Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1912-03-30


Democratic chole
phoning % cheap % writing letters,
and cheaper.
That win not come ct once. but .
vory great improvement win come.
and right away.
The price charged b he Ben mon
opoly 70 reposterouo-thero % no |
worse form Of e3tortion among ail the |
sxtortions IN the Unitsd States.
A man who lives In he suburbs |
thirty miles from Q BIG eity ests Q |
eommutat1on ticket The railroad
carries bio two.hundred.pound body
back and forth twice Q day for
twenty-five cents . day. n he wants
70 talk 70 Aie Ao1se twice . day Ne
telephone company charges him sixty
cents. and charges for IA wire b.
sidee.
In other words. The telephone mon.
opoly charges more than twice %
much % carry over . wire . human
voice. which weighs nothing. q the
railroad charges 70 carry Q two-hun.
dred.pound man over thirty miles Of
solid steel rails.
And the railroad has b have ter.
minals, and locomotives, and power;
whereas. with The tslsphone he
mans own voice 70 The chief power
involved.
Armour oe Chicago % Q maa Who
could sive The people Of this country
the benefit Of cheap telephone service
II he should make up bio mind 70 DO
T. He has proved his shility . q
organiser: - % . man Of great
wealth and q unusual industry aAA
application. lt 70 notorious that HE
working hours aFe from seven n he
morning untN 0lx In the evening, aad
that WORK = ~ only Amusement
The idea = not visioaasy. foe A
mour. associated WITH others-with the
Hartman estate. With Kennedy Todd
ana Do Forest Of New York, and with
the rsosivses Of the Chicago subway
- . body-has already begun the
work Of givinG genuinely cheap and
ehacisnt telephone service - ths e1ty
Of Ohieaso.
In Chicago the rscslvsrs of The sub.
way have Installed already moro than
twenty-five thousand automatic tolo.
phones. Thsy givs IN unlimited ssev.
Ice for >oS yoaF-eboat on0-hal ~
charge OF the Bell monopoly. Th0y
givs unlimited telephone service q
private families for less than thirty
dollars year. Win Q full G1tsnsion
Of their systsn evsa the poorest fs0-
ilaes win ne he telepAoneo, cd b
better Of q ~ soa q he yeaz
through he saving q eaSfAsA
The charge 6oe ~ statioas NTH
this new system. which 3 hacked b
Armour and The others. % three cents
per can. and he intsat1oo . . iowoe
this rate eventually ho0 tAsoo cents
70 one cent ~ 90 ssat ~ Dco0t
would b onoFDoas. WITH ne eeo0o.
mics Of the automatic telspAoas end
Q suAaoisnt number of 0uheos1bees.
The night plan would b, q course,
for the business men q New York
who pay enormous tolls b The tol0.
phone monopoly 70 set Together %
bind themselves % take q new sesvico
-an automatic cheap service WITH
certain guarantees - ana through
pressure Of public opinion eompsl the
granting Of franchise 70 IN auto,
matte company charging the lowest
possible rate.
But Il % dimoult 70 Ct business
men 70 units; dimeult 70 make them
resent effectively even the most PAL
pabls extortion.
The chief hope lies IN the courage.
energy and business knowledge Of
such . man - Armour. who has The
money, who 70 not frightened By the
power Of . monopoly. and who might,
II he chose. be remembered - one Of
the real bsnsfactors Of tho country
BY breaking down the telephone mon
opoly and making Of the great tale
phone convenience . blessing within
the reach Of all and % cheap. In pro.
portion. - the national postomes
~S
The Telephone Trust doesn't want
much from the City Council.
II only wants the phone rates raised
- SssuO' AuVy oSO NV os6o OoOu8u ~
present to swell the dividends Of the
local and the parent company.
II only wants permission to install
pay.in.advance slot machines all over
the city. because people are not losing
enough nickels already.
It'wants the people to bear more Of
its earning expenses than they do now.
II wants them to deposit q nickel
before they can get police or fire pro.
lection on an emergency call.
II wants the city to give II free
rein to carry out its designs on the
public.
II wants 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
aatianoA and dam M 1aWAp pa<>a