River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-11-13
BELL AND EDISON.
Consolidation Of the Two Telephone
systems.


For the past lew weeks reports have
been current of a settlement of the lit
igation pending between the Bell and
Edison telephones respectively. The
Boston AdUertiser of Saturday gives what
we understand to be an authoritative
statement of the results reached. 1t is
as follows: The rival and conflicting in
terests in the various telephone patents
have at last been settled and Prof Bell
is master Of the field. The stockhold
ers of the National Telegraph Company
met in this city yesterday and ratified
the compromise by which all matters
in controversy were terminated; the
Western Union Telegraph Company
acting for and ON behalf of the Gold
and Stock Telegraph Company. The
American Observation-Disclosures
and the Harmonic Telegraphic Com
pany agree to withdraw from the tele-
phone business in the United States,
leaving the field entirely clear to the
company operating under the Bell
patents.
All persons who hold rights from
other companies will be licensed under
these patents. The Western Union
further agrees to allow the Bell Tele-
phone Company percentage on the
Geographic business received through
its instruments and to cooperate to the
extent of it's power. Under this adjust
ment the Bell Telephone Company ac-
quires all the telephone inventions OF
Elisha Gray. of Chicago; of Thomas A.
Edison, OF George NJ. Phelps, and all
others who had assigned their interests
to the Western Union or allied compa-
MES.
The right to connect telephone dis
tricts, or exchange systems, remains ex-
clusively with the Bell Company, which
will also license the Western Union to
use the telephone for trans hitting tele-
graph messages. The compromise thus
not only secures freedom from litigation
and control Of all the patents pow out
for the purpose Of transmitting human
speeca, but establishes harmony of in
terests between the Western Union and
the new company, which must be OF
inestimable value TO both. The sum
paid by the Bell company to secure this
most satisfactory settlement is not sta
ted. but is supposed 10 be a large one.
The telephone business in this coun-
try viii thus be conducted exclusively by
the National Bell Telephone Company,
although contracts made by local COM
panies with the other organizations will
not be iuterfered with, 50 long as they
last. simultaneously with the achieve
ment of this substantial triumph, Prof.
Bell also secures the vindication OF his
claim as the inventor of this wonderful
instrument. Elisha Gray, his competi-
tor for the honor, had, indeed, in Feb
iua-y. 1877, publicly given Mr. Bell full
credit for the talking feature of the tel
ephone, but the question of priority OF
invention was afterward thrown into
the courts and every effort made by the
contestants to obscure the real facts.
Now that the commercial interests in
volsed in the contest have been happily
settled, thAre is no longer any object IN
DENYING to Mr.. Bell the credit which the
highest scientific authority mad already
accorded I'm. The invention dates of
ficially from the 14sh of February. 1876,
and is vet in its infancy. That it i Ca
pabIe Of development and uses that
have not been dreamed of by the gem
eral public, may be asserted with safety.