The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1914-11-27
SPEAKER FARR|S
ROASTS THE OCTOP|
In General and the Bell
Telephone in Particular
At a Specially Called Meeting held in
Board of Trade Rooms Monday
Night.

At Specially Called Meeting held ir
Board of Trade Rooms Monday
Night.
Hon. Ion L. Farris, speaker of the
Florida House of Representatives
sessions of 1909 and 1913, and the
only man in Florida with the excep-
ton of Dr. John L. Gaskins of Brad
ford county who was ever elected
to the office of Speaker over two ses-
sions of the Florida legislature, ad-
dressed a hastily summoned meeting
of citizens at the Palatka board of
trade rooms on Monday night.
Mr.. Farris was in the city and the
promoters of the Automatic telephone
company, knowing him to be the i'm
placable enemy of the Bell company,
persuaded him to remain over and tell
what he knew of that company's
methods, and incidentally of the su-
perior advantages of the Automc tic.
Mr.. farris has served in three ses-
sions IN the lower house of the Flor
ida legislature, in two of which, as
above stated, he was Speaker. He
is now the Senator-elect from Duval
county. He is political entity that
has to be reckoned with in his home
city of Jacksonville. He is that be-
cause he has proven his fidelity to
the cause of the people.
After being introduced by President
Earnest, Mr.. Farris began his address
by explaining that he bore no love
for the Bell Telephone Co. He had
been up against their system and had
suffered by reason of the contact.
"The Bell company" said Mr.. Farris,
"is the biggest trust in the United
States, and has oppressed the people
OF every community whore it has had
no competition.
"The company maintained a power
full lobby at Tallahassee and has sue
ceeded in defeating every measure
having for its purpose -le grant;n" of
power to municipalities to regulate
telephone rates and service. In 1907,
1909 and 1913, | introduced and pro-
cured the passage through the house
of measures giving to- the city of Jack
sonville power to regulate rates and
services of all public service corpo-
rations, and | also attempted to con-
fer this power upon every municipali-
ty in Florida, but each time the Bell
Telephore lobby was strong enough
to defeat this legislation in the SEN
ate. In the last session of the legis-
lature the Bell Company resorted to
the subterfuge of having introduced
and passed bill purporting to en-
power the Rrailroad Commission to
deal with the question of regulation
companies. This measure though en-
tirely ineffective resulted in defeat
ing the legislation advocated by me
comforting this power upon the NUM-
cipalities. If you think the R. R.
Commission can give the people any
relief under this law just write to any
member of the commission and be-
come disillusioned.
at is admitted that the automatic
is the best telephone on the market
today and it is true that wherever the
automatic has been installed it has
been done by home people and home
capital. The profits of the Bell Com
pany are sent out of the State to pay
dividends and interest to foreign
stockholders and bondholders. All of
the profits of the automatic remain
at home and benefit every citizen of
the community. The Bell Company
spends thousands of dollars to denv
the people the right to regulate rate
and service. The automatic readily
consents to the expressed condition of
its franchise that the people have the
right to regulate rates and service
In Jacksonville the automatic has met
every requirement and condition of
the franchise granted to it by the peo-
pie and has given the people better
telephone service than they have ever
had before in the history of the city
lncidently this has forced the Bel
people to give better service. Not.
withstanding this fact, however, ir
my judgment, the Bell telephone will
be eliminated in Jacksonville in the
near future and the people will re
, tain the automatic.
81 know of no reason why thi!
heartless octopus should love the peo
pie of Palatka anymore than the,
loved the people of Jacksovnilel. |:
you entertain any doubt as to the cor
; rectness of my statement just asl
your Representatives in the next leg
: islature to introduce a bill empower
ing your city council to prevent tn
Bell Company from expressing tn
people by increased rates and boo
service and then watch the fate o
that bill. If it runs the gauntlet o
the Bell lobby at Tallahassee, it vii
be the legislative miracle of the cen
, tury. The opposition to the automati
/ in Palatka comes from the Bell CO
: and from no other source. Thi
q company undertakes to tell you tina
it should have an exclusive monopol
of the telephone business, but denie
o you the right to say what kind @
q service you should have for you
v money and the rates that you shoul
: pay for your service. The City cour
Gil in Jacksonville, several years ag
" passed an ordinance regulating tn
. Bell rates. The Bell immediatel
, went into court and enjoined the er
q forcement of that ordinance and the
! had the injunction made perpetual.
= Personally | am in favor of goy
o ernment ownership of all public uti
n tiles. | believe that municipalitit
\ should own and oprate the telephor
lsystem and it is my intention to il
troduce a measure in the next legi
: lature empowering all municipalitit
to acquire or establish public utilitit
and operate them for the public goo
The automatic is perfectly willing
accept a franchise here or anywhel
else upon the expressed condition TIL
k@ asA l..