The Lampasas Daily Leader. (Lampasas, Tex.), Vol. 10, No. 148, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 27, 1913 Page: 4 of 4
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the Lampasas Dally leader
J. «S. VERNOR J- H. ABNEY
Proprietors.
J.E. Vernor. Editor and Manager
E .itst'sd at the postoffice at Lampasas, Match 7
1904. as second class mail matter.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
PAYABLE IN ADVANCE
One week......... 1Bc
One month............................... “^c
Three months..........................$1.00
One year..................................4,00
MUTUAL RELATIONS AND INTERESTS
OF THE BELL SYSTEM ANO THE PUBLIC
Huerta Must Step Aside.
Washington, D. C., Aug. 26.—
Eleventh hour developments in
the Mexican situation today
postponed-delivery of President
Wilson’s special message to con-
gress until Wednesday and indi-
cated that the Huerta govern-
ment after all might withdraw or
modify its rejection of the pro
posals of the United States.
At the request of Senor Gam-
boa, Mexican minister of foreign
affairs, which is based upon sup-
plementary suggestions by John
Lind, advisor to the American
embassy in Mexico City, Presi-
dent Wilson consented to post-
pone his address to congress un-
til 1 o’clock Wednesday after
noon.
It was officially stated in that
connection that in no case would
the United States withdraw from
the basic principles of its position
paramount among which is a
consistent refusal to recognize
Huerta.
WHITE HOUSE STATEMENT
At the white house Secretary
Tumulty gave out this statement:
“Late last night about mid-
night after the conference be-
tween the president and foreign
relations committees of the two
houses, a dispatch came from
Mexico City in which Mr. Lind
united with Senor Gamboa in re-
questing the president to post-
pone his address to congress un-
til Wednesday in order to afford
the authorities in Mexico City
opportunity for consideration of
further proposals of the United
States on supplementary sugges-
tions by Mr. Lind. The presi-
dent has, of course, consented
and is expecting to address con-
gress at 1 p. m. Wednesday.”
THE AMERICAN PROPOSALS
Official announcement was
made of the original proposals
by the United States presented
to Huerta by Mr. Lind. They
were:
1. Cessation of hostilities and
a definite armistice.
2. An early and free election.
3. Huerta to bind himself not
to be a candidate.
4. Agreement by all parties to
abide by the results of the elec-
tion.
Upon . these proposals the
Huerta government at the last
moment asked for further time
for consideration and upon cer
tain supplementary suggestions
■ by Mr. Lind, the nature of which
is not being divulged here, the
request for a postponement was
made.
SHOULD HUERTA REFUSE
. If failure should be the result
of the negotiations with Huerta,
President Wilson in a message to
congress will recommend:
1. That all Americans left in
Mexico shall withdraw, and that
the United States shall use all its
available resources in aiding
their departure.
2. That the embargo against
the shipment of arms from this
country to Mexico shall be en-
forced, and that the United
States troops at the border shall
be reinforced for this purpose.
3. That the factions in Mexico
The suit brought by the United States
questioning the purchase of certain
telephone properties in the northwest,
as well as the pending Interstate Com-
merce Commission telephone investi-
gation, have caused many inquiries..
Without taking up anything going to
the merits of these proceedings, it has
seemed to us proper to state generally
what has been our policy and purpose
in the conduct of our business.
We have found, or thought that we
had, that our interests were best serv-
ed when the public interests were best
served; and we believe that such suc-
cess as we have had has been because
our business has been conducted on
these lines.
We believe that our company has an
interest as vital as that of the public
in the proper administration of the
problems of electrical inter-commum-
cation. The success and prosperity of
our company depend upon a solution
of these problems which shall be sound
from both the standpoint of the com-
pany and the public which it serves.
Following our own best judgment,
supplemented by the best obtainable
advice, we have endeavored to do what
would best serve the public interest;
wherever possible our plans have been
disclosed to the public in advance, and
what has been done in carrying them
out has been along ordinary business
lines, with the implied, and generally,
with the expressed approval, authori-
zation or consent of the municipal and
state authorities directly interested.
Our effort has been not only to obey
the law, but to avoid everything which
might even have the appearance ot an
attempt at evasion.
Our business methods and policy,
and practically all of the details as to
the transaction of our business, are
matters of common, knowledge and
are, and for many years have been,
well known to the government. We
will willingly furnish the government
any additional information which is in
our possession or under our control,
and will cordially co-operate with it in
obtaining such further information as
it may require. Every possible assist-
ance will be given by us to the courts
in their effort to determine whether
our policy is or has been inimical to
the public interest. We desire that
anything wrong be corrected -. we will
voluntarily rectify any wrong that
may be pointed out to us; and, so tar
as it may be determined that our poli-
cy or any act under it is against the
public interest, we will promptly con-
form to such determination.
We believe that if each of our ex-
changes were made an independent
unit and if each connecting line were
put under a separate control, the et-
put unuei a hepaunc
feet upon the telephone service ot the
country would be a condition so intol-
erable that the public would refuse to
submit to it and would immediately
require such physical connection and
common control of these various units
as would amalgamate them into a sin-
gle system. Physical connection in
the case of telephone or telegraph does
not mean transfer of messages from
one line to the other. It means such
a connection as will permit one person
to have the actual possession of the
particular line of communication from
one end of it to the other and this can
only be given efficiently by exchange
systems and connecting lines under a
common control; and that is what the
Bell System is.
In this connection, and for general
information, we will restate the policy
which controlled the building up ot
the Bell System, and our belief as to
what a telephone system should be, and
what are its relations to the public:
We believe in and were the first to
advocate state or government control
and regulation of public utilities *, that
this control or regulation should be by
permanent quasi-judicial bodies, act-
ing after thorough investigation and
governed by the equities of each case,
and that this control or regulation, be-
yond requiring the greatest efficiency
and economy, should not interfere
with management or operation. We
believe that these bodies, if they are
to be permanent, effective and of pub-
lic'benefit, should be thoroughly rep-
resentative ; they should be of such
character and should so conduct their
investigations and deliberations as to
command such respect from bothThe
public and the corporations that both
will without question accept their con-
clusions. , ,,,
We believe that the public would
in this way get all the advantages
and avoid all the manifest disadvad-
tages of public ownership.
We believe that centers of business
and population exist for the conveni-
ence of the public as a whole, and that
no such center can prosper without
sufficient and efficient means of inter-
course with other centers and tribu-
tary territories; that such means can
only be afforded by prosperous util-
ity and service companies and that
fair rates are essential to prosperous
companies. We do not believe that any
public either desires or can obtain, nor
can any service or utility furnish, per-
manent and efficient service at less
than cost, including capital charges.
We believe that ultimately the public
either directly or indirectly pays the
losses involved in theellorts to furnish
such service at less than its fair cost,
either through the loss ol_ the capital
involved, the losses incident, to poor
service or the necessary increase in
charges required to pay for duplica-
tion of capital.
We believe that the highest commer-
cial value of the telephone service de-
pends on its completeness—on the ex-
es. xnai me laciiuniB ill penua u« ito c Vi V
phall be left to fight out the quee- .j
—(Continued on 4th column of tais page.) only between individuals but between
I
centers of population; that no isolated
section dan be considered independ-
ently of any other section or of the
whole'- that rates must be so adjusted
as to make it possible to obtain the
maximum development by making it
possible for every one to be connected
who will add'to the value of the sys-
tem, thus giving the greatest value to
the greatest number; that the inter-
dependence of the telephone service
and the value of complete and univer-
sal intercommunication justify and
require some services partly at the
expense of the whole for the benefit
of the whole.
We believe that this highest com-
mercial value can only be attained by
one system under one common control
and that it cannot be given by inde-
pendent systems unless they are oper-
ated under agreements which result in
one common control and one common
interest, in effect making them a
single system.
We believe that rates should be so
adjusted as to afford the company
sufficient revenue to pay such wages
and compensation as will secure the
most efficient service; to maintain the
very highest and most advanced stand-
ards of plant and apparatus, to carry
on such scientific and experimental re-
search and inventions as to apparatus
and methods as to insure the highest
standards, and to carry to reserve and
depreciation such amounts as will en-
able the company at any time to re-
place old plant and old methods with
new plant and new methods as fast as
they may be developed and found to
be to the advantage of the service.
We believe that in addition, such fair
charges should be paid upon the in-
vestment in plant as will enable the
company at any time to obtain money
necessary to provide the plant re-
quired to meet the continuing demands
of the public; and in order that waste
and duplication of effort may be
avoided and uniformity of purpose
and common control be enforced, that
there should be a centralized general
administration in close communication
with and having general authority
over the whole on matters common to
all or matters of general policy.
We believe that any surplus beyond
that necessary to equalize dividends
on a fair basis should be used by the
company for the benefit of the public
and should be inalienable for any
other purpose, and should be either in-
vested in revenue-earning plant until
accessary to substitute plant which
may become inadequate or obsolete,
or should be used to make the service
cheaper or better.
We believe that under proper gov-
ernmental control and regulation the
profits from promotion or operation
allowed to be distributed should not
be so large as to warrant or tempt
complete duplication of plant and or-
ganization, with its duplication of its
capital charges and its organization,
operating, maintenance and deprecia-
tion expenses; and we do not believe
that utilities giving at fair rates an
efficient and sufficiently comprehensive
universal service should be subject to
limited competition, not giving such
service. Competition which ignores the
obligation to furnish a complete and
comprehensive service is not compe-
tition, is not for the benefit of the
public in that it does not reach the
whole public interested.
If, therefore, complete duplication,
with its dual exchange connection and
dual bills for service, is a prerequisite
to complete competition, government
control and regulation cannot go hand
in hand with competition.
We believe that the record of the
Bell System will be accepted by the
public as fully in accord with these
declarations. Consistent adherence to
this policy has given the public of the
Uuited States the best, most compre-
hensive WKpcheapest telephone service
in the world and made the Bell stand-
ards the standards of all nations.
To remove any possible excuse for
misapprehension on account of the
many misleading statements which
have been circulated as to the alleged
unnecessary and overcapitalization
and excessive charges of the Bell Sys-
tem, the following statistics are given.
Except where stated, the figures are
for the Bell System; that is, the Amer-
ican Telephone and Telegraph, and its
Associated Companies:
The entire Bell System on June 30,
1913, had outstanding in the hands of
the public obligations (i. e., notes,
open accounts, bonds and shares) to
the par value of $770,000,000. _
The book value of the total tangible
assets, which is considerably less than
their replacement value, amounted to
$960,000,000. Many appraisals of prop-
erty included in these assets have been
made, and most of them under the di-
rection of public authorities. In no case
has the value as it stands on the books
failed to be sustained, and in most
cases it has been very largely exceed-
ed
The total dividends and interest paid
during the year 1912 amounted to only
0.1 per cent on the average of its out-
standing obligations, and to less than
5 per cent on the average value of its
1 The actual cash which has been paid
into the treasury of the American Tel-
ephone and Telegraph Company on ac-
count of the capital obligations now
outstanding amounts to $22,000,000
more than the par of such outstanding
obligations.
The Associated Companies collected
from the public and paid back in taxes
over $10,000,000 during the year 1912.
The steadily increasing necessities
of the public not only for additional
but for new telephone service can only
be met by new construction, involving
Last Call on Refrigerators
We carry the “Our Very Best” brand of Re-
frigerators, and experience has proven that the
name is well chosen. They are in use by many
homes in Lampasas and every user is pleased.
The season is advanced and we will make
attractive prices and proper terms in order to
turn these refrigerators into cash and get the
room. Come and let us show you.
Everything in Summer Hardware
Fox & Mills Hardware Co.
LABOR DAY EXCURSION
August 30
GALVESTON
AND HOUSTON
Exceedingly L.ow Hares
Tickets on sale for trains arriving Galveston and Houston Saturday
evening, August 30th, and Sunday morning, August 31st, limited until.
Monday, September 1st, for return. Tickets will be limited until Tues-
day, September 2nd, for final return, on payment of one dollar extra.
d48-49-50 G. R. Ruff, Agent, Lampasas, Texas
N
capital outlay. To meet these demands
during tne six and one-half years from
1907 to June, 1913, inclusive, the in-
crease in telephone plant was as fol-
lows : Toll line wire increased from
1.460.000 miles to 2,242,000 miles; ex-
change wire increased from 6,000,000
miles to 13,000,000; the number of ex-
change stations increased from 2,780,-
000 to 5,200,000 ; the number of stations
of independent companies connected
with the Bell System increased from
343.000 to 2,620,000. The number of in-
dependent companies connected with
the Bell System is about 25,000. The
number of employees in the Bell Sys-
tem, not including the employees of
connected companies, on December 31,
1912, was 141,000.
During this same period the number
of shareholders of the American Tele-
phone and Telegraph Company, not in-
cluding either the associated or con-
nected companies, increased from 17,-
000 to about 54.000. About 47,000
shareholders hold less than 100 shares
each; 6,500 shareholders hold from 100
to 1,000 shares each; 347 shareholders
hold from 1000 to 5,000 shares each,
while there are only 16 shareholders
of 5,000 shares or over in lheir own
right. A majority of the shareholders
are women.
American Telephone and Telegraph Co.
THEO. N. VAIL, President.
Of the fifty million dollars to
be sent to the south to assist in
the proper movement of the ag-
ricultural products, Texas is to
get two and a half millions,
which will be deposited in banks,
subject to use as demanded.
There can be no cry this year of
scarcity of money to move the
cotton crop of the south, and
Wall street will not control it if
the authorities can prevent.
Where have you been, little
girl, little boy? Oh, our hearts
are running over with joy, we’ve
just had a haircut with Townsen
& Lamb. No nicks in it this time,
they’re the barbers what am.
They cater to children, we love
to go there. Our mammas all
trust them to shingle our hair.
Lone Star Barber Shop,
Townsen & Lamb, Props.
tion of supremacy.
4. That Americans remaining
in Mexico and their property
shall have proper protection, for
which leaders of the federals and
rebels shall be held responsible.
5. That Huerta shall not be
recognized as President of Mex-
ico.
6. That there shall be no in-
tervention of American troops
except as a final resort.
Huerta is given until 1 o’clock
Wednesday in which to decide
whether he will accept the pro
posals made to him through
Envoy Lind.
E. W. Vaughan, M. D., prac-
tice limited to the diseases of the
Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat, and
general office work. Office up-
stairs in the Townsen building.
Phone No 3. adv.dtf
J. C. ABNEY
ATTORNEY-AT-LAW
LAMPASAS, TEXAS
Office with W. B.'Abney, west side pub
lie square. Will Practice in all Court
d-56
T. S. ALEXANDER
ATTORNEY AT LAW
Lampasas, Texas
Will Practice in All Courts
Office over Darby & Key
E. W. Vaughan, M. D.
Practice limited to diseases of th
Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat, and
general office work.
Office up stairs in Townsen Bid
Phone No. 3
John C. Earnest, veterinary
surgeon, treats all curable dis-
eases of domestic animals. Rural
and Southwestern phone con-
nection. - tf
J. C. Matthews W. H. Browni
Matthews & Browning
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
Lampasas, Texas
Office over Peoples National Bank
Will Practice in All Courts
Daily Leader three months
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Vernor, J. E. The Lampasas Daily Leader. (Lampasas, Tex.), Vol. 10, No. 148, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 27, 1913, newspaper, August 27, 1913; Lampasas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth897370/m1/4/: accessed August 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Lampasas Public Library.