Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1912-04-27


an editorial in the Chicago Daily
News Of July II, 1911. hits ths eass
exactly:
"In an argument before the national
.senate's interstate commerce oomit.
tee. Senator Kenyon recently urged
several notifications Of the Sherman
antitrust law. One Of them provided
that when any patent granted By the
government 10 used to build Up Q trust
or combination the patsnt shan b e..
feitsd."
A telephone company that pays
eight per cent dividends on twenty.
nine millions Of stock is making too
much money. The people are paying
too much for telephone service.
Penny telephones are to be estab.
lished In Detroit and there Is no good
reason why they should not be estab.
l!she n Chicago. The following
dispatch from Detroit explains itself:
Reduction Of local telephone rates
so per cent for the average user.
elimination Of the distinction between
residences and business telephones
and the establishment Of a rate OF
$3.50 per month and cent each for
outgoing messages In excess Of 200
per month on single party lines, with
NO limit on incoming calls are pro.
vided for In an ordinance. on which
common council committee began
hearings"
%6A
Il 10 reported that the> telephone
company has hit upon o new scheme
for the extraction OF the nimble nickel
from the clothes, ,of customers.
The new scheme 10 called the
short ring"
Heretofore when o call was made
the telephone bells jingled . long
time or until they were answered.
Now. In some parts Of the city they
are barely tapped.
OF course II the party called does
not hear the mild ring or takes the
sound for crossed wire," Or q mis-.
take" the caller has to try 1t over
again and drop another nickel.
This nickel movement 10 grea,
thing.
In fact. in Chicago the telephone
company has discovered the richest
nickel mine on earth.
~6A
The Telephone Trust doesn't wan,
much from the City Council.
Il only wants the phone rates raised
. trifie. They are not high enough al
present to swell the dividends Of the
local and the parent company.
It only wants permission to install
pay.in.advance slot machines all over
the city. because people are not losine
enough nickels already.
II wants the people to bear more oi
It's earning expenses than they do now
It wants them to deposit . nickel
before they can get police or fre pro
lection on an emergency call.
Il wants the city to give II free
rein TO carry out it, designs on the
public.
II wants q great deal more.
What aldermen will sell out their
constituents to help this monopoly
The telephone company may have
silenced some Of the kicks about tick.
tick phones, but the people are not
satisfied and demand lower rates.
In view OF the startling disclosures
made In a San Francisco paper by
Abe Ruef Of the connection of tele.
phone and other trusts with certain
legislation on the coast. The Eagle Ia
curious to learn who 1t is that has
worked overtime in the past in plac.
Ing prominent trust officials as mem.
bers of the Cook county grand jury.
This may have been done by acci.
dent for many of these trust officials
have been drawn for grand jury serv.
Ice not once, or twice. but several
times.
So often In fact that public atten.
tion and public comment have, been
frequently drawn to the subject.
Are there not enough men connect.
ed with unsmirched lines of business
to fill up our grand juries at all
times?
II not We should disband as q com.
munity and hang our heads In shame.
There has never been any official
prosecution Of any trust In Chicago
for tampering with legislative ofiicials.
state or local.
But the records of monopolies In
other sections Of the country have
not been free from taint and trust
officials have no business to be mixed
up with the administration OF Justice
anywhere.
One Of the very best aldermen and
ofncials that Chicago ever had was
Alderman william Kent. Mr.. Kent
AA.A~ a. - -aA.