Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-11-12
D. 5 MAY TAKE PART
Reported That the Government
Will Aid in Fighting Tele-
phone Merger
DESIRES TO PARTICIPATE
DESIRES
Probable That Attorney Will Be Named
to Represent Government in Contest
Against the Bell Monopoly at Du-
buque = Criminal Action Likely
Other Iowa News.
That Attorney viii Be Named
pecial to- Times-Republican.

Special to imes-Republican.
Dubuque, Nov. 12.-With the begin
ming of the legal war between the fBell
system and the independent system
in the United States court here. comes
rumor that the government will take
hand in the struggle and will assign
an attorney to represent 1t in the hear
ing. and if the evidence holds the for
mer for violation of the Sherman anti
trust act, there will be criminal prose-
cution.
Attic the filing of the suit was
expected, no one outside of the few
leading independent telephone men OF
the country were aware that the liti-
CATION would involve not only the fate
of the Dubuque Telephone company,
independent the Iowa Telephone COM
pany and it's officers, agents and en-
ployes, but also the entire BELL sys-
tenn" which is made defendant. Upon
the outcome of the litigation depends
the future of the telephone business
of the country, either the right of
the independents" to operate without
the alleged oppression and rule and
ruin policy of the alleged trust" or
the success of the Bell system" to
regain the monopoly on the telephone
business, which drifted out of it's
hands with the expiration of the Bell
patents in 1894.
Criminal Action Certain.
1t was learned from an authorita-
tive source Wednesday that the gov
eminent has expressed a desire to par
ticipate in the suit and independent
telephone operators of Iowa anticipate
that special counsel from Washington
will be arrayed with counsel for the
"Independents" in the hope of break
ing the power of the American Tele-
graph and Telephone company.
A violation of the Sherman anti
trust LAW is crime before the law.
The administration has taken an ac-
tive part in trust busting" and pri-
yate information indicates that steps
will! be taken to prosecute the OFFICIALS
of the BELL system" in case the United
States; court finds that it is Illegally
striving to secure a monopoly and has
violated the law in the particular in
stance of the purchase of the majority
of stock in the Dubuque Telephone
company.
Conditions Against Independent.
Afser the elimination of the deal
for the purchase of the majority stock
of the Dubuque Telephone company,
held by Hager and Howe, the Iowa
Telephone company, in this territory,
proceeded to connect with rural inde-
pendent lines, tieing them down to
contracts for three years. The Stand
ard was one of the first to fall and
the BELL system was connected with
it to the north. Next fell the Inter-
State Telephone company, independ-
emit, and the BELL system" has its
connections to the south and west, ex-
changing exchanges and equalizing
the rates among themselves.
1t is generally believed here that
whichever way the litigation goes
the alleged crust" has succeeded in
destroying the Dubuque Telephone
company's plant, and under present
conditions there is practically no COM
petition.
Yet the Iowa Telephone company
has increased its rates.