Sunday Washington globe., 1902-06-15
THE BELL STEAL
To Be Presented With the
Streets and Alleys of
THEMATION's CAPITAL.
The Most StupendOus steal Ever
Proposed In the Halls of Congress.
The Powerful Influence of the Bell
Telephone Company-The Proposed
Conduit Franchise

The most stupendous monopoly in the
United States, or at least, the most power
full is the Bell Telephone Company. FoF
quarter of a century the United States
Supreme Court has decided every case of
its euvolment in its favor. The case which
the lawyers on both sides argued touching
its unwaranted, illegal, and unpermissable
invasion OF Washington was decided by the
Supreme Court on a technicality of its own
finding and which the attorneys Of the COM
pany did not conceive or raise, and which
they entirely overlooked To say that the
decision startled the bar as we'll as she laity
is but mildly stating the fact. In reality
the technicality was such that il laid down
the novel proposition that this monopoly
could not commit a wrongful or an illegal
act, no matter what it did, for it left loop
hole for the company to escape the couse-
quence Of any unwarrantable or inevitable
invasion of town, hamlet or city with its
trausmitters, receivers, etc.
The public will understand the power Of
this monopoly when il recalls the fact that
every Congressman have them for a con
stituencyl In every Congressional and
Senatorial district in the United States Of
America the Bell Telephone Company has a
are not at all surprised that it asks Congress
for the fee simple ownership Of the streets
or surface ground of the National Capital.
1t has bill now before Congress which, to
use the language in substance, of Edmund
Burke on Poyning's penal laws for Ireland,
is drawn with such devilish ingenuity that
the hends themselves acknowledge mas-
ter IN the human monstrosity
The bill gives the privilege, which the
Bell Telephone people do not need except
as blind, to erect polls outside the city
limits aud strive wires etc. but here
is where the robbery comes in-all wires Ia
the city must be taken down and the con-
duit system adopted within four years.
Do the people of Washington realize the
stupendousness of this proposed steal or
vested interest in its streets alleys and by
ways without the compensation of a penny
We hardly think 50 or there would be pub
lie meetings in every ward in the city to
protest
The bill in fact under the compulsory
guise of compelling the telephone people
to adopt the conduit or underground system
for their wires presents them with a vested
interest in the streets and alleys of the ma
tion's capital. Coming in and operating
here without invitation or the payment of a
nickle, which the Supreme Court says is
not illegal, they now propose to root up
every street aud alley in the city they de-
sire. and once having placed their couduits
by act of Congress, they become, by the
authority of the national Congress, pos
sessed of legal and a legitimate vested in
terest worth millions upon millions Of dol
lars besides forever barring or preventing
all competition from any improved tele-
phone system, no matter how simple or
cheap. If this company is authorized by
Congress with the thin and gauzy disguise
of cOmpulsiou to lay conduits under our
streets the ground upon which the conduits
rest is their property in fee simplel And
inasmnch as the ground is directly under
the surface of the streets the surface, that is
70 say the streets themselves, become their
property.
What magnificent gift without the ex.
action Of a dollar from this powerful mo
nopOlyl
The bill will pass and every Congress.
man voting for it, Democrat or Republican
will secure his campaign expenses and the
support of the company's constituency In
his individual district. Meanwhile the
people are robbed of franchise so valuable
that the millions it is worth to the Bell peo-
pie would free this District from taxation
for the next half a century and pay the
Districts share of all expenses!
The steal is so stupendous that we hesi-
tate In particularizing it further in the fear
Of exciting incredulity. Further particu-
lars WILL however, be furnished from time
to time until the bill becomes law.