Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1908-03-11

a local company for a period Of ten
years. These ten years expired last
May, and the Northwestern Tele-
phone Company, which meanwhile
had acquired the rights and titles
of both the local exchange and the
Minnesota Central, has not seen fit
to apply for new franchise for the
exchange, because it maintains that
it has perpetual franchise under
the ordinance granting the long
distance lines Of the Minnesota Cen
trail entrance to the city. DR..
johnson, in his article in this issue,
makes the matter of the telephone
franchise and the long distance per-
mits very clear.
The village council never contem-
plated giving a franchise for an ex-
change to the Minnesota Central.
The attempt to SO read the ordi-
nance is for the purpose of cheat
ing the city of the rights to use it's
streets. II is on a par with the
swindler who gets an innocent pur-
chaser to sign a permit to allow
him to place few lightning rods
on his barn, and later sells the
agreement as bona fde note for
a large amount to some bank. The
only franchise granted in this city
for an exchange was the one that
expired last May. Instead Of ap-
plying for new franchise the
Northwestern proposes to bluff the
city, claims to have vested rights
in the city streets and refuses to
submit to any control or regulation
of the city.
The city council has proceeded in
a very deliberate manner to investi-
gate and determine what was to be
done to protect the city's rights.
BY unanimous vote it finally author
lied an action to GUST the company
from the streets. having become
convinced that the company has
now no rights there. That is the
way the matter stands now. #
the city wins it's case, the company
| will be forced to treat with the
lefty, for they would be trespassers
on the city's streets. The company
has refused point blank to treat
with the council, and the council
has started proceedings to force
them to do so. That is the whole
situation as far as the council is
concerned. It is entitled to the
backing Of every good citizen in its
fight to uphold the dignity Of the
city and force an arrogant monop.
oily that has usurped it's rights tc
submit to a reasonable regulation.
Instead Of backing the council
however, the Gazette and the bunch
Of Northwestern sympathizers claim
that the council has committed ar
"error,' that it is ''biased,' anc
Intervention is necessary to "make
peace.
Peace is exactly what the North
western wants. 1t knows that j
nothing is done to disturb it the
city will have lost it's rights before
long.
As far as the Tribune is con
cerned, the Gazette is paying it :
t great compliment. We are prou<
Of the fact that the Tribune has al
ways stood and stands now agains
the telephone monopoly and it
bunch of local grafters. We ar,
perfectly willing to be misrepresent
: ed by and called Socialist ant
anarchist by the satraps Of tn
monopoly, when we know that it i
because we are fighting for tn
city's interests. A cause that need
} must use deception and abuse, mus
be weak one indeed.
, It is plainly apparent now how
, fortunate was the fact that the tele
phone question was made an issu,
the last city election. We have ;
set of men on the council who arr
not afraid to assert the city right
though they have proceeded will
deiiberation and the greatest eau
ton. The Tribune has the utmos
!. confidence in the work done by thu
committee composed of Messrs
Spicer, Gratz and Peterson, an(