The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-07-27
MAY co To COURT
Bell Telephone Official Checks
Action Up to p. q. C.
Asked to Agree to Defend
Reeds Charges in Court.
CONSIDERS LIBEL PROCEEDINGS
A. Z. Scott Wants His Name
and Record Cleared.
Wants Jury to Decide as to
Truth of Statements.
CONSIDERS LIBEL PROCEEDINGS

Branding Clyde NJ. Reeds charge of
moral perjury as false in every de-
tail. Albert E. Scott as statistician and
accountant for the Southwestern Bell
Telephone company, today asked
members of the Kansas public utilities
commission to waive any claim of priv
i1ege and consent to defend a libel
suit on it's merits. Scott addressed a
letter to members of the commission
asking them to agree to defend their
charges in a court of record without
hiding behind statutory projections
in privileged statements by public Of
ficials.
He Consults Counsel.
Since the public utilities commits
sion charged Scott with moral per-
jury" in the Bell Telephone company
rate case, he has consulted counsel
with view of filing libel proceedings.
His lawyers have advised that as pub
lie officials the commissioners might
make any statement or charge they
desired without being amenable to the
law. Now Scott asks to have his
name and record cleared and invites
the commission to step from behind its
cloak of protection and defend its
statements on their merits. In other
words he inquiries of Chairman Reed
and his colleagues whether they are
willing to go into court and permit a
jury to decide whether their state
ments are true or false.
No Course Except Suit.
mo course for vindication is open
to me except a suit against you," says
Scott, "and that is open only by your
consent"
The Scott letter was addressed to
c. NJ. Reed, Jesse w. Greenleaf and
lie utilities commission which decided
the rate case. The opinion was writ
ten by Chairman Clyde NJ. Reed and
concurred in by the other commits
sioners. Scotts letter is an appeal for
a fair hearing without evasion of the
issues or a move to sidestep RESPONSE
bility by pleading privilege.
The Scott Letter.
Following is the letter:
GentlfDen: On June %, 1921, the public
utilities commission for the state of Kan
sas filed a written opinion in six cases
concerning the local telephone exchange
rates in the exchanges OF the Southwest
Eern Bell Telephone company at the cities
of Hutchinson, Lyons, Ell Dorado, Atchi
son, Winfield and Arkansas City, Kansas
The cases were referred to as dockets Nos
3J67-S-9 and 3642-3-4 and the opinion wai
written by Chairman Reed and concurred
leaf
At the hearing of these cases before the
court of industrial relations for the state
Of Kansas, and the public utilities com
mission for the state of Kansas, appeared
and testified as an accounting witness fol
the Southwestern Bell Telephone company
introducing certain exhibits explanatory
of my testimony and testifying orally IN
explanation of the exhibits.
In the opinion mentioned the commits
sion took occasion to charge that my testi-
mony was false; that had been guilty OF
fragrant outrage upon good faith and
reasonable accounting and decent public
morals, and that 1 had been guilty of ar
attempt, under oath, to deceive the com
mission by introducing false and mislead.
ms testimony and was a moral perjurer.
These statements of the commissioners
are each and every one of them unfounded
and unwarranted and the official record
ContIued on Page Five.J