The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-06-25
General Manager of Bell Com
pany Issues Statement.
"Will Have Chance to Prove
Charges" Ulffers Says.
ANSWER TO REED DECISION
s'Never Before Charged With
Bad Faith" Says Bell Head.
Statement Open Declaration of
War by Telephone Company.

''Mr. Reed will have the chance to
prove these charges before a court of
competent jurisdiction
That is the answer which C. A.
Clffers, general manager of the
Southwestern Bell Telephone company
for Kansas, made today to charges
of moral perjury" against Bell Of
ficials in a public utilities commission
decision by Chairman Clyde NJ. Reed.
The opinion involved rates in the
towns of Arkansas City, Atchison, Ell
dorado, Hutchinson, Lyons and Win
field. Today Ulffers replied to the Bit
ter attack on the integrity and honesty
of purpose of Bell officials by assert
ing that Reed would be given a chance
to prove his charges.
Checks 1t Up to Reed.
Just the manner in which Reed will
be called. upon to make proof is not
defined by the Bell officials. He
states, tho. that the responsibility Will
DO checked up to Reed in "a court
of competent jurisdiction" and that
the telephone company, will not allow
his charges to go unchallenged. The
opinion declared that testimony BY
Bell company experts constituted
moral if not legal perjury and was
bold attempt to deceive the public.
The commissions order denied &c of
80 class rate increases.
"Got Under the Sl<ins
UIffers asserts that the Bell COM
pany got under the skin" of the COM
mission chairman when it recently
! showed to the court that politics was
being played in the handling of rate
case. He states that Reeds indict-
ment of the telephone company and
it's officials is a retaliatory measure:
"In all our cases before courts and
commissions" said Ulffers, I'VE were
never before charged with bad faith,
| let alone the more serious charge OF
perjury"
/ The Ulffers statement today is an
| open declaration of war and defiant
announcement by the Bell company $
Kansas manager that the corpora
ton will fight. In formal statement
today Ulffers said:
"The statement in the opinion handed
down by Clyde Reed of the Kansas puellc
utilities commission yesterday at Topeka
in which he charges bad faith on the part
| on the part of some of its employees, Is
absolutely false
| 1--WE realize that ordinarily corporation
and especially a utilities company always
gets the worst of 1t in an open controversy
| with public official However, the charges
made by Mr.. Reed are serious that We
| cannot afford. for the protection of our
/ selves and our employees, to allow them to
| stand unchallenged. All we care to say is
| that MFR. Reed will have the chance to prove
these charges before a court of competent
Jurisdiction.
"The nation wide policy of the Bell COM
pany is to be frank, open and honest in
| every statement and most assured1y our
action was not different in this instance
! "In all our cases before courts and COM
| missions In the history of the company. we
were never before charged with bad faith.
let alone the more serious charge of per-
| jury.
ut is somewhat significant that in these
| same cases. which had been pending before
the commission for a long time without n
decision and which were recently presented
by US to the district court it was so evident
the commission was playing politics the
court considered 1t its duty to give the
company relief and enjoined the commits
sion from interfering with the rate that we
proposed to put in. Evidently this has
gotten under the skin of Mr.. Reed"