Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1908-04-08
DEMANDS
PROOF FROM
TALLMAN
Dr.. Johnson Wants Telephone
Question Pr0bed 10
the Bottom.

| N~0SAVA1 AVONV ~
the Bottom.
Editor Willmar Tribune:
AS Mr. Tallman still continues
to suggest or insinuate that he has
in some way bribed me by giving
me a special telephone rate, l must
ask you for space to continue this
controversy.
Mr.. Tal(man in the last Gazette
makes tile following statement:
'Now then, Doctor, if you will
kindly tell the editor of the Tribune
(inasmuch as you have good
memory why you got this half rate
at that time, will no further press
you to tell the public, as know it
would be embarrassing for you to
do so, owing to your present atti-
tude.'
Now look at this contemplate in
situation, in which both the fact
and the differences are false in toto,
and Mr.. Tallman knows they are
false. When my phone was put in
to my own building in 1897 | asked
to have two phones on one wire.
think the conversation was with
Tallman himself: I was informed
that | could have this for $500 per
month-without any ifs or ands or
conditions. ] was not informed at
the time that this was half rates,
and had every reason to believe
that it was as high rates as any
body else was paying for similar
service. | had no intimation to
the contrary until Mr.. Williams
letter in December last-when he
informed me that the law compelled
him to charge me $500 for office
rent. Of course Mr.. Williams
statement that the anti pass law
went into effect Jan. /, 1908, was
not true-it goes into effect Dec.
81, 1908. Tallman's crocodile tears
about that anti-pass law interfer-
ing with my rates could have been
spared. Mr.. Williams statement
that the anti-pass law does not ap-
ply to phones furnished the state,
county or city is also wrong, as
anyone can satisfy himself by hunt
ing up the session laws and reading
the law for himself. Chapter 40,
Session Laws 19O7.)
| Now, why this persistent misre-
presentation of facts that any INTEL
ligent reader can prove for himself?
Mr.. Tallman says Drs. Frost and
Rains have no phones in their Off
ces. True, but they have tubes
connecting their Offices with the
phones below aand are using the
phones below during office hours
without charge. asked Mr.. Will
liams last January if l could use the
same arrangement with the phone
below in Ohsberg's store. He said
no, that was different thing. OF
course it was!
| No doubt my rate was at the
special request of Tallman. So is
no doubt the rate of Drs. Frost and
Rains, of the courthouse, of Tom,
Dick and Harry, of anyone that the
concern did not care to skin bodily.
Especially was this policy very like.
ly pursued until the company got
settled. But that ever made any
rate arrangement with Tallman or
Williams, except as above stated,
or any arrangement the nature OF
which would be embarrassing for
me now to have publicly stated, is
unqualifiedly false. l hereby chal-
lenge Mr.. Tallman to make his
statement about anything he knows,
or thinks he knows, about this mat.
ter. Speak right out, and produce
your proofs! Don't be afraid to
; hurt me, but keep as near the truth
as you can.
| | will admit that when we passed
Ordinance 60 we might have taken
more time, and that possibly we
made mistake in allowing the or
dinance to be rushed through on
one evening. But | have never to
my knowledge benefited one red
cent by that mistake, while Mr..
Tallman has; how much / cannot
say, but am told he got a check
from the Northwestern Co. for
$92, 100000 for his interest in the
Minnesota Central, and that Ordi.
nance 60 was a material part of
Iallman's Minnesota Central hold
ings. AS have said before, am
not jealous because Mr.. Tallman
and others have made stacks of
money in the telephone business of
Willmar. But when the very men
who profted by whatever mistake
there was mabe by that council of
1897 want to wash themselves clean
and push US fellows-Swan Nelson,
Gudmund Karwand and myself,
who never made red cent out of
these transactions-into the mud,
| say, let the searchlight on! Let
us get the matter into court. Let
us find out who it was that offered
one alderman bride of$4OO.OO to