The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1916-03-17
u.RAE PROTESTS AGAINST
THE TELEPHONE MERCER

the telephone merger tTahchlhe TOT
which application has been made and
which Is now under consideration
BY our city council. | realize the
fact that the most appropriate time
and place fer making such protest
will be TO the council when the pro-
posed franchise has been reported
back by the committee TO which II
has been referred. for upon II will
finally doyolye the responsibility Of
granting. or rejecting the ordinance;
but as the matter IS essentially pub
lie In all OF its phases and as ! feel
sure the council will welcome pub
| lie discussion OF il. ! believe that an
expression Of the views of the tele-
phone patrons OF our city, individ-
ually made. and not by petition, will
not be out Of place. When the or
dinance has been reported back to
the council by the committee il is
my purpose TO appear and follow
W this protest at that time. In the
meantime let us get some of the un-
deriving facts connected with the
matter. squarely and fairly, before
the people OF our city in order that
our council may have a presentation
OF the peoples side of the PROPOSE
ton For my part. land III this
respect | feel sure that | am in ac-
cord with a vast majority of the peo-
pie OF Warahaehie) | have no doubt
whatever that the council will take
such action as its members believe
will be for the best interest OF the
majority of our people and will not
be influenced by what may appear
to be to the interest OF few peo-
pie. who, by their own choice, have
seen fit to subscribe to both tele-
phones, nor what may be to the fl
naucial interest of a private corpo-
ration which was organized for pri-
vate gain and. perhaps, upon bad
judgment.
proposition from the viewpoint of
the people of our city and here are
few of the facts confronting us:
Some years ago the Independent Tel
ephone company made application
| te, and received from, the city eoun-
ell a franchise authorizing it to esr
tablish and operate its system in the
city OF Waxahachie. The gentle
man who is now urging the merger
1 franchise was one OF the gentlemen
who applied for and received the
! franchise to install the Independent
system. AT that time we had the
| Southwestern telephone in operation
! here and. of course. the Independent
people knew it, At that time we
had less use for enlarged telephone
/ facilities than we have now because
our city was smaller then than it
/ is now. 1t seemed to a great
many people then that We did not
| need another system; but upon the
insistenee OF the Independent people
/ the franchise was granted Many
reasons were assigned why we
should have another telephone sys-
tenn and without attempting to re-
call all of the reasons so assigned,
it is sufficient to say they were CO.
gent enough to accomplish the pur-
pose for which they We're offered,
| AS stated, the new company was
admitted and it installed its plant
and entered into competition with
the old company. | suppose its own
ers considered it good business
venture. or they would not have un-
dertaken it. Certainly it was never
organized for benevolent purposes.
Us purpose was 70 make money for
its owners and whether it has. or
has not is no concern of mine. nor
| the people of Waxahachie. any fur
4 Their than that we all want all legit-
innate enterprises in our community
I u SAtNtNN. II II hdr pttiu al piVi
/ am perfectly willing for its own
ers 70 keep and appropriate to their
own use and benefit such profits;
and by the same token, if il has been
a losing enterprise. object to going
down in my pocket 10 assist in maxi
ing their losses good and this is
what the merger of these two sys-
TENS would mean to me and the 9TH
or citizens of WaXahachie generally.
il the proposed merger franchise
should be granted
They want the city of Waxahachie
TO write IN that franchise the privi-
lege of charging increased telephone
rentals either now, or at some time
IN the future, An ordinance OF this
character is in the nature of a con-
tract and ii this privilege should be