The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-04-29
WAR Is DECLARED
Independent and Bell Telephone
People to Clash.
State Companies Want a Public
Utilities Commission.
PLAN RATTLE ROW
PLAN BATTLE ROYAL.
Kansas Corporations to Force
Legislature to Act.
Hemphill Leads Hello Mems
Coming Fight at Capitol.

Kansas is to have a telephone war.
The Independent Telephone associa-
ton, of this state, closed it's sessions
here Thursday night anG the last act
of the body was the adoption of reso-
lutions attacking the American Tele-
phone & Telegraph company, which is
according to the independents a trust.
w. P. Hemphill, vice president and
general manager of the local INDIE
pendent company and the most promi-
nent independent operator in Kansas,
is to lead the forces Of the independ
ents in the coming battle. The fight
will be a legislative one, the inde-
pendents striving for the passage of a
bill creating a public utilities COM
mission such as the state of New York
has, with power to establish and regu-
late telephone rates, and the Bell in
terests fighting the bill.
That the contest will be a battle
royal is certain, for the independents
will be fighting for their very lives and
the Bell company for the defeat of a
bill which if passed will cripple its eff
forts to control the telephone business
of the United States. 1t is not so much
the effects of the enactment of such
law in this state as it is the fear that
other commOnwealthS may follow the
Kansas example, that will cause the
Bell interests to use every effort to
beat the utilities commission bill.
Mr.. Hempf.ill is optimistic as to the
outcome of the contest. He feels that
the legislature will do the right thing
in the matter of protecting Kansas
capital and business men.
HemphilI Expresses View.
Speaking of the matter this morning
have enacted resolutions calling for a
state utilities commission for the regu-
lation of the telephone business in
Kansas. The independents were forced
to take such a position because of the
stand of the Bell company. We be-
lieve in fair play for all. The Bell
people hold that they must dictate
telephone rates and all matters in the
telephone business and that. no other
company has g right to do business,
except their own.
The independent companies of this
state were started with Kansas money
and they are operated with Kansas
money. They are in the field and give
the people good telephone service at
fair rates and they are doing it. The
Bell people have come into Kansas
and have made up their minds to own
the telephone business of the state.
They give away service, charge one
man a low rate and another a high
one, they enter a small town and drive
out the independent company doing
business there, by giving away service
until the independent is forced to
quit, and then make up their losses by
boosting rates. They maintain a lob
by here during legislative sessions and
try to defeat every bill relating to the
telephone business which does not
meet with their approval. The Ameri-
can Telephone and Telegraph COM
pany has unlimited capital and will
spend any amount of money to beat
bill. 1t will doubtless have lobbyists
on the ground at the coming session of
the legislature and will do everything
possible to defeat the public utilities
measure.
I'm fathering the commission idea,
as far as Kansas is concerned we are
only working for our own and the
public's protection. When this COM
mission is created it will be impossible
for the Bell company to kill competi-
ton by giving away service bankrupt
ing small concerns and then making
thousands of dollars by charging ex-
cessive rates. The utilities commission
will make the Bell people fight in
the nnan.' y