The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-02-24
NEW TELEPHONE COMPANY.
Ex-Ministcr Egan VIII Lead the Fight
Against the Bell Monopoly. t'

| I'VE" iELEFHONE COMFANf. u
Ex-Minister Egan VIII Lead the Fight
| Against the Bell Monopoly. t'
Patrick Egan, ex-minister plenipoten-
tiary to Chill, is at the Grand Pacific. Mr..
| Egan's diplomatic career, though short,
was fraught with much care and trouble,
and his return to business life, though in
his case contemplating a war upon one of
| the biggest and most INSCRIPTIONS of cor
porations, doubtless proves to be COM
paratively quiet and peaceful as COM
pared with his turbulent administration
| of his ministerial Office. Mr.. Egan has not
deserted his republican friends in retiring
from a diplomatic life, nor have they for
gotten him. He is the secretary and treas
urer of the Harrison Telephone company,
of which Senator Steven b. Elkins is
president and r. c. Kerens of st. Louis
and ex-Congressman Warner of Kansas
City are fellow directors. George r. Peck
of Chicago and Colonel Ferrees of Kansas
City are also directors of the new corpor-
alton, whose business it is to furnish the
people with a telephone service at half the
cost the Bell Telephone company has
been doing the business.
"Yes, the recent decision declaring the
Berliner patent to have been secured by
fraud was heavy blow to the Bell peo-
ple," said Mr.. Egan to Chicago Times
man. "But that is not ALA decision is
soon TO be made by the supreme court of
the United States which, we believe, will
be even more conclusive. As illustrating
the practice of tho Bell monopoly, it is
interesting to know the history of the case
soon to be decided. First let me explain
that the practice of our patent office is to
date patent from the day it is granted,
q a Il e. Is
vention is first patented in another coun-
try-say in Great Britain-to observe the
time limit on the life of the patent estab-
lished by that country. The life of a
patent in Great Britain is ii years,
instead of II as with us. The Bell COM
pany, desiring to change the custom so
well established by years of practice, but
not wishing TO arouse antagonism, got a
defunct New York refrigerator company
to sue a Washington butcher for the pur-
pose of establishing the fact in a supreme
court decision that an invention should
be considered as patented at the moment
applied for, instead of at the time of the
issue of the patent. 1t was of course
a friendly suit. and il was NOV
ing along beautifully to a decision
satisfactory to the Bell people when
the Westinghouse company people dis
covered the name of Judge Carter. famous
among other things for his mastcrful ar
guments in the Bering sea arbitration,
and the recognized leader of the Amcr-
can bar-they discovered that Judge Car
ter was counsel in this strangely obscure
and unimpor;ant case. Well, it didn't
take them long TO discover the niger in
the woodple.' Gen. Benjamin II. Bristow
was engaged and the case has been ably
fought, and we are confident it will result |
in another knockout for the Bell.
What does the Harrison company !
mean for Chicago? Perhaps you can
Judge of that for yourself when | tell you |
that within the last month the Bell people |
have lowered their rates in New York from |
$40 to $40 a month, by way of a gentle |
hint to us. A company has already been |
organized here and an application for
franchise is now before your city council. |
As we have been welcomed everywhere |
with the utmost cordiality, We are conf |
dent we shall meet a hospitable reception |
here.
"In towns where overhead wires are al |
lowed, local companies can serve business |
houses for s. 80 and residences for 81 a |
month, and the company can make plenty |
of money at that rate. Down in Lafayette, |
where we already have established an ex-
ChuiSes tue Deil company Iuaue n cut the
other day from $50 to SIS year for the
business houses and from $50 to S12 year
for residences. But the people down there
cannot be hoodwinked by such proceed
ings, and prefer to pay us our rates and
stay with the Harrison.
"What is the Mexico-Guatemalan
trouble? Well. am not informed con-
corning their matters in dispute, but | |
don't see how Guatemala can hope to
cope with Mexico in n struggle at arms.
You may remember that some four years
ago there were propositions made looking
TO the federation of the several Central
American republics. Though nothing
came from it, it indicated a spirit of unity
and it may be that these several states
will back Guatemala in her demands.
my interest IN Irish affairs has in no
wise abated, and / am panied to see tho
divisions between the friends of Ireland
that make any real progress impossible.
As things now are no one may conjecture
what the future may bring forth. t..