The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-12-16
BATTLE-GROUND OF
TELEPHONE WAR
Interesting Careers of The Two Men
Who Are Making NotabIs
Fight.

Cleveland Is being made the battle
ground FOR one OF the most interesting
skiImfsi1es of The great telephone war ilia1
is being wagea all over the country. The
baltic is between the Bell and the non
Eel. or Independent, telephone com
railies. Cleveland Is one of the largest
cities in which the rivals have come into
contact with each other.
The generals on both sides OF the local
neither OF them is a CIevelander. both are
well known here. for they come 10 this
city often 20 watch and direct the prog
ress of the hattie. Both are men whoa
careers have been interesting cad both
are among the most prominent figures in
The national telephone war of which the
Cleveland skirmish is but a part
Charles ]. Gl:dden IS older in the tee
phone business. having been one OF its
SSoneeTs and having been al the IeaG OF
Isse company controlling the Bell interests
n Cleveland FOR years b fore the lnIe-
pendent company now fighting the oder
one was IN eAis snce. Judg= James Milton
Thomas. OF Chilicotae, O.. is aim st
ranks, however. although he is a compar-
atively newcomer in the telephone bust
ness. He took up the telephone business
when the independent companies were
formed TO fight the Bell interest Hess
now president of the Independent Tee
rhcnc Assoc.a;lcn OF the United States,
and also general manager OF the United
States Telephone Company of Cleveland.
Is has practically deserted the Vraciile
,,f a,
Telephone interest
Mr.. Glidden was born in Lowell Mass.
in 1851, ard that city is still his home.
MY Thomas was born in Ross county, this
State. in 1858, and is i descendant Of Sam
Vel Thomas, who came 10 America in the
Naytiower. Mr.. Thomas is a graduate Of
the Ohio Wesleyan University, and Mr.
Glidden is a graduate from the suit Of u
messenger boy TO the place of president
OF one Of the richest telephone corpora
lions in the country, and he is also talked
OF as probability for the presidency OF
the American Bell Telephone Company.
the parent company Of ali the enormous
Bel telephone interests. The presidency
Is vacant because Of the death of ITesi-
dent Hudson. AS it is he is at the head
Of what Is said TO be the greatest operat-
Ing telephone corporation in the country,
the Erie Telephone and Telegraph Com
I2any, cf which the Bell system n CIeve-
land is ! part.
When Mr.. Glidden was fourteen years
old he vent to work as i messenger boy
Cor the old Atlantic ard Pacific Telegraph
Company, so that he I5as been in the cleo
tTical communication business almost all
his life. lie became manager OF a branch
office Of the telegraph company two years
Eater and when the establishment Of the
telephone as 4 commercial enterprise be-
gan in 1877, he was canvasser for the
ORIGINAL f.Ia..ADr7. in ,y-..ll
Eater he became secretary ard treasurer
of the Erie Company, and pro-
crossed through tie official grades
TO the presidency, TO (which he
was elected two years ago Not
long ago It was reported that this COM
Erauy had been sold TO the group of New
York capitalists Of which ex-Secretary
William g. Whitney is the center, but Mr..
Glidden remains at :he head Of the COM
7,any- The same capitalists are Interested
in the independent telephone schemes
themselves, and this caused u situation
that has been puzzlinS outsiders. who are
interested in the telephone battle, ever
since the announcement was made.
Judge Thomas rise in the telephone
world has been equally brilliant One Of
The most important, perhaps the most i'm
l,ortant, Independent or non-Bell tele-
prone corporation outside OF New York IS
the United States Telephone Company,
or this city, the company OF which Judge
Thomas is general manager. 1t controls
The Independent long distance business of
this State. and through companies with
which it has working alliances it extends
al over the Middle West, and through
recent traffic arrangements with the
Iaittsburg and Allegheny Telephone Com
pauy row connects its territory with
practically the whole of the East that
has non-Beu systems developed
Judge Thomas has been lawyer for
sixteen years, and i'm 1898 was elected
judge of the Probate Court Of his county.
Ills duties as general manager Of the
United States Telephone Company bring
INN TO this city frequently, and it was
70 some extent because of his prominence
IN the affairs of this company that he
was elected president of the lndepend-
ent Telephone Association Of The United
States. The local Cuyahoga Telephone
Company is the Cleveland factor Of the
United States Company so far as local
business is concerned, the United
company being the lonG-dlstance COM
pany that connects tlIe local companies
throughout its territory with the Glove
land ,Xrlf. nee Il cleveland Leader.