Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-10-20
A BLOW FOR PAN-ELECTRIC
REFORM"
Rogers Scores Victory - The Gift
Statesmen Must Answer.

WAsHfsGToN, Oct. Is.
The Pan Electric spectators must face the
music at last, and account for the money re-
ceived by them from their dupes on the
strength of Garlaod's legal opinion that the
Pan-Electric Telephone patent was not an in
frngement of any patent of prior date. The
Supreme Court of the District of Columbia,
in General Term, today, reversed the de-
cis!on of Justice James, of the same court,
who sustained the demurrer of all the defen-
dants, except Garland, to the bill in equity
filed by j. Harris Rogers, the inventor.
1t may be remembered that in considera-
ton of certain promises and agreements
made by them, and the further consideration
of $50 to be paid by each of them. Rogers
gave $500, 900 worth of stock each, in the
Pan-Electric inventions, to A. ii. Garland
and lsham G.. Harris, Democratic Senators
of the United States, and to j. d. c. Atkins,
Casey Young, and Joseph E. Johnston, who
were Democratic members of the House of
Representatives. The chief consideration
the one which Rogers regarded as of the
greatest value was the influence which
these eminent Democratic statesmen could
exert in floating the stock and obtaining
money to develop the Pan Electric inven-
tons. As DIR. Rogers put it in his testimony
before the Congressional committee, he ex-
pected Ito bank on their names"
The defendants organized the now noto-
rious Pan-Electric Telephone Company and
began to sell licenses for the use of the
Rogers telephone in the different States.
under guarantee to defend any suits
brought against the licenses on the ground
of infringement. Some $50, 600 vas thus
obtained, and this "swag" was divided
among the incorporators and stockholders
under the name of dividends" No pro-
vision was made TO defend the infringement
suits, which were begun as soon as the lcen-
ces attempted to do business. Neither was
any effort made to develop any of the other
inventions of Rogers, according to the agree
ment Moreover, efforts were made to
freeze Rogers out of the telephone COM
pany.
Mr., Garland is Mr.. Cleveland's Attorney
General; General Johnson is Mr.. Cleve-
lands Commissioner of Railroads: Mr.. At
kins, until very recently was Mr. Cleve-
lands Commissioner of Indian Affairs, and
is now a candidate for the United States
Senate from Tennessee, in opposition to his
Pan Electric partner, Senator Harris. In
conversation with Tribune correspondent,
DR.. Rogers, one of plaintiffs counsel, re-
marked that he intended to call Grover
Cleveland as witness, and added:
"Mr. Cleveland must be put upon the
stand, for all the Pan Electric people iocked
around him to explain their relations with the
Government Job charged in Section A. of
the bill, and Mr.. Garland, if | remember
Alright, said in his celebrated letter of de-
fence to the President that he had already
explained verbally to Mr.. Cleveland all about
the matter. This was all before the bill had
been filed, and 1t is matter of prime i'm
portance to get their statements, made at that
time, concerning their understanding with the
plaintiff about the Sl5, 100, 900 of stocks
which he had promised to divide among them,
by giving them more than half his patents,
on which the stocks were to be based, and
which they failed to issue, but held on to the
patents"
"Do you suppose that Mr.. Cleveland went
into such minutiae?"
"Why not?" said the doctor HE is a
great worker, and went into all the minutiae
of pension bills, to do what he could for
widows and orphans"