Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 78, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 March 1909 — GET BUSY. [ARTICLE]

GET BUSY.

Nothing will be done in the matter of granting a new franchise to the Jasper County Telephone Co., enabling them to raise the rent of all 'phones in Rensselaer 50 cents per month, until the next meeting of the council, next Monday night. If you are opposed to a raise in the rates you should get busy and talk to your councilman about it. It is scarcely likely that the council will grant any such franchise 4f a great number of protests against the measure are made. Therefore if you are opposed to the proposed increase in rwtes don’t sit back supinely and say nothing. The Democrat is Informed that the measure is likely to go through unless active work is done by the oppoments of a raise in rates.

Another thing, urge upon your councilman that in the event the proposed measure cannot be headed off, that he use his influence to see that the new franchise provides that proper central connections shall be given to every telephone line that wants to enter Rensselaer, for if talk counts for anything almost the whole entire farming community hereabouts will quit the present company and establish mutual lines rather than submit to a doubling up in rates, which it is proposed to do to country phones out a few miles from town.

Should these farmers’ lines be constructed they should have central connections here at a central price, and no franchise should ever be granted by the city council that does not make provision for this.