United labor bulletin., 1913-12-06
An Open Letter to the
Telephone Using Public

public prosperity depends largely upon
the utilities that bring them in contact
with each other. and that the more
nearly perfect in efficiency and suf-
ficiency the utilities serving the public
are, the more prosperity, comforts and
conyeniences the public will enjoy
We believe our story is an interest
ing one. and we hope that everyone
will read II.
Hote.-As an Instance OF the kind
OF startling news which newspapers
sometimes publish. we want TO call
attention to recent articles in the
newspapers headed. United States
Government Calls Upon Two Girl Ste
nographers to Tell Where They Got
Two Million Dollars to Form the Cor
poration Securities and Investment
Company" Then the articles went on
to say that this Corporation Securities
and Investment Company was
scheme OF the Telephone Company to
further its purpose of monopolizing
telephone companies, etc.
The truth is that our company has
been met with strong feeling in the
State of Montana-well.nigh univer-
sal-that something should be done to
relieve the citizens of that state, of
two telephone systems. Public meet
ings have been held. and votes taken.
that the telephones OF one or the other
OF the systems should be thrown out.
Resolutions and letters have been sub
mitted to us, and we have started out
to see what we could do to relieve the
citizens of that state of this burden.
We found that the Independent in
terests operating there also operated
I'm Spokane, in the State of Washing
ton. and in northern Idaho. and that
the Independent interests doing bust
ness in Montana could not be bought.
or sold, so as to alone cover the prop
erty In Montana. but that the purchase
must include their property In the
states of Idaho and Washington. Tho
Mountain States Telephone and Tele-
graph Company does not operate In
either of these sections, and. there
fore, is not responsible for telephone
conditions there, nor does 1t wish to
operate there, but we felt we must
meet the situation in Montana, and
SO. in order to be in position to
either buy or sell, from or to, the
independent interests in Montana.
| there was formed this Corporation Sc
curitIes and Investment Company. as
corporate company, to enter into ne
gotiations with the Independent inter
ests in Montana, which negotiations
are now in progress. and. II possible.
to buy these Independent interests In
Montana, northern Idaho and Wash
ington. and then in the end, IL that
purpose was accomplished, the Corpo-
ration Securities and Investment Com
pany should sell to The Mountain
States Telephone and Telegraph Com
pany the portion of the Independent
plants located In Montana, and sell
to others the portion of these 1nde-
pendent plants existing in northern
Idaho and Washington.
We explain this so the public may
know that in the above Forword.
where we say there is no company
within company, or wheels within
Wheels" we are speaking absolutely
truly, and also that this Corporation
Securities and Investment Company,
which was SO freely advertised by the
articles in the newspaper referred to.
is absolutely n legitimate and proper
company and organized for the specific
purDOues stated,