The Cairo bulletin., 1908-08-01
CO.'S
IN HARD FIGHT
BELL coMPANY's sHREWD AT
TEMPT TO ABSORB INDIE
PENDENT COMPANIES.
HELP FROM ROOSEVELT
Key to Situation is Long Distance
Wires Which Bell Co. is Trying
TO Merge in Violation of
Sherman Law.

Chicago, July 31.-Much interest at
taches in business and other circles
to an interesting contest which is
nov in progress between two great
antagonists.
In Southern Indiana and Southern
Ohio is now being waged the crucial
fight that is to determine whether the
Bell Telephone Companies are to be
enabled to re-estabish their control of
the telephone business in that dis
| trict
| 1t is recognized by the Bell forces
on the one side and by the indepen.
! dent telephone men on the other that
IL is a test battle.
If the Bell wins In the neighborhood
Of Cincinnati, the secene of the pres
ent struggle, the same methods will be
/ applied elsewhere throughout the
United States in an endeayor to re.
suscitate the Bell monopoly of the tele.
phone business.
Denounced as Pirates.
For years, when the Bell had the
country well in its grasp, Independent
telephone men and companies were
denounced by the trust as so many
pirates. Backed by the government.
and under the force OF its patent laws,
the Bell seized opposition plants and
burned the telephones and switch
boards in the public squares Of the
big cities
Afterwards, for years when the tele,
pone patents had expired, the Bell re,
fused TO make any connections at all
with independent companies. The re,
suit of this policy was such a tremen :
dous growth Of the Independent tele. (
phone business in the United States /
that the Bell is now second best in the !
number ot telephones. The Bell 1
claims $3.50 Goa telephones. including 4
some 100000 connections with indie I
pendent stations The Independent .
companies, 12.0i5 in number. operate .
$4,000 telephones
In some states the disparity is so .
great that the Bell is outdistanced.
Iowa has eight independent telephones .
70 one Bell telephone, Indiana five to
one and Illinois three to one.
Independent telephone companies |
have made enormous inroads in the |
toll line business. The Independent
long distance lines connect with more 1
exchanges and telephone stations than
the Bell throughout Western New
York, Western Pennsylvania. Ohio. In.
diana, Illinois. Iowa. Wisconsin-in |
short, throughout the middle West. In
such states as indiana the iudepend
ents have almost complete control of
both toll line and local business.
Bell Holds Large Cities.
This has left the Bell with only the
IaIse cities in its grasp It holds New
York, New Orleans and Cincinnati
without any opposition. and Chicago
with no opposing telephone company
worth mentioning. The Independents
are just entering Boston. IN Balt
more the opposition to the Bell has
been bought up and in Philadelphia,
according to Bell authority. a merger I,
is about to be effected In other big
towns the Bell has gained little
strength.
Seeing the country drifting away
rom il. the Bell has changed its front.
u Is now seeking to get mergers and
with the independent com h
iauies all over The country. but par
icularly in certain districts just
ir0und the big towns where it holds i
control. These mergers are effected
iespite the Sherman act. and all state
avs forbidding combinations in re {