The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-03-23

odds the brightest electrician in the Unite
States. Theodore N. vaie," the telephon
man continued, "has also made lots q
money out Of the business. He cam
from the railway mail service under Dol
sey to engage in telephones, and he Is no'
worth million. Brady lately transferred
his house to him at Washington for con
sideration Of 25,000-at least they 81,
that was the consideration. As for mysel
| doubt whether 1t was an actual sale ant
whether any money really passed. Brad.
does not care 10 own any property till ate
the jury have rendered their verdict In III,
star route case. Vale is now travelling II
South California for his health"
"What Is the capital OF the Bell tele
phone ?" | asked.
"Ten million dollars" was the reply.
"And OF the United States?"
"TEe same amount"
"What is the difference between them?'
"They are much the same. The Bel
Company is founded on the Bell patent
the Uailed States on those OF MCDonougt
and Coy. The Bell has the monopoly, bu
the United States is fighting hard 10 gain 6
ioothold, and will do so.
"a DIG scHEME
is now on foot to monopolize the whole
telephone business. 1t Is engineered by
the Bell Telephone Company, the Western
Union Telegraph Company, and Jay
Gould. These people propose to control
the telephone interests OF the United States,
and to combine them into such an organi.
zation as the Western Union. The tele.
phone is going to supersede the telegraph
in this country, and Jay Gould is keen
enough to see 1t. Why, just the other day
| held talk with man over seventy.fve
miles Of wire, and the sounds came as clear
as a bell, thoroughly ineligible. You
can talk further than you can telegraph,
and slight change in the inyen-
ton might enable child in New
York to hear the voice OF his mother
in San Francisco. The time will come with.
in very few years, when the different
cities and villages OF the United States will
be connected by telephone. They are so
10 great extent at present. Jay Gould &
Company propose 10 monopolize all this
vast business OF the future. They are now
buying up all the little exchanges, and they
own controlling interest in nearly every
State in the Union. They have some stock
in nearly every company, and they ewn
boston, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and New
York. The Bell Company, you know, until
lately has been merely renting its in.
struments, making the company pay
80 80 much a year for each. bell
used. They now sell the bell outright,
in consideration that the exchange to
which this privilege Is granted will water
its stock 931 per cent, and give that stock
to them. suppose an exchange Is stocked
at 100000, they increase their capital
stock by water to Sl50000 and hand over
this last $4,000 to the Bell Telephone Com
pany for this privilege. When these men,
in this way, have obtained monopoly OF
the whole thing they will buy out the
smaller Try, combine the whole, and make
it the biggest paying investment in the
United States. The stock will then go on
the market at fancy figures, and the boom
in Gould's Bell Telephone will far surpass
that OF the Western Union when his name
was lately used in connection with it.
There are, however," continued. the
man, Several contingencies
which may arise. The United States Tele.
phone Company is fighting the monopoly,
and should Coy make some wonderful
discovery it might certainly turn this
golden cake into good.for.not6ing dough.
A third party also claims that Bell has no
right to his patent, and he intendsto fight
the matter out in the courts. He claims
he has patent, indentical with that Of
Bells, Issued 10 him fourteen years ago. II
this is SO, the Bell Company must take a
back seat, or by some means obtain his
patent, in which case they would be
vitality opposed by the United States Tele.
phone Company. The new company will
control all the factories for the manu-.
tacture Of their instruments, and they can
easily make refractory exchanges come to
time. They will hold a monopoly Of
everything connected with the Bell Tele.
phone, and there will be no limit to their
business