Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-25
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

The District had no Public Utilities
Commission half a century ago to regu-
Subscribers Protest a iaSd estab.
New Telephone Rates. i 8 an s5aTtSs
Hence there was constant friction be-
tween the corporations and the public
in respect to these matters. The tele-
phone was only a few years old when
trouble arose on the score OF the rates
for the use of the new means of COM
munication. In The Star of January 25
1881, is the following:
1.-THE meeting at Lincoln Hall yester-
day, both by it's size and character
showed that the subscribers to the tele-
phone exchange are very much IN
earnest in opposing the new rates pro-
posed by the company. The latter as
sert that they are not making any divi-
dends, and are not likely to unless they
raise the rates. Further, that their
rates are much lower than in other
cities.
"As to the matter Of dividends, they
cannot expect to make much in the way
of net profits while in the period of or
ganization and construction. Scarcely
any business company expects to do
this. Instead of raising prices they
should seek to make their enterprise
profitable by enlarging its scope and the
number of subscribers-in short, by
making it so cheap convenience that
its subscribers could be reckoned by
thousands instead of by hundreds.
"At any rate, they had better revise
their new schedule at once. 1t Is OBJ
iectionable to the subscribers in almost
every particular, and they are evidently
quite in the temper. If it is insisted
upon, to discard the telephone alto
gether, or to encourage the organization
of a competing company that Is not
loaded down with royalty to the pres
ent Bell monopoly. The subscribers
here do not care whether the charges
are heavier elsewhere than in Washing
ton or not. They feel that they pay
now all that the convenience Is worth
to them, and that If higher rates are
insisted upon they will do without it."
X x
"Gen. Tom Thumb and His Beauti-
full Little Wife and Their Unique Par
Tom Thumb Ticket 1or E E n n e r :
Scale Causes Row. al ana Museum Jus y n
Wonders" were showing for a week at
Lincoln Hall SO years ago, the fact be-
ing proclaimed in the advertising COL
umnS of The Star, with the announce
ment that the admission to the show
was 10 cents, with seats 10 cents extra. !"
The charge for seats evidently was not
known to some of the younger patrons,
as the following letter signed 1.-TWO
Little Girls" printed in The Star of
January 81, 1881, indicates:
"Please put piece in the paper for
boys and girls not to go to the Tom
Thum Show. They pretend to charge
only 10 cents admission, and when
you get in you have to pay 10 cents
more for seat, or you can't see any
thing. We only had 10 cents to get in
with, and couldn't see thing. Our
money was just throwed away"
Whether 1t was due to this plant or
not, action was had in the matter Of
the alleged imposition, as indicated by
the following in The Star of January
%, 1881:
"The appearance of Gen. Tom
Thumb and his manager at the Police
Court this morning attracted a great
deal of attention. Officer Harlow SWore
out warrant against H. r. Jacobs, the
manager of the Tom Thumb Museum,
for selling reserved seats in Lincoln
Hall after the performances began.
Iney QepOSlUeQ 30 cOllaJeral ana 1nln1e-
diately left the court with a view, as
they stated, of forfaiting the collateral
and thereby avoiding a trial. The
managers have advertised an admission
fee of ten cents and have drawn large
crowds to the hall, and persons find on
entering that they cannot get seat
unless they pay ten cents more. This
has created a great deal of confusion
and some feeling against the manage
ment, as many of the children could
not pay the extra ten cents and were
consequently forced to stand in the rear
where they were not able to see any
thing. There is a law against any
theater or other place of amusement
selling seats after the performance be-
gins, but has never been enforced,
though repeatedly violated"
This court happening was on Friday.
The engagement of@the Lilliputians
ended Saturday night. The advertise
ment of the show in the Saturday Star
was changed to read: Admission
Without Seats. 10 Cents; With Seats
20 Cents" IA