Show L NT THE PHONE TO U 5 T dissolution OF ALLEGED TELE PHONE COMBINE ON PACIFIC COAST IS SOUGHT giant corporation Cit charged arged with de a tro ying competition and creating monopoly lit lot oregon washington montana and idaho idalio portland ore dissolution of 0 the alleged telephone monopoly on tho the pacific coast by the american telo phone telegraph company tho the so called boll bell telephone trust Is 18 bought sought by attorney general mcreynold in ta tho the civil antitrust anti trust suit filed flied hero thursday the government charges the giant corporation and its subsidiaries with absorbing independent telephone companies to destroy competition and create a monopoly in oregon washington montana and idaho in violation of the serman law this is tho the first attempt over ever made to apply the federal antitrust anti trust statute to the telephone situation telephone companies have claimed that tho the telephone tolo liko like iho railroad is a na euial monopoly and that a single system ie Is conducive to the best interests of the public the department of burtice contends that it Is to a question of public policy tor for congress to determine it Is declared that tho the suit will vill not interfere with the sweeping tri investigation vesti proposed by tho the interstate commerce commission into the general telephone situation to determine whether tho the sherman law should be invoked generally with tho the purpose of enforcing competition or whether monopoly should bo be permitted or encouraged cou raged under regulation similar to that of railways this step was taken in the west because the attorney general believed there existed a peculiar situation demanding immediate attention to cure evils said to have nave been brought about by unfair practices and illegal combinations |