Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1913-07-25
Attorney General MCReynoIds
Attacks the Pacific Coast
Branch Of Big Corporation
Under Sherman Law,
COURT IS ASKED TO
APPOINT A RECEIVER
Complaint Alleges Defendant
Reduced Rates Below Pay
ing Basis and Gave Free
Service to Ruin Competitors
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Portland. ore. july Dissolution
Of the alleged telephone monopoly on
the Pacific coast by the American
Telephone a Telegraph Co.--the So
called Bell Telephone trust-is sought
by Attorney General McReynolds in
The civil antitrust suit filed here to-
day The government charges the
giant corporation ana its subsidiarcs
with absorbing Independent telephone
companies 10 destroy competition and
create monopoly in oregon. Wash
ington. Montana ana idaho, In viola
ton of the sherman law
It Is declared that the suit filed to-
day viii not Interfere with the sweep
ing investigation proposed by the in-
tcrstate commerce commission into the
general telephone situation to deter
mine whether the sherman law should
be invoked generally with the pur-
pose Of enforcing competition or
whether monopoly should hc permit
ted or encouraged under regulation
similar to that Of railroads
ne HlNblItA ktllfiAt drhN AAl+ A'h|i
to compel the Bell company to relin-
quish control Of the Independent Tclc-
phone company, Of Seattle; the Home
Telephone company. Of Puget sound.
the Northwestern Long Distance Tclc-
phone company. the Interstate Con-
solidated Telephone company and the
Independent Long Distance Telephone
company. If necessary TO accomplish
the dissolution. tht court is ask 70
appoint receiver for the properties.
Attorney General MeReynolds well
known Nlows that the pro rita distri-
button Of the stocks Of the standard
OH and tobacco trusts did not brinE
about a real dissolution OF these COM
binatiOns are strongly reflected in to-
days suit i'm which he specifically re-
quests the court to require the alleged
telephone trust to dispose Of the
stocks bonds and physical properties
of the independents Ito persons not
connected with the Bell companies as
stockholders or otherwise
Aside from the American Telephone
q Telegraph Co. with a capital of
1898, ,209,925 per value and assets OF
S924260.S1S. the following corpora
tions and individuals are named as de-
PENDANTS
Atlantic & Pacific Telephone COM
pmnN Pacific Telephone a Telegraph
Co.. Sunset Telephone * Telegraph
Co.. Pacific States Telephone x Tclc-
graph CO.. Mountain States Telephone
q Telegraph Co, Northwestern Long
Distance Telephone company. Home
Telephone company, OF Puget Sound;
Independent Telephone company Of
Seattle. Title Insurance & Trust Co.
Interstate Consolidated Telephone
company. Distance Securities x In
vestment company Independence Long
Distance Telephone company, Wash
ngton County Telephone company
Granger Telephone & Telegraph Co,
McMlnnvillc Local e. Distance Tele-
phone Co, Lebanon Mutual Telephone
company: Theodore y. Vail, Union ~
Bethel Edward j. Han n. G. Kings
bury and II. B. Thayer. Of New York:
William r.. Driver and Charles r.
Ware, of Massachusetts,: b. A. sunny
Illinois; Henry r. Scott. e G. Brad
ley, r. W. Eaton, H. $ King. W. G.
Drumm. Timothy Hopkins, w H.
Crccker William Mead and George j.
lettN of California; Edward p Field
Edward Field Jr, and r. NJ. Burgess,
Of Colorado: A. T.. Adams and w. II.
Foster. Of Ohio: s G.. Huges. Forest
Grove. ore and John f. Davies and
Fhaddeus $. Lane, of Washington
The suit, filed by United states At
turney Clarence T.. Reames was pre-
pared by Constantine J. Smyth, special
assistant 70 the attorney general un-
der the direction Of Attorney General
McReyrolds; James A. Fowler. assist
art to the attorney general, and G.
Carroll Todd special assistant
An immediate injunction or re-
strainins order Is asked by the gov
ernment 10 prevent any further steps
IN pending foreclosure suits to trans
Ter the physical properties Of the
northwestern Long Distance Tele.
phone company to the Bell companies
Bell companies, by reducing rates
below paying lasis by giving free
service and by threats it is alleged
have forced several Independent com
panies forming links in the long dis
lance system Of the Northwestern
company to violate their contracts for
connections with the Northwestern
company and to give their business
exclusively to the Bell concerns
The bill recites the sale to the Bell
interests for S550.000 Of the Home
Telephone company, Of Puget Sound, I.
although the company was appraised
at $2,9271S2. This concern. it is AL f.
legged. was acquired At a foreclosure T
sale through a contract with William