Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-02-24
JUDGE HEI5LEY
LEADS ATTACK
ON PHONE trust
Tells Legislators Monopoly Has
People by Throat, and
Asks Redress.
MANY CITIES JOIN In
DEMAND FOR INQUIRY
Delegations Back the STARS
Fight Against Rate Dis
elimination.
[From a STAFF Correspondent !


TRENTON, Feb. 24.-Represeptativss
of cities all over the State came here
this afternoon to attend the HI airing
of the joint legislative committee and
to demand an inves ~ atioh o1 l..t .J..o.ie
rates. Judge Wilbur Heisiey, of the
Circuit Court; Edward Zusi and many
other prominent men were on hand TO
back up Frank Ii. Somnier IN AIS ar
gument for the investigation urged by
the people.
On the side of the telephone trust
appeared Union N. Bethel and a small
army of legal lights, headed by John
f. Swayze.
Judge Heisley made a strong address
to the committee after a long speech
by Mr.. Bethell In his concluding ap-
peal Judge Heisley said.
THE most convincing demonstration
of nerve and Injustice is furnished by
the telephone monopoly, which has
taken the people of this and many other
States by the throat. l own hotel at
Long Branch in which, last year, the
monopoly placed eighty-five phones;
that is. rented them. can buy similar
phones for IS.
"The company required the hotel to
hotel was operated the modest sum of
Sc per phone. II required the hotel to
furnish two operators, pay their sal
aries and their board, limited the hotel
in the charges it should make for tele-
phone service and in addition to the
rental required the hotel to pay 1t over
so per cent. of the gross telephone re-
ceipts.
fffrTha al ma a
the unpaid employee of the company,
the company receiving over 5000 and the
hotel getting back ss1.33 -.
SIN New York city this same COM
pany charges hotels Sc rental fer twelve
T, months service, but in New Jersey
where things are easy, the charge Is
the same for little over one-sixth of
J the time. have demonstrated with the
octopus and tried to get some con-
cession for the coming year. but it re-
i fuses TO make any change in the rates.
| Presents Correspondence.
Il will leave with the committee the
correspondence between the company
and myself relating to this subject, and
also the best contract it vii make for
| the season of 1910.' God help the fellow
! who gets the worst rate.
| ''I have nothing further to say upon
the subject. If this contract and cor
irespondence do not convince the COM
mittee of the existence of an outrage
nothing will. If | must be robbed let
| 1t be by necessitous Lazarus. rather
than by the Croesus arrayed In his pur-
pie and fine linen. These conditions
can only continue by the permission Of
the dominant party in this State.
"All over the land the waves of dis
content are rising in mighty protest
against combinations of this kind. AS
an American citizen, protest against
existing laws which place me at the
mercy of the avaricious and unscrupu-
lous. The people of the Empire State
have appealed successfully on this sub
| icct to their Legislature, and a law
was enacted which has been declared
constitutional by the highest court of
the union.
"The court, resnected by all but the
Illegal combination, declares the Leg
islatures have the power to regulate
and control the exercise of corporate
powers. The people of this State are
entitled to PROMPT end effective legisla-
tive action. and an honest man, even
| though he be interested in corpora-
] tons. will not object to reasonable leg
4 islation.
"You know the people of this state
are now at the mercy of the rapacious
monopoly You also know you have
the power to do an act of simple 'us-
tice. The Legislature created the lows
under which these corporations fl 7ur-
ish. 1t has the power today as 1t did
in the days of passage of these laws
to apply a remedy and upon what
theo-v will it refiIse 70 era~t relief?
Common Justice demands. aye. the
people of this State demand ro4 MY
of the Legislature but of the Repub-
lican party, the dominant pertv that
1t either suppress the practises Of these
corporation or revoke their charter.
81 submit that neither in morals, law
or justice has this august body the
right under forms of law to turn loose
combinations of this kind to prey upon
the helpless. With prices of food be-
yond the reach Of the masses, with
great unrest all over the land, with
appeals to corporations answered by
either sophistry or insoience the people
are in no mood for procrastination OF
trifling. 1t is question OF principle not
of party,
1--WE ask for relief. The Republican
| party in convention assembled prom
ised relief. VIII you give it?"