Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 122, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 November 1909 — The Republican’s Standpoint In the Matter of Telephone Franchises. [ARTICLE]

The Republican’s Standpoint In the Matter of Telephone Franchises.

The Republican never advocates a policy for a part of its readers, and the article suggesting that the council give careful consideration to the business interests of the city before it burdened the community with a telephone fight by franchising the Home Telephone Co. was not “judiciously” omitted from the Tuesday Semi-Weekly Republican, and appears in the Friday issue that circulates in the country. It is not an uncommon thing for matter used, in the Evening Republican to be held until the following Friday issue of the SeiniJVeekly for convenience in make-up. This. explanation is not necessary to our readers and there is not a shggetion contained in the article in question that we do not consider entirely prudent and the merits of which we would gladly discuss with any of the members of the company in question. Their investment is small, and we believe that they should not ask a franchise until the present one with the Jasper County Co. expires. The attitude of this newspaper toward the Jasper County Telephone Co. is well known. When the proposition was before the council last spring to grant a new and increased rate franchise to that company the Republican advised against such action and the writer made appearance at the council and argued in a perfectly fair manner his reasons for opposing the franchise. Unlike our vainglorious neighbor we did not simply oppose for purposes of personal spite nor proclaim from the housetop the credit for its defeat, but our opposition was made after considerable investigation from other points and entered into without regard to the personal interests of any person connected with tire Republican or interested in financial success. The opinions of tne Republican are not controlled by special interests and when this paper speaks it lias but one object in mind and that the welfare of the entire Community. To this end it may be said that influence of this paper is not for sale and that it has never inaugurated a movement with the hope that some one would buy it off. There has never been a time and the time will never come when the writer will regard personal or special interests expept as secondary to the welfare of the public. Money can not purchase a Single expression from this paper, nor suppress an opinion in support of the public oj' any principle. The Republican believes that the council should not grant a franchise to the new company at this time. It also believes that the Jasper County Telephone Co. should be given plainly to understand that its service must be maintained at a reasonable standard of quality, and that the ing of the frahchise from the new company is done solely jn consideration of the public. We believe that should the Home Telephone Co. decide to erect its country, lines. 4nring the pendency of the present franchise of the Jasper County Co. the latter should be compelled to handle these lines over the local switchboard and give the subscribers service over the new lines at no increase of cost. The city of Rensselaer belongs as much to the farmers in this county as it does to the town people in the matter of their comforts and convenience and if they organize a telephone company and construct lines in the country they should have connection with every city phone and . the Jasper CLounty Co. should be required to handle the business for them. Not without pay, to be sure, but receiving for their work an equitable part of the rentals. We believe that the telephone rentals over the county are excessive and that the Jasper County Co. should reinstate the old toll rates. The council can not control this but the refusal of the company to accede to the demand for the reduction should call for some action that would bring that result about.

Last spring the operating company suffered a large loss by storm. This fact is indisputable. They asked the council to grant them a franchise at an increased rate, promising improved service by the installation of a better plant. The pubUc sat down hard on the request and the council supported the public. There is a belief that the company showed the cloven hoof to a considerable degree and for some time the service was quite abominable. But it has since improved until now' it is as good as will be found in most places. The company did another thing that was not popular. Failing to get, franchise consent to raise rates in the city they did raise them in the country. Farmer subscribers rebelled. The threat of opposition resulted in a restoration of the old rates. Now the company is back on its old basis except in the matter of country toll rates. The company has less than four years to operate under its franchise. The public won its contention. Would it not be fair now to grant the company the right to continue during its franchised period? Aiyl would it hot be unfair to place business houses to tt>eexpense of having two phones? Something might be said about the quality of the plant that the new company proposed to put in, which questions their sincerity in the matter of a thoroughly up-to-date plant. The “common battery” system is the really modern kind. But this was not included in their ordinance but inserted at the suggestion of an outsider. The 'company also asked for a thirty year franchise, which looked rather unreasonable to the council in view of the many improvements in telephone equipment. Alterations made by the council, it Is understood,

has caused the secretary of the company to say that the project is practically dead, but the things the council exacted are practically the things that the secretary wanted to impose on another company. You can’t tell how sincere a man is in his public utterances until he asks for a privilege in which he is himself interested. Rensselaer needs but one telephone company. The present one will suffice until its franchise expires. Then it will be a survival of the fittest.