The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1912-11-16
PEOPLES COLUMN
The New Telephone Policy
.aitor OF THE MHIG:

The coming of the Chesapeake ana
Potomac Telephone Company into Cecil
county appears to be the beginning or
hard conditions for telephone users. The
first announcement to come TO me 10
that the co lie signals have been changed
on the party line of which my phone 10
a part. This seems small matter Dul
it means a good deal and, to me, and
ultimately to others, 1t means either
radical advance in payment for service,
a submission to much poorer service or
the removal of the phones Before me
is the card just received giving twenty
five different call rings and naming the
seven patrons now on this one line. Evl-
IDENTIFY it is the intention of the company
to put twenty five subscribers on this
line, if they can get them, thus making
the telephone bell ringing almost con-
tinuous performance during the day and
evening, and causing a continuous SER
les of interruptions to sleep at night.
With nerve" which only THIS tele.
phone company has ever manifested per
fectly, the company starts by taking
away the short and more desirable rings
from some of the present patrons, pre-
sumably saving them as inducements to
new subscribers, and giving us the less
desirable rings because, apparently those
who have phones will be more Likely to
keep them, while those who have not
phones will manage to get along with
out them unless offered good rings.
For example, my own call has been "a
short long short" ring. 1t has been
changed to a long ring followed by four
short ones That makes five rings. E.
W. Dawson has had three snort rings
but he is now giving six rings. Clinton
Dunbar has five short rings. Henry Kern
has five rings, but the two first are long
rings. Thus, even now there are two
other men on my line having the same
number of rings as | do and one that
has one more. This is bad enough but
the card indicates that two more sub
scribers may be added at any time nav
ing each five rings, part OF them Ions
and part short. Ii the line Is filled there
will also be one with nine rings, two
with eight rings, and several with seven
and several with six rings. With pat
rons calling each other unskilfully, as
they often do, and all that number on
having OF course, the telephone com
pany knows this and ! have no doubt At
intends to drive off its lines the people
who pay the lower rates. For some rea-
son it sens more desirable to some
monopolies to get three times fair
price from one man than to get three pat
rons who will pay a fair price. The new
company has its price fixed for Its more
desirable equipment and service. For
me. and ! live on the main line from
Elkton 10 Newark, with a telephone pole
in front of the house, it will cost $40
year 10 get telephone installed which
will ring only when | am called. re-
ceived the same service from the Bell
system in Tarrytown, New York, two
years ago, for $32 1t had been S3i but
was reduced Just before moved away.
Why the telephone company here needs
about $3S month more for similar
equipment and similar service is not
likely TO be explained. We have given
a lot of high tinanciers monopoly we
ought to have kept in the hands of the
people and we are being -;ros,:y ms
treated in return
The question as to what the people
thus used can do about it is OF inter-
est though at present of no practical
application. If we protest We merely
waste our time. If we appeal to the
courts against eXSortion we snail lind
that everything connected with this eX
tortion is perfectly legal, at least, as
far as the ju res can see through the
dim atmosphere where so much dust is
resent If we complain to the inter-
state commerce commission We shall be
told that the government has no right
TO invade the sacred field occupied by a
telephone company. If we took the line
down we should not only be riotousi, but
the Democrats 'n"' E>"' -. ,hc;
,n;l, he dictated largely ny INC.
m W. in exercising inc III,
,,ampered responsibility wh'en =.
, ,,n,' theirs. Any foolish and d,
astrous disturbance OF Dusl , :,
oand;ti7ns would SIMPLY mean u !,
liquidation OF thai party al ~ u
novt election. Hence the pr,
nrietv OF entertaining a so goo:
hooe that a chang u our po'l''s
adn,inistrat IN viii mean , NO y;
Startling or detrimental alterat'
s st o l,,,'' Industrial conditions.