St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1909-02-03
The Telephone and Doctors Wars.

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deny or take any notice of such reports
In the first place | do deny absolutely
of being the promoter in either case
Before knew anything about the pro-
posed raise of the telephone rates a petit
ton was drawn and circulated by
whom drawn do not know, but that
had any thing to do with it directly or
indirectly is not true. A meeting of the
citizens interested in this matter was
called at the St. Johnsbury House with
Others attended and at said meeting was
chosen as chairman, and a committee
was chosen with myself as chairman and
instructed to do certain specific things
viz. to appoint sub committee to can
vass by petition the territory covered by
the Psssumpsic Telephone Co. by the
St. Johnsbury Exchange, protesting
against the proposed advance in rates,
and to present the petition to the COM
pany, and to do what we could to pre-
vent any change in the rates, all of this
with the unanimous assistance of the
other members of the committee | per-
formed to the best of my ability, believ-
ing that no man is justified in accepting
such position unless he is willing to do
the best he can, with the result as you
know OF getting only 10 per cent dis
count. | am not speaking of this to in
any way apologize but simply to state
the facts and to show you that | was
not the father of the move. Now re-
garding the new doctors bill, as | have
said | was not the father of or the prime
mover in this matter, and in fact did not
|, IS =, &c
adoption.
On that day was asked to meet the
other doctors to consider this bill which
had already been drawn, but by whom
do not know, but that | started or had
anything to do with it is not true, that |
did approve of it and did sign it is true
and the only point wish to make is
that am not the instigator of all the
deviltry, so called, in ST. Johnsbury, and
also to try and show that this move on
the part OF the doctors and that by the
Passumpsic Telephone Co. are not
parallel. On the one side is the individual
doctor and submit as a fair PROPOSE
ton that there is not in this county what
is to be considered a wealthy physician
or one with money or means that has
been accumulated alone from his practice
to care for himself and family in his old
age after 40 or so years of the hardest
kind of work and responsibility, greater
think all will concede than that of any
other profession or business requiring
the same amount of capital and brains
Working as faithful doctor does, night
and day, week days and Sundays, in fair
weather and stormy, in season and out
of season and doing more charity work
than all Others combined and many times
without the thought or expectation of
even getting the thanks or gratitude
of those he gives medical skill and treat
ment, even mourning their displeasure if
free medicine is not furnished. Now
compare this condition. which all will
agree is not overdrawn, with the condi-
ton of the corporation with which you
are making the comparison, which is
the child of and owned by the American
Telephone Co, whose president is sal
aried at 100000 year and the other
officers in proportion, whose stock today
is selling between 1925 and $3.50 per
share and paying and 8 per cent divi-
dends, carving large amount to their
surplus fund with which to buy up or
freeze out small independent companies
when desired and whose prices tor the
same local territory covered. as was the
case here, were high,r than those of the
competing company, whose service in the
opinion of MANY was better SO far. at
least, as the central Office accommoda-
tions were concerned, (not so much red
tape or so many hold-ups or disconnec-
tions) any way the Citizens Co. are Civ
ing satisfactory service, paying six per
cent dividends on their stock and carry
ing ten per cent to depreciation account,
so we say considered from their income
and financial point OF view, or as com
pared with the prices of the other local
company. we felt justified in making the
effort to have the old prices continued.
In the case of the physicians new fee
bill we say that the old prices have been
in force ever since the food, or at any
rate as far back as the oldest residents
in proportion to the prices for other
professional services and for labor of all
kinds, and that the increase would not be
out of proportion to the increase of the
necessaries of life. We were informed also
that we were behind other places of the
size in Vermont and in the New England
towns generally; we therefore thought
the change justified, but whether it was
or not is not the object of this letter,
which is especially to contradict the
story which is being circulated and mag
nihed by my enemies and encouraged by
some OF the physicians, perhaps not with
the intention of injurng me, but to
shield or justify themselves; so to
sum up have simply to say was not
the father of or the instigator in either
movement, but approved of them for
reasons stated and would care little for
the results except as it effects my rela-
tions with the common people, whose
respect and appreciation | covet and
have always tried to merit. In my
private and business life my sympathes
have been with and efforts to help and
relieve the working and poorer classes.
In my official life, which includes two
terms in the Legislature, where the
records will show that | worked and
voted for every bill in the interests of
this class, and in all places have had
their interests in mind so that it grleves
me to feel that possibly | may have
made mistake in this matter, which
if convinced l have, shall retrace my
steps at the earliest possible moment.
We will agree that the charges for
surgical services have increased very
much from their former prices, with
apparent general approval by the public,
while for medical services they have
remained practically the same, so far at