Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1912-12-21
EDITORIAL AND PERSONAL NOTES
Pun6ent Paragraphs Live Topics, with Some
Comment the Leadin6 Men of the Day.

going to stand for any such action By
The city.
For years they have suffered pa
tiently the wrongs put upon them BY
the trust and they have come to the
position where they are not going to
stand for It any longer.
The one thing that will put Q stop
to the high rates and poor service,
from which the people Of Chicago
have suffered for years, 10 telephone
competition.
Chicago demands phone competi.
ton.
The Chicago Telephone Company Ia
owned by the American Telephone &
Telegraph Company.
| The American Telephone & Tele.
| graph Company owns the Western
Union Telegraph Company.
The American Telephone & Tele.
graph Company owns the Western
Electric Company.
The subsidiary companies are
forced to patronize the parent com.
pany.
Each subsidiary company is obliged
to patronize the other subsidiary com.
panies.
The subsidiary companies maintain
high prices for each other and the
parent company maintains high prices
In It's dealings with its subsidiary
companies.
This seems very funny,
But 1t isn't funny.
The whole system Of high prices IL
maintained for book effect, 90 that
aldermen and others will allow the tel.
ephone company to keep up its high
prices.
The whole scheme 10 as transparent
as air.
1t Is the best known method of
making the telephone patron pay tele.
phone dividends Of eight per cent on
watered stock.
How the people of Chicago do suffer
from that Bell phonei
The broken ear drums which so
many Of It's patrons complain Of are
- nothing compared to the lost tenn.
pers OF usually good natured patrons.
who get wrong numbers and other
wrong treatment
| Not to speak Of the broken rest Of
people aroused from their beds by
these same mistakes and who are 30
mad themselves that they fail to
grasp the predicament Of the fellow
at the other end Of the line who has
paid q nickel In advance to have
wrong number slammed into his
ear.
Then the tedious wait for the
right number!
Some times minutes elapse before
the operator finds her stick Of gum
or gets ready to answer.
The Chicago Telephone Company 10
bound by it, franchise to submit to
any order passed by the city council
regulating either it, charges or it,
equipment. Section Of the ordt
nance granting the franchise says:
"The city council as one Of the con.
ditions Of the grant Of the privileges
herein conferred upon the Chicago
Telephone Company hereby reserves
to itself the right from time to time
during tho period OF this grant, BY
special ordinance amendatory here.
Of, to hereafter establish. Ak, pre-.
scribe. and regulate the rates, charges
prices and tolls or other compensa-
ton or any limitations thereupon for
each and every kind Of service, "a
cilities. and equipment which the Chi.
cago Telephone Company furnishes
or supplies or may furnish or supply
In the city Of Chicago under this or.
dinance, and also the basis. method,
manner. and means Of computing. OK.
acting, imposing. paying, and collect
Ing such rates. charges. prices, and
tolls or other compensation Of said
Chicago Telephone COMPANY"
Elsewhere In the franchise. in sec.
ton s, 10 found this paragraph:
THE city council shall have the
right by ordinance to regulate from
time to time during the term here.
OF In any manner each and every
kind of service which said Chi
cago Telephone Company may here
after deal in. furnish or supply In the
city Of Chicago under or by virtue
Of this grant"
In section 10 10 found this pro.
vision:
"But said Chicago Telephone Com.
pany by the acceptance Of this ordi.
nance shall be understood as pre-
cluded from In any manner attack.
ing or questioning the power Of the
city Of Chicago to exercise the author
ity. powers. privileges and rights
hereby reserved or granted, or any Of
them"
BY section II the company agreed
that in the event of its default "in
the observance or performance" OF
any of the agreements of the ordi.
nance continuing three months after
written notice from the city the coun-
ell can declare the grant land all the
rights and privileges" of the company
| forfeited and at an end.
49,
The cutting down of the number
of police stations from forty.five to
twenty-five as recommended by the
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