The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-09
BELLS GREAT RIVAL.
ENORMOUS CAPITAL AND POLITI-
CAL INFLUENCE CONFINED.

New Telephone Company to Cover
the Country-Three Hundred and
Sixty Million Dollars Now Invested
in the Big Organization-DOubt
IL Even the BELL Company Has
known What the Organizers Were
Doing.
Chicago Cor New York Herald.
The finest combination of capital and
political influence ever gotten together
has been organized to enter the telephone
field and rout the Bell company by giving
cheaper. and, 1t is declared, better tele-
phones.
The new enterprise is backed by the
sugar trust, the Standard Oil Company,
the immensely wealthy Crocker interests
of California and the Pullman Company
interests. 1t has also among the men
who are ION the ground floor" some
of the shrewdest capitalists of every city
in the union.
Parallel with its line Of capitalists is a
line of politicians. who rank among politi-
clans in the same fashion that the CAPT
! talists do among moneyed men. Among
these are James S. Garrison, of Iowa
John w. Gambler, of Boston, Mass: Col
| Conger, OF Ohio; Representative Cannon
! of Utah, the head of the Mormon church;
! Louis Windmuller OF New York; Frank
lin Fairbanks, formerly governor of Yer
mont: Gen. Felix Agnus of Baltimore.
Md. Charles A. Pillsbury, of Minneapo-
lis Mimi, and in Illinois w. j. Campbell,
who also represents the Standard OH in
terests John S. Runnells, who also rep.
resents the Pullman interests, and W.
W. Tracy. of Springfield.
The entire country, as far west as the
Mississippi river, has been parceled out
and placed in the hands of local compa>
MES, each of which is organized along
these double lines of capital and influence.
The aggregate capital involved is $780,
100000. The amount of political influence
concentrated is hardly calculable 1t IL
safe to say, however, that it is enough
to make any desired friendly legislation
a great deal easier to obtain than it other,
wise would be, and to make hostile legisla,
ton great deal harder.
The company is named the STANDARD
Telephone Company, of New York. The
G4GNlA4NdA NGN4IEH 10 DC uSeQ are lAOSe OF
Allen t. Nye, who ten years ago made
a long fight on the original patent cover.
ing the transmission of speech by means
of Wire He was unsuccessful then, but
the expiration of that patent, about g
year ago, gave him the benefit of wha,
he tried to gain by litigation.
The company proposes to put in tele
phones at uniform price of SIS per year
and make what is now luxury within
the means of comparatively few persons
a necessity within the means of the great
body OF the public. The devices are al.
ready in use in New York city and state
and in New England.
Not the least remarkable feature about
this gigantic combination is the secrecy
with which operations have been conduct.
ed. This publication will be the first in
timation the public will have of the plans
of the company. 1t Is even doubtful IL
the Bell company, with all its immense
interests threatened. knows much, If any
thing. about what has been done by its
rival in aggregated capital, If not vet
its rival in the actual operation of teIe.
phone lines.
The Standard Telephone Company is
the parent organization, and there are
nine local companies east Of the Missis
sippi and ten in process Of organization
to cover the remainder OF the territory in
the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The Standard Company has a capital ct
Sl0,00O00, and offices at No IS Broad
street, New York It's board Of directors
is made mp % Thurlow Weed Barnes
president; John A. Brill, president Of tho
J. @. Brill Company, car builders. Of Phil.
adelphia, PA Carl L. Baker, OF the hard