The Shadowy Fight Over Tacoma's Telephone Monopoly
Councilmen accused of catering to the Sunset Telephone company while ignoring constituent demands for fair rates.
The story, cleaned up
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Those who want and those who do not want the Sunset Telephone company to do business in Tacoma have agreed upon one thing: certain councilmen seem quite anxious to earn the favor of the Sunset. Four of these are named Hawley, Giblett, Conrad, and Wright. Several others have been noticed bowing obsequiously to Manager Sandy of the Sunset, but whether with a spirit of expectation or due to a natural-born servility of disposition, is not yet clear. Hawley, in particular, represents South Tacoma, where residents have been clamoring for cheaper, better service. The Sunset has turned a deaf ear, yet Hawley has strenuously opposed an independent franchise in the city council that offered to provide the main line service at a lower cost, going so far as to pull Usher, another South Tacoma councilman, into the Sunset camp.
“It is generally expected that councilmen will do all that they can for their constituents, but Hawley and Usher evidently believe that the interests of the Sunset are superior to the interests of their own people.”
Municipal franchise battles over telecommunications and utilities remain a staple of Tacoma civic life. This 1904 dispute over market entry and council loyalty mirrors contemporary debates regarding internet service providers and municipal broadband initiatives.
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