Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-12-03
0t)e Caiuastfr 1ntelIiseness
IAHoAsTKR. DECEMBER s. Isl
The Fortified Bell.

Inc fOTtiteu DELE
The New York Herald makes up sum-
nary Of the facts in the telephone contro-
versy which reveals the remarkable way in
which the Bell telephone company has been
pared for by chance or cunning; the pre-
sumption being that the major part of the
credit is due to the latter agency. When
Bell got his patent about ten years ago, he
did not know its value as telephone and
the people who saw it did not think it an
nboundingly beautiful creation; one gen.
tleman of Boston declining proposition to
take half of the patent in foreign countries
at the cost of taking out the patents there.
However In the course of two or three
years, and after two or three changes of
corporate title, the American Bell Tele-
phone company found itself in 1850 very
handsome child of the old Bay state. Then
other inventors sprang for its neck. A suit
brought in the interest of the Western
Union company which had purchased the
Ed1eon and Gray patents, was compromised
before trial, but after much testimony had
been taken in the preliminary stages, by
an agreement on the part of the Bell CON-
pany to pay to the Western Union one-fifth
of its profits. Since then the Western
Union has been in alliance with the Bell
and the combination has been strong
enough to wiring the neck of opposition
until the United States took a hand
In the game and SO far it has
bafiied even the nation through the re-
markable decision of the Ohio court that
the suit must be brought in Massachusetts.
What sort of a fiery furnace it is thus
thrust into is shown by the fact that the
federal judges in Massachusetts have
already passed upon the validity of the
Bell patent, the district Judge in his deci
sion having gone so far as to declare that
q century of Rees would not have made a
Bell telephone; Rees being generally be-
lieved to have been the original inventor
of the idea. This was decision made in
an early case, which there is good reason
10 believe was collusively brought. There
was but little time spent in the investiga.
tion of the case by the court which rendered
its decision in a few days after it had been
feebly argued before it. And this was the
only case in which the Massachusetts court
ever decided the priority of the invention o.
the telephone; and the only one in which
any court ever so decided, we believe
owing to the comfy between the fedora
courts which leads them all to accept the
decision of the first one that handlesa case
The Herdld's summary of facts shows
furthermore as to the Massachusetts courts.
that the father and brother of ex-Judge
Lowell were very largely interested
in the Bell telephone stock the
father lending money heavily on the
stock, and the brother being a trustee
for the holders of large block of stock as
well as himself a heavy owner. Justice
Gray, of the United States supreme court.
sitting in this circuit, is shown to have
been blessed with numerous cousins and
other relatives owning this stock. 1t does
not need to be said that these judges were
corruptly influenced by the interest of
their relatives. In fact Judge Lowell
wrote to Mr.. Ranney, the Bell attorney In
Congress, that he did not know that his
relatives were interested in the company
when he made his decision. This can
readily be believed, and we do not suppose
that he or Judge Gray would consciously
have permitted their relatives interest 10
control their judicial action. But the fact
that the Grays and the Lowells were nu.
merouslyfound in the Bell stockholders list
shows how strong was the attraction and
how beautiful the form of that precious
child to the Boston financial instinct. 1t
shows that Boston air was wholesome for
the Bell creature and that a profound love
for it exists there. Judge Lowell had gone
into judicial ecstacy about it and all the
women and preachers were wild over it..
Rev. Cyrus y. Bartol, who has declared
from his pulpit that President Cleveland is
an awfully bad man for raising his hand
against this precious hope of Boston, is
down in.the stockholders list for lO3 shares
in it.
The foresight which secured, in &
cOllusive suit, verdict in Boston for the
American Bell Telephone company, as the
owner Of the first and only telephone pat
ent, has found it rich food and promises
it continued harvest until the expira
tion of its patent, seven years hence, since
it will take all that time to get the appeal
from the Boston court through the su.
preme court. What the United States are
going to do about it, We are curious to see.
1t can hardly be that it will let itself be
spit upon in this fashion and permit a
faudulently obtained patent to run its
whole life, because the machinery of its
Justice is unable to stop it sooner. The
machinery evidently needs such amend
ments as to enable the nation to give the
Bell fraud short shrift.