire out of town
community.
A NEW PROPOSITION
The telephone question has brought
the business and professional men of
the city right up against a brand
new proposition and one that they
cannot afford to decide wrong. The
school question is another matter
which mean much in the way of
popularizing the city and it should
not be forgotten but the telephone
matter is up now and it must be set
tied.
1t should not be forgotten that
both the Groto1 company and the
Hecla company have been denied
connections with the Dakota Central.
REMARKS FROM GRoToN HERALD
Aberdeen has long boosted, and de-
servedIy so, of her rapid growth, her
cosmopolitan character, and of the
fact that She is the biggest town in
the point of business and broad SYM
pathies, if not in actual population,
of any in the state. The present
situation gives the people of the state
an opportunity to judge of Aberdeen's
greatness" Here is Sioux Falls sup
porting an independent exchange of
1900 subscribers, and Yankton, Par
ker, Milbank and many other towns
with large independent exchanges
in operation or in the course of con
struction. If Aberdeen proves to be
the only town in South Dakota that
will permit the telephone company to
enjoy a monopoly of the business, it
will be interesting news to the out
side world. 1t will be a matter of
curiosity to outsiders to learn how a
town can aspire to be metropolitan
and to becoming a wholesale center
and at the same time refuse retail
merchants the privilege of telephone
communication with its wholesale
houses.
The work Of installing city phones
has been in progress this week, and is
being pushed as rapidly as possibly.
In addition, the work of building a
line north toward Louis Johnson's,
Langford and Pierpont is well under
way, post holes having been dug asfar
as the Stebbins place three miles from
town. Everything is being pushed as
fast as possible with the view of Gov
ering this entire section as quickly as
possible. Instead of a straight rate
OF sl.W per month for city phones as
announced in the Herald last week
the company has decided to make the
rate Slips for business phones and IS
cents for residence phones. This step
was taken after careful consideration
OF the situation, and it wa decided
that to cut the price of business
phones in two and make no reduction
in residence phones would hardly be
fair to the residences. Hence the de-
cision to make the reduction affect
both classes of phones.-Groton Her
aid.
MEANING mr. nnnYfrrllrn,naa