Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1913-07-25
S0CALLE0 BELL
TELEPHONE TRUST
SOUGHT TO Be
DISSOLVED
Attorney General MoReynolds
Flles Civil Suit 70 Break All.
legged Monopoly in -Four
Western States.



fny seasea wse 20 nnains rrcrasa
Portland, ore. Jmy Dlssoia.
ton q The alleged telegraph monnua.
"a on che Pacific coast b. the Amer.
Sean IelePnone and Telegraph cnii.
pany the so-caiicd BELL Telephone
trusl---ir sought by Attorney General
McReynOlds tn the civil antitrust
suit iiicd here late yesterday. The
government charges the giant COR
poration and ~ subsidiaries with alb
soroing independent teiephono corn
panies 60 destroy competition and
create 9 monopoly in orrwun. Wash
lnfiou. Montana. and Idaho. IN sio-
iation of the sherman law.
u u declared that the suit nled
yesterday win not Interfere with tho
sweeping investigation proposed BY
the Interstate commerce commission
into the general telephone situation
to determine whether the sherrlaa
law should be invoked generally VIA
the purpose 81 enforcing competition
or whether monopoly should b. pcr-
mitted or encouraged under regula-
tion similar % that Of railroads.
The attorney general asks the court
% compel the Bell company TO re-
iinQuish control Of the Independent
Telephone company OF Seattle the
Home Telephone company. of Puget
sound. the northwestern Long Dis
tance Telephone company. the Inter
stale Consolidated Telephone compa-
ny and the independent Long Dis
lance Telephone company n necce-
sary 10 accomplish the dissolution. the
court h asked 20 appoint receiver
for the properties.
Attorney General McReyn0ids' we'll
known Views that the pro rata dls
tributlon 81 thu stocks Of the stand
ard OF and Tobacco trusts did tot
bring about real dissolution ~
these combinations are strongly re-.
Elected In Yesterdays suit IN wrich
he specifically requests the couts tn
require the alleged telephone aust
60 dispose Of the stocks. bonds and
physical properties of the indcpeud-
ents TO persons not connected with
the Bel companles as stockhpidcfs or
otherwise - $50
Aside from the American TcIe-
phone and Telegraph with a capiiai
Of Ss93.20a. 1915 par value and assets
Of S2i.2eO.efs. the following cotplr-
ations and individuals are named as
defendants:
Atlantic and Pacific Telephone con
pany; Pacific Telephone ana 1e'c-
graph company, sunset Telephone
and Telegraph company. iaciHc
States Telephone and Telegrdp1 con-
Telegraph company. Northwestern
Long Distance Telephone Comnmny;
Home Telephone company ol Puget
sound; independent Telephone CONF
pany Of Seattle; Title Inspranca and
Trust company, TIT r-sta4a consnll
dated Telephone company Corpora
ton Securities ard investment com
pany; independent Long Distance
Telephone company; Washington
County Telephone company: Granger
Telephone and Telegraph company:
McMlnnvillo Local and Long Distance
Telephone company; Lebanon, Mutual
Telephone company: Theodore ~
Vail. Union y. Bethel. Edward j.
Han. ~ 9. KinRsbury and ~. B
Thayer. Of New York; William ".
Driver and Charles r. Ware. Of Mas
Racbusetts. 49, A. sunny. Illinois;
Henry r. Scott. r. g. Bradley =. W
Eaton. n. $. King, w q. Drumm,
Timothy Hopkins. W, ~. Croker
william Mead and George J. Petty. Of
California: Edward =. Field. Edward
Field. Jr.. and u. 81. Burgess. Of
Colorado. A. T.. Adams and W. u
Foster. at Ohio. s. O. Hughes. Forest
Grove. ore, and John =. Davies aud
Thaddeus s. Lane Of Washington.
The salt. filed by the United States
Attorney Clarence l.. Reames, was
prepared by Constantine ,. smyth,
special assistant TO the attorney gen
orai under the direction Of Attorney
General McReynolds. James A. fow.
Ter. assistant to the attorney general
and @. Carroll Todd, special assist
ant
An immediate Injunction or re-
straihing order ~ asked by the gov
eminent 10 prevent any further steps
Ia pending foreclosure suits Ia trans
Ger the physical properties Of the
Northwestern Long Distance 1'ele-
phone company 10 the Bell compa
mics
Bell companies. by reducing rates
below paying basis by giving free
service and by threats. Il q alleged.
have forced several Independent, com
panies forming links ia the long dis
tnnco system 81 the Northwestern
company a. violate their contracts
for connections with the Northwest
crn company and - give their husi-
ness exclusively % the Bell concerns
The bin reclics the sale 90 the Bel
Interests FOR s55o.O0o of the Home
company Of Puget sound
although the company was appraised
ut eg921.ta2. This concern, b. b.
alleged. was acquired al "a foreclosure
sale Through contract with William
Mead. controlling the majority of ihe
stock az the Home. Mead, who or
esnlzod "a committee with himself ai
the head. Go represent holdrrs of 81
si7. 500 of the bonds 0f the Home n
said 10 have represented "a the bond
holders that the property was nay
worth the amount of their bonds ana
that Il would he better for him not 20
bid la their hehalf nt the foreclosure
sale. n b. alleged he contracted Win