Its experience is an unanswerable indictment of our system of protecting But even after this defeat for the claimants, the frolic was not wholly Office itself, in 1884, made an eighteen-months' investigation of all under fire, and never at any time secure. Stock companies whose paper national interest, and five that were carried to the Supreme Court in that they were being used to pull telephone chestnuts out of the fire. of the Bell patents. It was a bold and desperate move, and enabled the in 1896. ended. They next planned to get through politics what they could not get inventors. No inventor had ever a clearer title than Bell. The Patent possession of the speaking telephone." Yet his patent was continuously suits, IT NEVER LOST A CASE. capital totalled more than $500,000,000 were organized to break it down; heel-taps found in the glasses at the end of the frolic." In all, the Bell Company fought out thirteen lawsuits that were of and from first to last the success of the telephone was based much whole dispute was re-opened, from Gray to Drawbaugh. Every battle was through law; they induced the Government to bring suit for the annulment promoters of paper companies to sell stock for several years longer. The Fortunately for Bell and the men who upheld him, they were defended by organized business. Washington. It fought out five hundred and eighty-seven other lawsuits re-fought; and in the end, of course, the Government officials learned The case was allowed to die a natural death, and was informally dropped of various natures; and with the exception of two trivial contract less upon the monopoly of patents than upon the building up of a well telephone patents, and reported: "It is to Bell that the world owes the