Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 122, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 November 1909 — About Franchises and What The Council Should Exact. [ARTICLE]

About Franchises and What The Council Should Exact.

The Republican favors the greatest amount of publicity in the matter of franchises, and doubts very much if any city council would be justified in waiving the rules of regular proceedure in order to hasten a franchise through. There might an occasion arise where urgent measures were justified but for the greater part it seems to us that the council should not wish to usurp the power of passing judgment on a franchise without giving the public an opportunity to consider it. The council might be ever so discerning and yet fail to observe vital points in which the city is interested. It is a right the people have, for it is-the taxpayers, present and future, and not the members of the council except as taxpayers, who are affected. We believe that the council should inform all franchise seekers that they will not pass any franchise except in the regular way; that this is a fixed policy of the council and that it will not vary from that course. Then the public should be advised of the pendency of the franchise and invited to dissect it. The members of the council will certainly heed the reasonable demands of their constituents and if they have given- every one a chance to speak they can never be accused of too great haste and too little consideration. . - At this time there is a very important franchise ordinance pending —that of the Home Telephone Co. It has as its officers and directors a number of very excellent farmers and the organization of the company is probably along very fair lines. They want a company of their own with the right to do a general telephone business. The granting of a franchise to them will mean that practically every business man will be required to put in an additional telephone at his place of business and a number at their residence. It does not mean that the phones of the present company will be thrown out and the new company take over the business, but it means that two phones will adorn the business houses instead of one, and that the business man will pay the freight. It does not mean that you will simply pay $2 extra for one or two months but that during the next three years each business man would be out something like $75 and that during all that time he would be at the inconvenience of answering two telephones instead of one, with all the confusion of rings. We believe that the Home Telephone Co. should have honest consideration, but that it should be informed that the franchise of the Jasper County Telephone Co. does not expire until August, 1913, and that merchants do not care to be at the expense of paying for two phones during the intervening period. We believe that they should be informed that if they want to wait until near the time when the present company’s franchise expires that the council then can decide, which company shall be franchised. We believe that the owners of the company now doing business should be informed that this action does not give them any license to cheapen the service during the meantime, and that they must maintain a fair service and that if they expect to be re-franchised when their present privilege expires they must expect to guarantee the city a thoroughly up-to-date plant and service. ...... It is certain that the Jasper County Telephone Co. is not. going out of business Until it Is compelled to do so. It is also certain that it would taka years ftjr an opposition company to root them out, It is also certain that there are up buuinesn men iq Rensselaer who care about the aiinoyance and expense of a long drawn out telephone war. The public pulse should be held for some time and counted carefully before a franchise granted that will precipitate a telephone! fight with the public footing the bills.