The greatest threat came from the
Westinghouse and Thomson-Houston companies who both had
alternating current systems the market.V-25
EDISON'S LABORATORY AND THE BATTLE THE SYSTEMS
Edison was dismayed with the many new entrants the
electrical industry and feared price war between competing
electrical manufacturers. The Edison Electric
Light Company under the presidency Edward Johnson made
every effort refute the "extravagant and fictitious" claims
made Westinghouse.^ Westinghouse claimed that its system
had lower first cost than Edison's, and this brought an
outraged response from the latter, who had carried out a
detailed costing the Westinghouse system. soon became
evident the headquarters the Edison Electric Light
Company that the opposition was prepared sell electricity at
a loss win lighting contracts; many the Edison
franchisees reported back the parent company that
Westinghouse agents were pricing their current well below cost
and these "ridiculously low prices" were winning customers from
the Edison companies.^ (Illus 5-3, advertising
. Johnson went into battle under the banner
of "Patents, Investment, Futility Guarantees, Danger and
Moral"— stressing the strong patent position Edison and the
higher standards his engineering. The two parent
companies fought war words, each attempting promote its
own system and discredit the competition
