The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1920-07-09


he telephone company. The farmers
,f Knox county were then told by the
Public Utilities Commission that they
would have to take It. The common
pleas court, as constituted by
Holmes county jurist, told them that
hey would have to take 1t. And then
as they were about to seek relief by
The formation of a mutual company
the supreme court Of Ohio denied
them this relief, thus giving the Mt.
Vernon Telephone Company monop-
oily.
The concrete result OF all this was,
you must take 1t, and the farmer be.
gan to inquire "W1Io am II"
What merchant having a given ar
ticle for sale could say to his custom.
ers, have this article, in this quaint.
ty, at this price, this is the only place
in the county you can buy 1t, you must
take it, could hope to stay in business.
The attitude of the subscribers at
that time was not that Of denying the
more money II 1t would show
cause wherein 1t needed It, but the
trouble lay in the manner In which 1t
intended to get it.
AS proof Of this statement will say
that meeting of 200 subscribers Of
the Gambler exchange, held Sept. 80,
last, passed resolution saying that
they were willing to pay an increased
flat rate, if the company showed
wherein it needed it.
When petitions and solicitations from
committees from every section of the
county were of no consequence the
fight was carried to the Public Utili-
ties Commission. In decision of that
body the contention of the subscrib-
ers that the proposed toll charges
were unjust and unreasonable was up
held, but later this body, without one
word of additional testimony reversed
its former decision and gave the tele.
phone company all it asked for. Such
an action is unheard of in any court
of equity.
The people of the affected areas
had willed that they would not sub
nit to toll charge on top of flat
rate which had, according to Mr.. Ar
-nold's testimony before the Public
Utilities Commission given the COM
pany sufficient funds to meet all obli-
cations and put a substantial sum. in
fact more than 20 per cent of their
gross income, into reserve fund, had
no other recourse than to take the
service on a toll basis or take out
their phones. They chose the later
Owing to the feeling existing in the
hearts of the rural subscribers as a
result of it's policy of dictation and
threats of prosecution in the past, the
problem of the Mt. Vernon Telephone
Company is no longer a question Of
getting, an increased rate but of get,
ting a reasonable. re-installation of
telephones and the good will of the
people whom 1t has so previously of,
Tended.
I have in, my possession the names
of over 1900 people who have ordered
their phones removed, and l assure
you that that is not near all Of them
and more are going out every day
and those out are caring less about 60
ing back in. Even the management
of the Mt. Vernon Telephone Company
does not appreciate the seriousness
of the situation.
And now, gentlemen, let me assure
you that at no time have. we had any
desire to wreck the Mt. Vernon Tele-
phone Company but only to bring
them to sense of realizing that the
people are factor in the operation
of any public utility and any policy
of "the people be damned" will not be
tolerated.
can say that entered into an ac-
tive part in this matter with reluct-
ance, in fact did not attend the first
meeting of the Gambler subscribers,
but assure you that had made up
my mind that would not retain my
phone on any such schedule.
1t was at the earnest request Of the
Gambler subscribers that became