Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1913-02-01

phone trust justified the demand.
An expert employed by the city,
after giving full credit to the trust for
all Of its expenditures and alleged
losses by depreciation" found that
the people were entitled to the re-
surplus Of 100000 over and
above fat dividends and other net
earnings.
Instead Of giving this to the public
In a reduction Of rates some aldermen,
voted to donate most Of
this great sum to the Phone Trust 20
that 1t could raise the salaries Of ito
employees and give them old age pen.
sions.
This IL something new in the his.
tory Of government by and for monop.
0lies.
To make the public pay for raising
the salaries Of the employees Of q cor.
poration II a greater outrage than the
popular imagination has ever con.
ceived Of before.
When you get q wrong number"
three or four times in succession, re-
member that the incompetent employe
who gave It to you had their salaries
raised at your expense.
Whenever you are insultingly or In.
solently treated by q phone employe.
remembered that you have been
mulcted to raise the Offenders salary
and to provide an old age pension for
the guilty person.
Whenever you get q busy signal"
for Q number that has not been busy
at all, remember that the enploye
who fooled you II enjoying . raise Of
salary and prospective pension ut
your expense.
II you are q property owner and
have paid an exorbitant assessment
for paving an alley, remember. when
the Phone Trust tears up that pave.
ment to plant new poles, that you
have also been mulcted and are still
being assessed for the raising Of sal.
aries Of Trust Phone employees.
Judge John h. Caverly 10 making .
hne record on the Municipal Court
bench. He 10 an able and conscien.
tous Judge.
The public 10 watching the tele.
phone situation closely. Il has been
MIXED % long to keep up big divi.
dends, that . reduction Of rates oil
along the line 10 demanded.
When the Ben monopoly was work
Ing overtime % get the city council
70 knock out ~ Illinois Tunnel Tele-
phone Company's franchise Mayor
Harrison expeessed himself % believ.
Ing that better service could b Oh.
tanned from . dual telephone service
than from Q siASle oae.
I'm every instance that I have bssn
personally informed Of" he said, the
two systems have been about - cheap
70 the consumer - one. Competition
seems to produce better service. I
really believe that better service can
be expected from two companies than
from one"
There are more aldermanic candi.
dates in the field at present than
there ever have been at this time Of
the year.
Several Of the Aldermen have 81.
pressed wonderment that the big Tele-
phone Trust. which 10 lighting %
hard to maintain high rates. does not
adopt the automatic system which has
lowered rates and given satisfaction
wherever tried.
One alderman asserts that II 10 Dos
sible to supply local telephone service
In cities at two cents per call. plus
. rental charge 20 low that ever,
household could have service.
This would help the company's long
distance business.
Over capitalization and antique
methods are what make telephone
service between cities far removed
20 high 20 to be prohibitive.
Any attempt to lengthen the terms
Of aldermen should be squelched. The
term Of two years is plenty long
enough. Until we have the recall the
shorter the term for an ofiicial the
better for the people. The people can
re.elect q good alderman and at the
same time they don't have to wait too
long to get crack at bad one.
The questions OF prohibition and 10.
cal option are the growing issues
which will have to be met at Spring.
field.
Albert ]. Hopkins election to the
short term in the United States SEN
ate would meet with the hearty ap.
proval of every fair minded man in
Illinois.
~
One thing the people are sick and
tired of is home rule that favors
phone magnates.
~
Reducing salaries of policemen.
firemen and city employees twenty per
cent and giving 100000 Of money
due the city to the telephone com.
pany to raise the salaries of its EN-.
ployes is fine record for the city
council.
-
Give the people Q referendum vote
on the telephone rates.