Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1908-04-22
deal in regard to rates l would


strue this jockey-palaver about his
low telephone rates into bargain
and sale for my influence for him
anywhere is certainly preposterous,
and too farfetched to merit serious
consideration. 1t shows how little
Mr.. Tallman knows of human ma
ture when he imagines that by CIV
ing me fair rates possibly better
than some, though not so good as
others-he thought he could muzzle
me to stand still and be insulted.
or keep still while the streets of
Willmar were being purloined by
the telephone company represented
by Mr.. Tallman. Now, it is true
that l am poor, comparatively
speaking, as l have earned what
have by hard work, and am not up
in the tricks of the high finance
shell game, but when Mr.. Tallman
imagines that he can buy my con-
victions on public matters. or keep
me quiet at a dollar a month while
the streets of Willmar are being
appropriated by a greedy monopoly,
he is woefully mistaken. Mr.. Tall
man, in discussing the telephone
acts of the council of 1897, omits
one very important transaction, to-
wit: the permission Of the council
for Williams & Barnstad to trans
fer their franchise to the local COM
pany, of which several aldermen
were stockholders. l am sure Mr..
Tallman will remember this trans
action. The franchise to Williams
F; & Barnstad contained clause that
said Williams and Barnstad could
not transfer the franchise without
permission Of the council. Why
this clause was put in, l leave to
Mr.. Tallman to explain. When the
proper time comes, l shall substan-
tiate the $4,000 story.
However, if Mr.. Tallman will
frankly tell the public all about
that transfer clause, | will as frank
ly in turn tell the public about the
$4,000 which if it had been &C.
cepted would likely have knocked
Tallman out of his job as telephone
magnate of Willmar.
This telephone question did not
begin after Jan, /, 1908, when nv
rate were raised, but in March,
1907, when the Journal editor
sprung his feeler on the public of
Willmar about the local franchise.
A telephone mass meeting and a
telephone council resulted. This
council did it's duty to the city by
proceeding to ascertain the claim
of the local company by it's commit
tee, Hans Peterson, Russell Spicer
and w. F. Gratz. This committee
is composed of three as conserva-
tive men as we have in the city.
Now, why proceed to take this
Question out of the hands of these
men? The council committee is
the legally and duly qualified body
to act for the city in this matter.
With all due respect to the Com
mercial Club, l dare to say that it's
committee does not represent the
sentiment of the city on this ques-
ton.
Do need to say that this second
committee aroused a feeling of dis
trust among the citizens at large
that something underhanded was
|going on? Not that anyone ques-
lions the honor of any of these
men. but men differ in their views
in regard to the operation of public
service corporations, and these
views naturally influence our con-
illusions as to the best methods of
solving these problems.
The telephone has become pub
lie necessity, especially to the poor.
Here is Mrs. Smith, for instance,
at the outskirts of the city, living
upstairs in three rooms, with sew
eral small children. Mrs. Smith
cannot leave her home with the
children, nor leave it with the chill
dren at home alone. The phone
connects her with the store, the
doctor and her neighbors. To her
a phone is a necessity, and she
Ishould have this necessity at cost.
To the rich and well-to-do who are
able to keep servants the phone is a
great convenience, but not necess-
ity. The latter can send their SER
wants or 60 out themselves if they
need to do so, or feel like it.
mention these facts because as ply
stefan l see the need of this necess-
; ity in the poor home. The big
business man, whose mind dwells
continually on big financial prob.
lens, is apt to overlook the poor
home and think only about his good
long-distance service. To him
. good long-distance service is apt
to be the whole thing about the
! telephone question. l hope this
little explanation will make clea,
/ that there are different sides to this
question.
Now, we all agree that one tele.
phone exchange for tho citv ic thf