Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1912-02-24

JOHN r.
President Northwestern
mour, associated with others-with the
Hartman estate, with Kennedy Todd
and De Forest Of New York, and with
the receivers Of the Chicago subway
% . body-has already begun the
work Of giving genuinely cheap and
efhcient telephone service 70 the city
OF Chicago.
In Chicago the receivers Of the sub.
way have installed already more than
twenty-five thousand automatic tsle.
phones. They give an unlimited serv.
Ice for $S6 . year-about onehaif the
charge Of the Bell monopoly. They
give unlimited telephone service to
private families for less than thirty
dollars q year. With . full extension
OF their system even the poorest fam.
lilies viii use the telephones. and b
better OF at the end Of the year
through the saving Of carfAre.
The charge for pay stations with
this new system. which 10 backed By
Armour and the others. 10 three cents
per call, and the intention 10 10 lower
this rate eventually from three cents
to one cent At one cent The pro0t
would be enormous. With the eoono.
mics Of the automatic telephone and
Q sunicisnt number Of subscriber.
The right plan would b. Of course.
for the business men OF New York
who pay enormous tolls 70 the tole'
phone monopoly to got together. 70
bind themselves 70 take new service
An automatic cheap service With
certain guarantees - ana through
pressure Of public opinion compel the
granting Of . franchise 70 IN auto
matte company charging the lowest
possible rate.
But Il 10 dimcult to get business
men to unite; dimcult TO make them
resent effectively even the most pal
pable extortion.
The chief hope lies In the courage
energy and business knowledge oi
such . man ~ Armour. who has the
money, who 10 not frightened BY the
power Of . monopoly. and who might
II he chose. be remembered % one oi
the real bsnefactors Of the country
by breaking down the telephone mon
opoly and making Of the great tele
phone convenience blessing within
the reach Of all and 40 cheap. In pro
| portion, % the national postofics.
The telephone trust In the most
grinding Of the many trusts that exis
in the United States.
It snuffs out competition by thu
power Of its money and the people
are like so many serfs to be used O
its own beck and call.
The rising tide of indignation vii
never subside until the whole tele
phone trust and It's aides and abettorl
are punished.
Charles F. DeWoody, division super
intendent In the Department OF Jus
tice secret service. returned from
trip on which It Is reported he ha
been gathering information for the Al
torney.G General regarding the alleges
Bell telephone monopoly.
It Is reported that an investigation
national In its scope. is being carries
on by the forces Of Attorney. Genera
Wickersham looking to the filing o
proceedings for the dissolution of tn
alleged trust. An exhaustive investl
cation has been going on in Chicago
It Is said, of the operations Of the Bel
syndicate alleged to be In violation o
the Sherman law.
"You have been West It Is under
stood for the purpose Of getting dat
bearing on the alleged telephon
trust, have you not?" DeWoody wa
asked.
"That Is matter that canno
possibly discuss. There Is nothing
that we can announce regarding an,
such investigation" was the reply.
We take the following from pag
"a of the Report on the Causes o
Municipal Corruption in San Fran
cisco as disclosed by the investigu
tions of the Oliver grand jury and tn
prosecution of certain persons TO
bribery and other offenses against tn
state" made by q committee appoint
ed by the mayor Of that city and put
lished by order of the board Of su
pervisors. city and county Of Sal
Francisco. January 8. 1910:
"The Pacif' Telephone and Tele
graph Company bribed the Supervii
ors to prevent the Home Telephon
Company or any other organisation
from obtaining q telephone franchis
In San Francisco. No attack OF IN.
kind on the Pacific Telephone an
Telegraph Company was thrsatens'
by the Supervisors. and the sole puI
pose Of the crime was to maintain
profit which might bs cut by tn
competition of business rivals. Th'
Supervisors were paid In al owe
$4,000. The managing committee o
the board OF directors Of the compan,
swors before the Grand Jury that the!