Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1909-12-02
INDEPENDENTS TO
| FIGHT WIRE TRUST
! TO THE LIMIT
START CAMPAIGN ON
THE BELL MONOPOLY
Leaders in Attack on Combine
Declare They VIII Appeal to.
President and the Highest
Courts in the Land.


Especial Dispatch to the Mernins Journal
New York, Dec. declaring that
President Taft and the highest courts
in the land will be invoked to check
the monopoly Of communication that
is threatened by the binion-dollar
combine, recently announced by the
Ben telephone trust. representatives.
of the independent telephone interests
throughout the country are planning
IN this city today q national fight for
the principle of open competition.
with s400. 600, 600 OF the savings of
the people of almost every locality in
vested I'm the Independent telephone
plants that the new wire trust IL is
alleged Is determined 10 rule or ruin.
leaders in this movement assert, the
Interests OF the public demand that
the government take immediate ac-
tion against the giant merger. At a |
convention of the Independent Tele-
phone association hat has been called
In Chicago for December Z. represent |
tativcs OF the 1900 companies, that
with 100000 subscribers are today
&FffIthfhA w wi DfiOilt tIl~ls l
viii make a formal protest to Wash
ington against the restraint OF trade
that they believe VIII be effected by
the absorption OF every telegraph in
terest by the Bell system.
To the attorney general OF every
n of the many states In which they
assert Wall street money is now being
used TO Illegally force a Bell mo-
nopoly. the independent telephone
forces arc today proposing to appeal
for protection. Suits To prevent the
acquisition by the telephone trust OF
important systems built BY the people
of Ohio, Indiana. Missouri. Iowa and
Michigan, have already been instltut-
ed In ~. Louis and Cleveland, and the
Independent leaders declare every
similar move TO throttle competition
viii be fought to the last ditch. I'm
less the new wire trust is at once pre-
vented from carrying out its scheme
To absorb all competitors throughout
the continent, The independent tele-
phone men prophecy, the people Of
the country will be forced into the
power OF a monopoly greater and
more arbitrary than that or either the
oil. beef or sugar trust.
As a possible rival to the billion I
dollar communication trust In the
telegraph and long distance telephone I
fields. Independent forces are today
preparing 10 build q trunk wire sys- ]
tom that will reach from the Atlantic |
seaboard TO the Missouri river, for G
the benefit of the people who use the
telephone exchanges they have built (
~ngnan1pnf Al lao,, ., ..fatt a.. r.. \
general telegraph business. Unlike the
iiell system. this enterprise viii seek
10 XIII competition but to foster
and Increase II, II IL declared. Already
$50. 200, 900 have been subscribed to- A
this plan for preventing the II
proposed monopoly " the wire trust. q"
That the cost of both telephone and v
telegraph service viii be Increased II \
he new wire trust obtains a monopoly d
Is proved already by the past history Il
of It's promoters, the Independent I,
telephone men declare. Exorbitnnt
'ates aud either poor service or none
u all were offered by the Bell COM Il
oine In all the years OF it's former =
monopoly through patent rights. it Is y
out, As these conditions n
about the birth of The indie r
telephone movement. they IA
resume on the instant OF It's il
lcath, II is argued. n
we tocl that W. owe a moral as II
veil as u business obligation to the "
lrmy Of Americans throughout the Is
ountry who have placed si00, 0O0. 900 Il
Il their earnings In the some tele- r,
'honc plants, built TO rid them of the h
sen MONOPOLY" said Il. II. Moulton. n
OF the Independent Tele- c
association. In this city today. n
We shal exert ourselves in every ia
'ossible way 10 show the government
IL. too. has nn obligation to pro- f.
these Investors as wen as the 20. CO
600 consumers in Independent n
systems. We shall not stop Ia
ur Tight for the right Of COMPETE
even with all the wall street
apitul OF this new billion dollar trust
rrayed against Us; but will push IL pa
, the highest courts and administra-
We authority" /.