The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-23
FIGHTING A MONOPOLY
CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE BELL TELE-
PHONE COMPANY BEGUN.
Organization of a National AssOcia-
ton of Independent Com panies-
Speech by II. s. Taylor.

| DETROIT, Mich, June 22.-The campaign
| of the independent telephones of the
| United States against the American Bell
! Telephone Company was opened this after
noon at Harmonic Hall by the organiza-
| ton of a national association of independ-
| ent companies Delegates to the conven-
! ton were not numerous as expected,
about three hundred taking part in the first
meeting. Telephone exchanges and electri-
| cal manufacturing companies from all sec
| tions of the country were represented.
| Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and others of
the Central States and the Middle West
sent the largest delegations.
The convention was called to order by
Charles Flowers, president of the Detroit
Telephone Company, who introduced Mayor
Maybury. The mayor welcomed the conven-
ton as a body of men assembled to per-
feet system of telephones at a reasonable
| cost. Mr.. Flowers seconded the welcome
and added that the purpose of the conven-
ton was to establish a great national or
ganization commercial beneficial and ag-
gressive. The Bell Company, he said, is
monopoly whose life has expired by limita-
ton.
Judge James NJ. Thomas of Chiilicothe
o., responded to the welcoming addresses
Our friends" said he "all told we
were getting daft in opening up a fight on
the great Bell Telephone Company. We
are going to succeed in this movement and
teach our friends that we were right and
they were wrong.
A long and interesting address was made
by Judge r. S. Taylor, of Fort Wayne,
Ind, counsel for the independents in the
suits brought by the government to test
the validity of the Berliner patent. He
called the Bell Company the most success
full stock raiser that ever sheared lambs IN
the United states" and gave resume OF
the history of the granting of the Ber-
liner patent and the attempt of the govern
ment to settle the question of its validity.
The speaker deplored the result of that
litigation, and said the government would
probably not make another test, leaving
it for the people themselves. to take up the
night He characterized the Berliner patent
as the most inexcusabe and abominable
court, designed simply to enable the Bell
Company to maintain their gigantic
monopoly.
Judge Thomas was called to preside as
temporary chairman. A committee on
credentials was appointed, consisting of
Delegates Mcleod, of Michigan; Andriess,
of Indiana; Blow, of Tennessee; Hoyle, of
Ohio, and Criswell of Iowa. The commit
tee reported adversely on the request of
some Pennsylvania delegates to be allowed
to- cast vote for a number of telephone
exchanges in that State not individually
represented in the convention. Similar re-
quests came in from other States and a mo-
ton was made to amend the report of the
committee on credentials in accordance with
this request The amendment was voted
down and the report adopted A. V. Dive
ley, one of the Pennsylvania delegates,
made a particularly strong fight for the
amendment and stated after it was voted
down that he would take no further part
in the convention. A recess was taken UNI
til evening.
preliminary meeting in Chicago reported a
constitution at the evening session. 1he
name Of the organization will be the INDIE
TpIaDhOna Association of the
United States of America. The objects of
the association are stated to be protection
of Independent telephone interests and OF
apparatus owned and operated by such
interests the bringing about OF reasonable
charges for tolls and rental of telephones
and of Interchangeable trunk systems and
long-diStance lines.
The amount named by the executive COM
mittee for membership fees and assess
ments, so cents per telephone and % cents
per mile of toll line per year, aroused
a heated discussion Judge Hatch of De-
troit, said it would aggregate $4,000, which
he considered an eXtravagant amount. lie
also objected to the purpose to which part
of 1t was to be applied, namely-the pay
ment of expenses Of litigation against the
Bell Company under the direction of the
advisory board of the association Judge
Hatch thought it a dangerous experiment
for widey-separated companies to commit
their legal interests to this advisory board.
The Detroit company absolutely refused to
enter into any association which contem-
plated litigation.
A. .. Coon, of Illinois, understood the
purpose Oh OISdIlZdllOu 10 De SelI-pIOpdSd-
tion and self-protection and an offensive
and defensive attitude when necessary to-
wards the common foe, not merely for pur-
poses of advertising. An amendment to re-
duce the amount of assessment did not
prevail and the section was agreed to.
The constitution admits individual manu-
facturers of independent telephones and APP
paratus to honorary membership, but de-
MES them the right to vote. Against this
section Delegate Taylor. of Ohio, manu-
facturer, protested strenuously but the sec
ton was agreed to. A section denying
porations engaged in the manufacture of
telephones or connections was sent back to
the executive committee for further con-
sideraton. The other sections were agreed
to and the adoption of the constitution went
over until tO-mOrroM.