The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-28
THE PAN-ELECTRIC INQUIRY.
Interesting Testimony from the President o.
the Bell Company.

Interesting Testimony from the President Of
the Bell Company.
WASHINGTON, April 2I-Wm. H. Forbes
president of the Bell Telephone Company, was
examined by the telephone investigating COM
mittee to-day. The witness did not know that
any officer of the government or member Of Con-
gress had been connected with the original COM
panies, or held stock at the present time in the
national Bell ompany. The stock list showed
Dir. Ranneys name as q stockholder, but that
was several years ago, and he was no longer a
stockholder. Secretary Manning who held
stock in the Troy company, was the only govern
ment officer he knew of who held local stock
Witness said that no newspaper owned stock
in the Bell company, and the company owned no
newspaper interest that he knew of.
Mr. Ranney inquired if any member of Con-
gress represented his company as attorney
The witness replied that Mr.. Patrick Collins
had been retained several years ago to look after
certain matters, and had been consulted several
times since.
Mr. Ranney was anxious to ascertain if he
(Ranney) had been attorney for the Bell COM
pany or had been consulted directly or indi-
rectly.
The witness replied in the negative.
The examination was then directed by Chair
man Boyle toward the interview the witness had
had with the President. The witness said that,
understanding that the government proposed to
bring suit against the Bell company, he had
thought proper to state to the President the
facts as he understood them. I'VE thought the
President was proposing to take an unusual
course to bring suit against our company. The
Bell lawyers had expressed the opinion that
there was no authority for such suit. Then it
had been proposed to bring the suit in remote
part of the country. These facts I under rtook
to lay before the President / sought to lay be-
fore the President the facts as understood
them. and to give him our view" The witness
went on to say that he had presented TO the
President statement of the question of juris-
diction. He had pointed out to him that the
suit about to come up in the Supreme Court
would be decided before the government suit
could be heard He had pointed ont to the
President that it was the manifest intention
of the Pan-electric associates to secure
delay not to get the Bell patents tried but to
leave them untried, and he thought the govern
ment ought not to lend its name to a scheme of
that sort He showed that the tendency of q
government suit would be used to affect the
proceedings in other courts; that they would be
asked to grant stays in injunction proceedings
during long and tedious litigation in the name
of the government He had quoted Messrs.
Storrow and Dickerson, who were in New
Orleans in expressing their belief that the
same game was about to be tried before Judge
Pardee there II explained the motive of the
whole gang, so that he might understand it, for
wanted him to know what the governments
name was to be used for" exclaimed the wit
ness. He held that the Bell company should
not be subjected to long and tedious litigation,
and it would insist that it could not be sued
out of Massachusetts. He had asked that the
scope Of the inquiry be very carefully consid-
cred before the government entered into such q
plan as the one proposed. II saw that AN at
tempt was being made to influence persons asso
ciated with the administration to use the name
of the government against rs, and the President
did not appear to understand the justice or the
injustice of the proceeding"
The Chairman-Did you discuss the conduct of
the Attorney general or make any allusion to ita
The Witness-Simply to state that attempt
was being made to use government officers near
the administration in the interest of one Of the
parties 70 the suit. and that great deal would