The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1913-12-05

Denver, Colo, November 80, 1918.
The Mountain States Telephone and
Telegraph Company, in the consider
alton of its future development, rec
ognizes that its highest interests as a
public utility lie in establishing the
closest and most friendly relationship
with the public generally, and with
it's patrons in particular; therefore, 1t
is the purpose of the Mountain States
Telephone and Telegraph Company,
through this announcement, to inau-
gurate what may be termed an adver-
Using educational series of articles,
both in the newspapers and in the
form of letters to it's customers. 1t is
our hope that this campaign may
mark a new era in the relation of
public utility corporations to the pub
lie they serve. We want this educa-
ton to work both ways-that the
public may learn the truth about us,
and that we may learn how the pub
lie regard us. and how we may fair
ly and efficiently serve the public-in
other words, what is just and right to
us and to the people, and to convince
the public that we will voluntarily
remedy any wrongs we are doing, If
pointed out to us.
We shall show you our financial af-
fairs, frankly and freely. 1t so hap
pens that our financing has been OF
such a nature that it is easy for us to
clearly show to you this side of our
affairs. What we mean by this is,
that we have absolutely no water in
our stock; we have no bonds, nor any
preferred stock, and no mortgages of
any kind upon which to pay fixed
charges. We have more invested in
our plant at Its present replacement
value than our issue of common
stock, and we have no other stock is
sued than the common stock. There
are no wheels within wheels, nor
companies within companies, to abb
sorb profits. We finance ourselves
from year to year by selling our COM
mon stock to the people, at not less
than par, in the states in which we
operate. ......
When we tell you the story of our
financing, we will prove to you that
there never have been any fortunes,
large or small, made out of the man.
ipulation of our stock-in other
words no high financing has ever been
done in connection with The Noun
tain States Telephone and Telegraph
Company, or its predecessors. The
stock never has had any speculative
value; it has been, and is now, sim
ply safe investment.
There Is a great misunderstanding
upon the part of the publis as to this
side of our business. Persons with
Interior motives, striving for office,
and newspapers wishing to give star
Ting news (see note below frequent
ly publish stories of how l .ch certain
officials of our company are. Right
now, this is being done in connection
with the new revenue tax. We sup
pose these stories grow out of the
belief of certain of the public that the
executive officials of our company
own the entire plant. 1t is absurd,
for these executive officials of our
company are merely trustees of the
property, for the stockholders, and
none of them are rich men, nor have
they a very heavy holding of the
stock. 1t is true that certain reputed
rich men have large holdings of the
stock of our company-some of them
being on our Board of Directors
but not one of them has made any
money whatsoever out of dealing in
our stock. They have all paid dollar