The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-07-14
TO CONTINUE THE WAR.
Independent Telephone Companies
to Fight it Out.

Columbus, Ohio, July ia meeting
of great INTEREST," being held in parlor z
of the Crittenden Hotel to-day and will
continue over to morrow. The meeting
is of the advisory board of the Independ-
ent Telephone Association of the United
States OF America. The members pres
emit are James 0. Thomas. Chillico.he,
Ohio; William ]. Vesey, of Fort Wayne,
Ind; H. d. Critchfield, of Mt. Vernon,
o.: G. r. Savage. of Sunbury, Pa; J. G.
Duncan, of Knoxville, Tenn; S. c. Hig.
gins, or Saeinaw, Mich Hugh Dough-
erty, Of Blufton, Ind; Thomas R. Mar.
shall, of Keithsburg, Ills, and T.. l.. Mil
Ter, of Frederick, Md
The object of this meeting is to formu-
late some plan of action against the Bell
Telephone Company. The plan will be
defensive rather than offensive. The
members OF the independent company
will go ahead with their building, and
will act on the defensive unless they are
forced by the Bell people to go into liti-
gation. If this is the case they will neither
spare time nor money to push the matter
through the highest courts.
IL they are victorious it will mean the
cheapening of telephones fifty per cent
so claim members of the boards. Some
time ago the government sued the Bell
company to cancel the patent on what is
known rs the Berliner microphone, OF
what is more commonly known as the
transmitter.
This patent was issued in 1901 and the
claim was that practically the same pat
ent had been granted in 1880. The case
came to trial before Judge Carpenter in
the district court of Massachusetts, sit.
ting in Boston. The government also
claimed there had been fraud in the get
ting of the '91 patent. Judge Carpenter
held that the '0l patent should be can
celed because of the priority of the pat.
ent of 1880. He failed. however, to pass
upon the question of alleged fraud and
of appeals of Massachusetts,.
The three judges in that court decided
that in suit brought by the government
TO cancel patent the patent cannot be
Cancelled unless it was proved that there
had been fraud in the taking out CT the
papers. They held that Judge Carpenter
had erred in his findings The.matter
went to the United States supreme court
and in May that body refused to cancel
the patents.
On May 21,es meeting was held in
Chicago by the independent companies
and preliminary organization was eff.
fected, and the meeting adjourned TO
meet in Detroit in June. Here perma-
nent organization was effected and the
following officers were elected
President. james NJ. Thomas, of Chilli
Gothic, o.; first vice-president, H. G.
YOUNG. of Columbia. Pa; second vice
president, L. X. Hime. of Oskaloosa,
Iowa. third vice president, Thomas Frick-
Ter, OF Ashtabula, o.; secretary, G. w.
Beers, of Fort Wayne, Ind; second assist
ant secretary, ID. G. Dow, of Cobleskill,
n. y, and Treasurer, J.. A. Carr, of Dur
ham. n. C
Said one of the mcmb ers of the advisory
oard to-day: "Our contention is that
the basic patents of the Bell Company
have all expired. The only patent they
have so we claim, is the BeIiiner patent
Our campaign against the Bell people
will be defensive; but if it comes to liti.
CATION we will take the matter through
the courts. On this line we will base our
battle. Should we win the cost to sub
scribers of telephones would he reduced
fifty per cent"