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Show Crowed 'Phone tOires in Ogden. We are in the midst of a telephone war during these days of peace and good will. War is the word, for the reason that on the heels of the ap-. plication of the Homo company for a franchise comes the Bell people asking for an extension of thirty years on the franchise they now operate under. That is only the beginning. The Bell people don't want the Home company to break in at all not even a look-in on the pastures green where the monopoly has had such a thrifty career. On the other hand the Home company is out after the business and they are in sight of the long end. John Henry Smith of the Home company, good old John Henry, accompanied by his smile and his apostolic hug, has been up in Ogden town doing business, and the way the Councilmen have been flocking to the Home company has given the Bill people a series of fits. There is no particular objection ob-jection to the present system, but the patriotic Councilmen say that competition is the life of trade, and, besides, John Henry thinks so, too. So it is easy to see where the Bell people get off when it comes to getting a continuation of the monopoly. They have the Mayor and one Councilman Council-man with them and there they quit. It is said the Mayor is opposed to a competitive company doing business in Ogden and that means he will use his subtle influence with the Council to give the Bell company the best of it. And right I here arises an interesting question: Since how long has the Mayor been sleeping with the Bell H people? Time was when there was hardly room for I both Manager Murray and Bill in Ogden at the same time. The conversion, however puts Bill I in touch with the better judgment of the city, which naturally opposes the bickerings and scrap -M pings of a pair of companies fighting for existence I and the public getting a rotten service. There is I another reason put forward why the Mayor op-l op-l poses a competitive company, and that is because H the gentleman has long since had his eye on the H opportunity to put in a plant here and he wants to keep the field clear. In that event he might have personal objections to granting the Bell company an extension of franchise, which they are asking H for, but at the same time he might be willing to give them a new lease of life, provided the Council will turn down the Home company, apostle and all. j There is still another reason for the attitude of the Mayor. Before his recent congressional ambition was knocked higher than Maroni, Bill got a hunch that the church would not stand for him and he has been very lukewarm lately in playing the church hand. There may be other reasons, too, but they would necessarily be drawn wholly from the imagination. Suffice it to say, Bill favors the Bell as against the Home company. The woods are full of franchises just now. A local company wants a franchise from the city and county to build an electric trolley line from the city through beautiful Ogden canyon. So far as the county Is concerned it has not much to say either way as to the granting of the franchise, for the reason that its control is limited to a wagon road twenty feet wide, and about all It can do is to grant permission to cross said road at various points. The city will, however, have considerable to say about a franchise along the streets leading to the canyon, and so will the owners of the real estate over which the road would have to run. There is no reason why a franchise should be denied de-nied by anybody concerned, but on the other hand everybody ought to get in behind and help push. Out of the peaceful calm hovering over the political po-litical gulf comes just the shadow of a story that after all an attempt will be made to put the hopes of our own Senator Allison on the toboggan when it comes to electing a President of the Senate. The rumor is that one George M. Cannon, ex-something, has trotted out Senator Steve Love as a candidate against Allison, and that he has got the Weber Senator going south looking for the tall timber. A careful survey of the situation shows this rumor to be one of Mr. Cannon's keen strokes of humor. Mr. Allison not only has a cinch, but is tied on by neck-rein and crouper. Mi-. Cannon knows it as well as anybody and he is only exploiting Love-so Love-so as to serve notice on the State that he is not dead, but a real live Senatorial candidate, with one member of the Legislature as his backer. In view of the commonly accepted theory that the politicians of a country generally support the candidates for positions of honor from their county it is hard to reconcile the silent disdain with which Bill treats the candidacy of Dr. Condon for Speaker of the House. Weber is supposed to be a unit for the ambitious doctor, but Bill has not if, ElfHfL been wasting any printer's ink to let the rest of llfiiili the State know it. The doctor, however, takes it ftaifnB V philosophically. He says he is stronger with Bill P.llf!iyf against him and that if the Standard fights him KbIIJBS his election is assured. In fact that is what's P'llSflBf hurting Doc. The Standard don't even notice hia $rllIH t candidacy and when Doc don't get a call he is like A w fjMBh1 Bill a roast is more acceptable than silent con- MJetB ' His Hard Penance. P I MB j This story comes via the Philadelphia Press, " W jjjtBu and Jack Nevins is credited with it: A pair of ft I nHKI mountebanks called on the pastor in an interior If 'l jttu Irish village and asked to be married. They en- - "gj countered him in the body of the church just as fc'ffi'Hr he was about to begin the Saturday confessions. SI,, Tpij-" The young woman answered his questions satis- M 4f?Bl$ factorily concerning her knowledge of the faith, P'lf'BI her preparedness, etc.; but her escort seemed ffi'M iMriJ somewhat hazy on religious matters. ft 'BfljBp "Why, what have you. been doing with yourself tf'lf !:' I since your parents taught ye the right?" asked tho 8 f ffaB, Priest- II fiHH ' "Sue er, I've been a Boundln' Brother of l!'l!PyB' Barbara, re Jed the mountebank. frvi lB''H "A what?" asked the mystified clergyman. 11 11"! S' The applicant gave a practical .Illustration of Isji'B his meaning by throwing flipflops, handsprings, PlllinBk cartwheelB, and other "stunts" of the circus ring f WOBl in and out among the pews, up and down the ' I'fliBll aisles, and around and about the church. Bidding IMhI the couple call later In the day, the priest proceed- llfiHBl ed toward the confessional, to be stopped by an HHHl elderly woman, who, throwing herself on her knee3, flllHl exclaimed: fnfllHf "I may be a bad woman, father; but don't give IHaflMI me a penance like that young man's! I could never m BmmK do It it would kill me dead!" $P I'MHl Town Talk. If IfHHr Mrs. Kidder Well, Uncle Grimm, for what are ftj 'UH you especially thankful today? MwK Uncle Grimm I am thankful that little Theo- IHiflK dosia ain't twins and little Stuyvesant ain't HHHf triplets! Smart Set. IwH College Professor Now, Mr. Sikmmitt, if an llsisIH irresistible force should meet an immovable body, llllllB what would happen? wffiSflHH Mr. Sklmmltt Why er probably Bibhop Pot- 111EHB tre and Mark Hanna would volunteer their ser- liiltliB vices in the interests of arbitration! Puck. iilHiHH |
