The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1916-03-04
THE TELEPHONE
MERGER CHILLED
2. r. SPEARS OUTLINES HIS on.
LECTION. GIVING
REASONS.
Heouetion OF Free-ToiI Limits Will
Mean Large Additional Charge
Upon Users.

able space is taken up in your editorial
columns about National and Interna-
uOnal affairs. which nine-tenths OF
your readers care nothing about. while
matters of considerable Importance 20
almost every citizen in this community
are scarcely mentioned.
one of these I am going to call your
attention to-the telephone merger
now being worked up by the Bell Tele-
phone company. | positively belieya
this TO be n of the biggest ~robberies
q attempted to be put over on the
public. Tie Canvassers are given A
nice little story TO tell and all the
a Is furnished to show the suhscrib-
ers how much less one phone will cost
them than two.
Let us look into this case a little.
How many business houses can get
along with a single phone linee How
many times per day do YOU find both
your phones in use? You will find
II almost a matter of daily occurrence
that your party may be busy on one
phone N YOU can reach them over
me other with ease. In this age OF
rush and strife for efficiency aud
where time is money. every business
house viii find il absolutely neccs-
sary To have two or more direct lines
coming into their offices. This Will
cost them more on the Bell system
Than u does on the Bell and National
az b present time.
Then. do not overlook this miser-
able toll proposition. Just think
every time YOU call a party in Mounds
VIE, -. ClairsVille. West Alexander
and some other points ] am not famil-
lar with. you will be required 10 paw
toll. This wiz lead TO endless compIi-
cations and disputes and considerable
extra clerical work TO keep track of
toll charges hat will have to be
charged up against the telephone.
Did anyone ever know the Bell Tele-
phone company TO do anything for the
dear public that did not net the Bell
Telephone company a handsome sum-
Did you ever stop TO consider what
interest the Bell Telephone
has i'm spending thousands Of dollars
IN making this canvass and using
liberal advertising space in the news.
papers To explain what they are going
10 do for the subscribers? DO Won
think this is all In the interest OF the
dear public / do not. / think il is
all in the interest Of the Bell Tele-
phone company and no one else.
Too many OF our citizens are relying
on the public service commission to
stand between them and the Bcu Tcle.
phone company. But what is The public
service commission 20 do when the
Bell Telephone company presents them
with "a petition signed bp niue-tenths
Of the Subscribers ] candidly believe
nlue-tonths OF the subscribers who
sign these petitions do not know what
they are sl-ninE.
With ali competition eliminated. how
long do you think 10 will be before
Elm Grove. Bridgeport. Bellaire and
Martins Ferry. and all other towns in
this district. viii be paving toll rate
While l am not "a lawyer and know
nothing about law. ] doubt II u
public service commission could
handle Interstate matters.
This is q very deep question and I
think every subscriber should consider
Do carefully before signing away their
rights. and, I think. the newspapers.
Ia the interest OF the public. should
give all the facts on the case and
show exactly what towns would be on
Oh" toll rate and what the toll would
De- and the net increase on every
phone. As ] understand. the rate on
every phone in tho city or IN the dis.
trict viii Dee advanced.
Unless their memories are very
short. D think hundreds of Bel sub
scrIhcrs viii recall The arbitrary man
nor ln which the Bell company acted
when they had the field an 10 them.
selves 10 you had an ~outoftoWa
friend 100 your office or home. hc or
.I" would NOT Doe permitted to use
our phone unless the central han.
p'u'd 600 Doe lu 20 happy mood have
E-LH. ML-