The Colorado statesman., 1906-10-13

TOT nearly lnlrIy years we've KNOWN
good many of you personally, have
been trying to meet your needs-have
built up the most complete telephone
system i'll the country-bar none. The
percentage of people whom you can
reach in the city of Denver or the
state OF Colorado is exceeded by no
telephone system anywhere.
Further than this, we nave built this
splendid plant by system of financ-
ing that is above reproach We have
no watered stock, no preferred stock,
no bonds, no modern high finance"
methods TO hide or apologize for. Ev-
cry dollar expended to build up our
plant has been paid into our treasury
for stock at no less than par. We have
gone further than this, we have made
1t possible for you to come into part
nership with us on this basis-that we
might be in truth a Home institii-
tion. Some four hundred of you are
members of our firm right now, and all
of you that are so know this to be
true, that we have never paid a divi-
dend in excess of seven per cent per
year, and that every dividend we have
paid has been honestly earned.
We know that promoters have en-
deavored to make you believe differ
ently-that you have been told that
we made extraordinary profits Other
people have tried to make you believe
that our stock was not worth par. Just
use your common sense: some one
has been lying to you; because those
two statements won't jibe. Why
should anyone attempt to deceive you
except to hide or excuse their own
transactions. Everybody knows that
I'd =
stock, no preferred stock and no
bonds is cleanly financed-it's impos-
sible to juggle plain common stock
figures.
Now just word about this so-called
New Home Telephone Company
plain talk, mind you-first of all, why
is it called Home company? Isn't
that an attempt to deceive? Not one
Denver name is on it's list of stock
holders. Do you suppose it is to stop
what they call monopoly" of the
telephone business that they want a
franchise here, or is it a scheme to
take some Denver money out to Los
Angeles?
Now about these rates they talk of
so glibly. Some of you have been told
that residence telephone rates will go
down to seventy-fve cents a month IL
the New Home" Telephone Company
gets franchise. Others of you have
been asked to sign a petition that said
their rate would be $2.25 a month for
a residence telephone. Do you know
what their proposed franchise says?
1t says their lowest rate is to be $275
month, and is to be increased to
s4.00 month when they get $4,000
telephone subscribers. That's what
the franchise that is printed on the Of
fetal ballot to be voted on November
9th says, and that's the only thing that
counts.
That's considerably different from
their 75c talk and their S2.25 talk, isn't
it? Is that trickery or did they really
expect you to read that long ballot
through before you put it in the box? ?
Now, if a man tries to trick you
twice would you really think he meant
we'll by you? Wouldn't you kind O.
look around for another trick? Well,
he's got one up his sleeve, just like
this: In Toledo, Ohio, in Baltimore,
Maryland, in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania,
in Cleveland, Ohio, and in a number
of other cities, nice, smooth promo.
ter came along and put up a nice,
smooth talk about starting a new tele.
phone company with lower rates than
the Bell monopoly" charged He said,
'1'll print 'em in my franchise to prove
it to you'-and he did print 'em, but
he didn't prove it, because just as soon
as he got his little plant started and
his stock sold-(mind that, his stock
sold) it was discovered that his little
plant couldn't make living at the low
rate he printed in the franchise, and
the Supreme Court kindly gave de
cision that even if he did print 'em he
didn't have to stand by 'em-and he
didn't. He raised the rates whole
lot, right up to the old Bell rates, in
fact-because the old Bell rates were
fair, and he only talked about lower
rates until he buncoed the public out
of a franchise and sold his stock. II
you have any doubt about it, you ask
anybody in any of these towns.
Just use your common sense if we
have more subscribers in Denver than
in any city of like size in the world