Evening journal., 1912-12-31
U. S. MAY
.,,S'gdT OEiELE-
,5;2NEpppCOMBINE

NJ lBQH aNOstieation Following
~ & from an parts OF coun-
w AGENTS Of the Department of JUS
\ ice have at last brought together
sfhcir reports covering the wide range
Of activities Of the American Tele-
phone and Telegraph Companies
These reports which, according to in-
formed officials. make a record little
Nless imposing than that In the Stand
ard OH case. are now before Attorney
General Wickcrsham He has inter-
cstcd himself I'm the Investigation for
three weeks. and his personal judg-
ment Will decide what use TO make Of
the mass of evidence that has been
collected
There is reason TO believe that Mr.
Wicwersham decision will not be
long delayed. The case is one that
interests him not only on account OF
the importance of the persons and
corporations involved but because
the complains already filed with the
department bring in a wide variety of
legal points on which the department
wishes the final ruling OF the SUI
preme Court Complaints have been
brought that tho Telephone Trust"
which now also includes the West
tlh OniDh ltitbIaVu Company t~--udNe
used patents iD restraint OF trade, and
this complaint II it should ever reach
the courts would call for a new con-
structon OF the patent laws as ap-
Piled to a very complicated situation.
An interesting point in the inves-
tigation conducted by the department
IS that Il has finally cleared up the
oit-repeated allegation that the Postal
and Western Union are in a secret
combine. At II appears now the
Postal Telegraph Company is one Of
complainants against the American
Dolephone and Telegraph Company
and bitterly. assails the fayoritsm al
legged to be shown the Western Union
by the many telephone systems now
included in the combination.
Complaints against the Telephone
Trust began 10 pour In on the depart
mcnt shortly after the taking over Of
the Western Union about two years
ago. Especial emphasis has been laid
on the charge that through afhliation
with the telephone systems the West
ern Union had extraordinary facili-
ties for attracting trade In partcu-
lar It was cited that If a person sim
ply took up the telephone receiver
and called the one word Telegram"
he would at onces be connected with
the Western Union
In this connection the charge has
also been made that IL cities where
the telephone system was part of the
trust great obstacles we're thrown ia
the way OF persons wishing to tele-
phone a message to the Postal Il is
alleged that the telephone exchanges |
replies that the Postal is busy and /
even that without any explanation at
all the sender Of the message is
lodi milf T.
II is pointed ont that before the Tele- 1
phone Trust took over the Western /
Union il was generally impossible to |
telephone telegram under any cir /
cumSianccs, and the improved facili- /
ties In that direction are said TO be |
simply part Of a scheme to put the |
rivals Of the Western Union at a dis /
advantage. The allegation is made /
therefore that the trust is in restraint
OF business
From mucpcndvut tcivpuunu uun.-
panies IN many parts OF the country /
have come complaints against the /
pressure brought to bear on them to |
induce them to sell out 10 the larger /
system In many communities where /
the trust own systems connecting two |
points, a third town with an indie
pendent system alleges that It finds
dihculty in getting connections. The |
Irnuii OF lulh diinculty, 10 is charged, /
ie that the Independent company
Ending competition impossible. sells |
lout at a low figure
In other communities the charge ia
that patent switchboards and various |
improved devices connected with the
telephone are used as means for
heating down competition The De-
partments OF Justice In the Shoe ma
chinery case is already trying to in
duce the Supreme Court to reverse its
patent decision in the Dick Mimeo-
graph case, and especially interest is
felt in the application OF the depart
ment's view Of the patent law TO the
involved circumstances OF the use OF
patents by the American Telephone
and Telegraph Company.
Reports have gone abroad that the
Attornly General is planning to set In
motion a great number OF trust prose-
cueions just before retiring on March
4 so as to leave them to his successor.
This report is emphatically denied al
the department The Attorney Cen
eral. it is said there, is proceeding in
the normal course TO investigate GER
tain alleged combinations. and the
prosecutions he will order will be or
dered on the same grounds as those
which be expected to carry through
under his personal direction