The Cairo bulletin., 1908-08-01

lpcdent telephones into Cincinnati But
whatever Brother BIZ may hav,
done in this same direction has b.el
, in a very quiet way
When Taft offered the state conycn.
/ ton in Ohio "a platform it contained a
plank strongly urging free compati.
tion in trade" This is all that the In
! dependent telephone men are asking
for 1t is all that they are in vain re-
questins the law department Of the
government TO obtain for them
People Invest in Stock.
Since the Bell pateuts-the has c
patents controlling the mechanism OF
the transmitter and receiver and the
switcbbosrd-e expired between $500,
600, o00 and S400,0O0.00o have been in
vested by citizens of the United
States n Independent telephones.
| This figure in itself indicates the i'm
portance Of the present fight 1t is
tho industrial battle of the generation
and the crucial moment is at hand.
This money has all been furnished
In public spirit by the local mer.
chants, bankers, manufacturers, store
keepers, small business men and the
like.
Every town in all the Middle West
contains scores OF such investors in
independent telephone stock, usually
the stock of the home company. Al
most every town in the balance of the
United States has many such in
yestors,
So the war now on is virtually he,
tween the people and the Bell
monopoly
Uses Old Trust Methods.
What the corporation is accomplish
ing it is doing by the adoption of
many of the old trust methods 1t u.s.
saboruing political leaders in both the
old parties it is substituting the news
paper organs OF those parties and it is
adopting all the timeworn expedients
10 obtain assistance in the city coun
ellis and the legislatures.
Contracts have been made by the
Bell with a large firm of advertising
agents who accent a first pay of 500
600 to "popularize the Bell telephone"
through magazines and newspaper
advertising
At the same time the agents OF the
Bell are seeking the owners of the
stock in Independent companies aud
irving to get them to agree to mergers
under any conditions that assure Bell
control Of toll lines
In some towns Bell exchanges are
taken out altogether the local bust
ness being left entirely to the inde-
pendent company. the only condition
being that Bell toll lines be used
jointly for out-of-town business,
The endeayor is TO discredit the in
dependent telephone business where
it is strongest and best
Warns Against Mergers.
At the head OF the international In
dependent association-which has
offices in Chicago and is the main /
body and strength of the Independent
telephone movcment-has been since
the last convention A. G. I.iudemuth. /
head of the Independent telephone at /
Ind.
TWO weeks ago Mr. Lindemuth dis
covered that his .fellow-directors. !
meeting without his knowledge in
Richmond while he was living in Chi !
cago as required by his duties as
president. had merged his company /
with that of the Bell
The arrangement gave the Lnde |
muih company the Bell toll service, /
the only toll lines reaching the city I
Of Cincinnati. owing 10 the attitude /
IF the political machines in that city /
which always have resisted the indo- .
1cndcnts.
Lindemuth, as the head of the indie /
pendent telephone organization in the I
Jnited States, had repeatedly spoken /
md written against Just such mergers I
;rgiug that in the end they would ALL /
the Bell to again get its monopoly f
ycke on the necks of the people,
Called Lindemuth Traitor.
Bell newspapers publishing the
Richmond merger intimated that /
Lindemuth himself had brought it /
aho-ut. The Central Union News
lBeIID published at Indianapolis. in
a. issue of July. said
More than a year ago. at confer
.lce of telephone men held here
it was announced that
sooner or later the Central Union
fBel1 would abandon local feds in
.eversl cities and an agreement /
rnrTd be reached whereby the indie
Jeudents would be able TO provide for
heir patrons the long distance ser