The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-04-14
TO FIGHT A MONOPOLY
Great Telephone Company to
Make War on Bell.
SEATTLE MAY NOT PROFIT eyu.
Immense Aggregation Of Capital to xs-
tablish Cheaper Telephone SER
vice in Every City.


10 put new system OF phones in every
city in the Union at a price which viii
place them within the reach OF the moor
mans pocketbook. but thanks To the ae-
ton of certain members OF the city eouu-
ell Seattle Is not likely 10 share the bene-
1 fits OF this new move. About a year ago
the local corpora ton OF this combination,
tne Home Telephone Company. applied TO
the council for a franchise but after &c
had passed the house Of delegates IL was
rejected by the board OF aldermen. The
result is that this city does not appear In,
the list Of those where the new company
proposes TO operate.
The parent company OF this combination
has organized subsidiary corporations In
various sections OF the country. that
which will conduct the business in the
Pacific Northwest being named the Pa
CHIC Standard Telephone Company. The
aggregation OF capital involved Is $780,
ope 90.
shut Ont of Seattle.
In March, 1884, a representative Of the
combination was In this city from Chi
cago and interested the best local cani-
tai in the city. s. II. Piles, representing
the combine, then introduced an ordin-
ance asking for a franchise, and stating
that the rate Of charges would be: Resid-
ences. s. per month: business houses 81
per month. The franchise was passed in
the house OF delegates. but was defeated
In the board of aldermen. elise Sweeney.
Lovejoy and Compton voting against 1t
Now Tacoma. Portland. Helena and other
Western cities will soon enjoy the privi-
leges guaranteed by the combine. but Se-
attic VIII have no representation. being
still at the mercy OF the Sunset Telephone
Company,
IL Has Powerful Backing.
been full of news concerning the new
deal and the Chicago Times-Herald re-
Gently stated that the new enterprise is
backed by the sugar trust, the STANDARD
OIL Company, the immensely wealthy
Croker interests OF California and the
Pullman company interests. 1t has also
among the men who are '1n on the
ground floor" some OF the shrewdese
capitalists OF every city in the Union.
Parallel with its line OF capitalists are
line of politicians who rank among
politicians in the same fashion that the
interested capitalists do among moneyed
men. Among these are James s. Clark
son. of Iowa: John W. Gambler. OF Bos-
ton: Col. Conger, Of Ohio: Congressman
Cannon, OF Utah, the head of the Mormon
church; Louis Windmuelier. OF New
York: Franklin Fairbanks. ex-governor
of Vermont; Leon Albeit, of New Jersey /;
Gen. Felix Agnus. OF Baltimore; Charles
A. Pillsbury. of Minneapolis. and In ILL.,
nois. w. J. Campbell. who also represents
the Standard OH interests: John s. Run
nells, who also represents the Pullman
interests, and W. W. Tracy. Of Spring
field.
II Is this combination that IL behind the
Cosmopolitan Electric ordinance, which
played such an important part In the re-
cent municipal election in Chicago. The
entire country as far west as the Missis-
sippi river has been parceled out and
placed in the hands OF local companies.
each of which is-organized along these
double lines OF capital and influence. Tho
amount of political influence concentrated
is scarcely caIcula BILE. IL is safe to say.
however, that IL IS enough to make any
desired friendly legislation a great deal
easier to obtain than II otherwise would
be- and TO make hostile legislation great
deal harder.
The company is the Standard Telephone
Company, of New York. The electrical
devices TO be used are those OF Allen T.
Nye, who ten years ago made such pro-
longed fight on the original patent cover
ing the transmission of speech by means
OF a wire. He was unsuccessful then. but
the expiration of that patent about year
ago gave him the benefit of what he tried
TO gain by litigation, and that he has
been successful within little more than
succeeded In doing and interesting the
capital that he has done. and casting to
windward such a strong poliucai anchor
ms he has, will be taken by many as
nrettv good evidence that his devices
have merit and commercial utility
Phones No Longer Luxury.
When the representative from Chicago
was in this city last year he said that the
company was waiting until the old Bell
oh
thew would seize the devices and give the
nuhlic the benefit OF their capital at about
ona-sixth the rate now charged by exist
ing companies. He made known then to
the local capitaiists that the organization
Of the company. was being made very
quietly, and that great secrecy was being
observed that before the patents ex-
pjred the whole gigantic system would
he ready for operation But even TX the
sunrer,e court should sustain the patents
the counnany could go right ahead. he
said for II had ample devices or It's own
Tie very probably had reference In this
lat,sr Statement TO the devices OF Allen
r. Nve. However. the company now mas
the use OF the old patents, for the SUI
nrene court OF the United States few
davs aro. decided that they had expired.
rrha COMPANY now proposes TO put In
.eIarhones all over the country AZ uni
fown, nrice OF 81 year. and make what
Is now n luxury and n convenience WITH
IN the means Of comparatively rev.
,,.-nsst,v within the means OF the great
bo,,v Of the public. The devices are al
rea5v in use I'm New York city ana state
and in New England. II IL said, ana IL ~
promised that 500 OF them VIII oe VI use
in Chicago within the year
What Has Been Accomplished.
The New York Times in an editorial
savs that the Harrison company. which
a. nart ~ the great combine. is already
e,,.,rr The ola Bell company hard rub
a. ne csties of the Central Western states
-T..a couanauy expects 20 begin work or
coretr,,rtfou in TerTe Eiaute. Ind. Few
,,...,,s he,,~e with SO subscribers. At 50.
r..er,b sg{cb now company has Oh
,atr.a a franchise by binding itself TO
charge not more than So per amman, ana
me Rcu company has reduced It's rate
there from S4S 70 SIS ~ hokomo, mo,
~ t,eu company has reduced its charges
- sc N,,t a new company. which has
a. e,,hs~rtbers. promises 70 make rates
s,ti1 toursr. The old company in Emporia,
L-sn has made n concession Of - per
ce~. t.st a new Company recently organ
d. orarz much lower rates. The Wis
.o,,ssr raiepbore Company CBeiD has de-
terrof-as - reduce Its rates In al parts
~ eve state CNilwaukee excepted by -
,e~ cont 4 similar reduction has been
a-s.rs4 throughout Nebraska by the
Nebraska Telephone COMPANY beh
g,.s-.-izarfon. 4 reduction Of u per cent
g. ,n,es IN I.nckpoVt. y Y. The organ
fvatto1 - new competing companies of
1o-al ~srftzlfsfS 3n Carbonate Pa. Ia
-o~fe lad, stanton. Va. Sacramento.
81. San Jose. Cal. Mobile. Ala (:
--snnna F1a.. E-ikin. y c. Shreveport.
Ia. Dalton. Ga; Fort WAYNE IND, !: