The Greeley tribune., 1905-08-10
COMBATS TRIBUNE'S TALK
OF FORTNIGHT AGO
Telephone Promoter Was Out Of
Town at the Time, Hence
the Delay in Answer
ing Article

y. spear IS given puoiio"cAoh III q
spirit of fairness which the Tribune
desires to display to friend and foe
alike. The article contains a num-
ber of false statements and misrepre-
sentations as to the Tribune and Its
manager, none of which we shall
combat. Our readers are entitled
to, and pay for, different and more
interesting matter than is to be had
in long drawn out controversy.
The telephone situation remains
the same and the Tribune's opinion
thereon as printed two weeks ago is
unchanged. When there are new
developments, we shall speak. I'm
til then, silence.
Editor Greeley Tribune:
"Your article entitled, Common
Sense Over the Wire,' is not only
amusing, but slur on the intelli-
gence of this community; in its
make up you have made G. II. Ram
say and l your targets, both going
and coming. In doing this you have
gone outside the bounds of good
taste. You have willfully and
maliciously caused us all the pain
in your power, heaping insult upon
insult, then audaciously adding,
There is nothing personal against
either of the gentlemen concerned
That thinly veneered apology was
uncalled for and to me is unbearable
and more affronting than anything
else said by you in the article. | do
not court your friendship and never
have. Our former relations have
been on a strictly business basis, and
if l remember Alright l have paid
you for every job you got out of me,
and for every line printed for me in
the Tribune, except an agreement
for small balance. AS an under
cover defender of the Colorado (Bell)
Telephone company I wish you to
particularly note that take excep-
tions and plead not guilty to each
and every charge made against me
by that company.
LAS you claim that the 'Fakir and
Traveller story is not a fable, then
your traveller must have been fool
to keep three horses to do the work
of one. But he would have been an
idiot not to have kept three If the
cost was no greater; then If one be-
came disabled (which of course never
applies to telephone) the work
would not have stopped. But Mr..
Editor, anything you may say will
not clear up the complex telephone
situation in Weld. Had you known
more you would have said less. You
were at the council meeting and
heard me say most emphatically
telephone systems, there is but one
telephone company. Thousands Of
men have been hung Oh weaker cir.
cumstantial evidence than what We
have that the Bell company own.
the Old Independent Telephone com
pany.
Il sold my interest in the Inde
pendent Telephone company nearly
three years ago. / did not ask Mr.
Potter or Mr.. Gray to buy it but
gave the board of directors three op
tions: First to discharge McMurray
second to buy my stock; and i
neither of these propositions wer,
acted on, then l would legally ash
that receiver be appointed for thu
company. l was then made an offel
which accepted.
"Your logic as to two electri,
light plants, grocery and dry good
stores, etc.. is faulty and on a pa
with your reputation as philan
tropist, or booster for city ant
country: or any enterprise where yol
do not get some pecuniary remunera
tion. But you did tell the trutl
when you stated that Spear wa
working for what he could make.
But to your reasoning: One-hal
the sum now invested in five lumbe
companies. would be ample capita
for two such companies and save thu
interest on $40, 900 or 1000, one
half the help necessary to carry OF
the business of five yards and office.
could be saved by having but two
the saving in waste etc., would
be from ten to fifteen per cent. Il
there were but five grocery stores in.
stead of fifteen, three dry good.
stores instead of eight. two meat
markets, instead of six, and three
potato buyers, instead Of a dozen cl
more, the vast saving could be given
to the consumers and farmers
through cheaper prices and better
markets.
But would the consumers and
fnrmoro hopofff ,udor th oeo nopdl