Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on December 30, 1930.
CITY IS ORGANIZING FOR “BATTLE”
SEEK TO STIR COMMUNITY TO CIVIC ‘PERIL’
Rotary and Kiwanis Ready to Join Chamber of Commerce in Opposition to ‘Goodrich Phone Deal’.
DESIRE FARM BUREAU AND COUNCIL SUPPORT
That Valparaiso’s civic, commercial and industrial interests are going to organize to carry-on the three-year fight against the proposed in pending split up of their telephone service system, was clearly apparent today.
During the last 24 hours, the Rotary and Kiwanis clubs have voted to join with the Chamber of Commerce to “see things through.”
J. William Bosse, retiring as secretary-manager of the city's civic organization to become deputy state superintendent of public instruction under the new Democratic regime, which takes control next march, has determined to center his efforts, the last weeks of his service here, to the organization of the city and community through an effective agency, to battle for its rights and future.
Monday Mr. Bossee appeared before the Rotary club, reviewed the split-up of the Northwestern Indiana Telephone Company which means the arbitrary division of Porter county’s telephone Communications between two companies, pointed out the handicaps against community units in progress that will result, and received pledge of spirit support.
Today Mr. Bosse placed the facts of the telephone deal, by which Former Governor James P. Goodrich, through his political power, Indiana, has engineered the transaction to the point where the Public Service Commission has reserved two former rulings and given its approval to a transaction it has held to be “against the public interest” before the members of the Kiwanis club.
The Kiwanis club voted to join with Rotary in support of Chamber of Commerce opposition to the phone deal.
Mr. Bosse is known to desire the active backing of the city administration and of the Porter County Farm Bureau. The Spooner-Leetz administration, predecessor of the present Schenck administration, was active in its support and civic leaders are confident that the governing body will quickly respond. As soon as the farmers and residents of the surrounding communities realize that their interests are equally at stake, with those of Valparaiso, their support is certain to be forthcoming.
Mr. Bosse hopes that the city administration and Farm Bureau will follow the lead of the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary and Kiwanis clubs and appoint committees of three members, to participate in the formation of a central organization through which the fight against the telephone deal will be directed.
“Valparaiso and Porter county have worked for years for better and closer community relations. They have common aspirations and interests. They have realized that their future development is linked closely with the development of the Calumet and Chicago districts, and now through the proposed telephone deal, they are to be split apart,” explains Mr. Bosse.
“They must fight a common fight for mutual protection and advantages. If one loses, all lose,” he added.
The first step to make effective resistance to the latest order of the Service Commission, is the creation of an organization that will unify all community interests. The next step is to adopt a plan for financing efforts.
So far over $500 as being expanded in the contest. There may be a need of $1,000 more. It is possible that attorney Bruce B. Loring who has successfully directed all the legal moves, will desire the co-operation of an attorney especially versed in the telephone in general utility field.
It is recalled locally, that the LaPorte community recently was successful in making remonstrance in a telephone rate increase contest and financed its efforts through an appeal to all telephone users to subscribe one dollar each to the fund which was augmented by larger subscriptions by the business, banking and industrial interests.
Attorney Loring is understood to plan an appeal to the courts from the commission’s latest ruling whereby it reversed itself and followed the order issued by Judge E. Miles Norton of Lake county, whom Goodrich, when governor, named to the bench, and gave approval to the deal by which Goodrich’s company, the Winona company of Plymouth, gains control of the Valparaiso and Kouts exchanges and the Crown Point Telephone company control of the exchanges at Chesterton Wheeler and Hobart.
If this division is finally made, Valparaiso, the county seat, and all the rural community surrounding it, will be set apart from Chesterton, Wheeler, Hobart, the new steel city development at Port Williams, and the Dunes region development generally.
Those who have taken the leadership of community opposition to the Goodrich scheme are certain that once the full meaning of the proposed transaction is understood, that hundreds of citizens will enlist in the contest, the successful termination of which means so much to county unity and progress.