The times., 1897-12-26
STANDARD OIL OCTOPUS
Another Effort to Combat the
Huge Monopoly.
Suit Filed in the United States
Court fer the Southern New
York District.

New York, Dec o5.-A suit that has
been Instituted in the United states cir
cult court for the Southern district OF New
York, charging the Standard Oil Company
with conspiracy to crush out all competi
ton, brings ou- i'll bold relief some OF
the metl ods adopted by that great or
ganization TO brush aside every new op-
ponent that appears in the field.
Tie suit was brought by the United
States Pipe Line Company, of Pennsyl
vanil, and the defendants in the case,
besides the Standard oil Company, are
the Tidewater Pipe Company, National
Transit Company, Pennsylva mia Railroad,
Erie Railroad, Della ware, Lackawanna AMI
Western Railroad, William Rockefeller John
d. Rockefeller, William T. Wardell, ii. ".
Flaglar, II. II Rogers, John d. Archbold,
O. b. Jennings, and W. II. Tilford. Dam
ages amounting to $G5S,i6 are asked for,
together with 81 200 as attorneys fees.
The men named are the trustees of the
Standa rd Oil Company, while the railroads
have an arrangement, ii is alleged, with
the trust, " hereby they receive certain
profit on the oil delivered at tide water
by pipe line and also in the interior. these
railroads used to be the C hief carriers OF the
Standards output prior TO the construc-
tion of its pipe lines.
The United states Pipe Line Company,
which is patronized by considera bie num-
Der of independent oil refiners of Pennsyl-
yania, and whic h has made gallant fight
against the tiust, alleges that the con
spiracy referred to IN its complaint started
in 1882 and has continued In operation up
10 the present time. Ii is alleged that IL
has gone far to prevent corporations other
than he defendants from storing nd trans
porting oil and conducting operations III
cideht 10 this business.
This has heen done, it is alleged, hy suits
and injunctions and the publication Of de-
famatory articles regarding the plaintiff
reflecting upoa its management and imam
cial responsibility. 1t is also alleged Il al
the Standard has indirectly taken II e;.Sures
TO destroy the pipes of the plaintiff, andi
other ways sought to hinder it's ouSin..ss.
Then follows a rather remark able state
meDt, to the effect that the stan iard or
its enlissaries have sought 10 strengthen
themselves by purchasing, ~ "a ISiaE TO
be purchased capital stock Jr the 81 lintiff
in this action and OF th. compa lies wIIing
the stock of the plaintiff in tnis Gction,
solely for the purpose aud With the inten-
tion of thereby obtaining the control nd
mana cement Of the business and 4rfairs of
the plaintiff ia this action, AMI IF revcnt-
ing, restraining and excluding :he said
plaintiff from its said business trade and
commerce among the States and among
foreign nations. and of thus securing a
monopoly in said business"
The Complaint then goes on TO relate IN II
the StaudaId, in order TO keep out aorn-
petitors, has frequently chartered all Of
the available oil vessels, regardless Of the
number needed for its own business; that
1t has irtimidated merchants and others
to prevent them from having relations
with competitors OF the trust and has re-
sorted to the practice of selling its prod
uct at ruinpusly low prices, regardless )f
the cost Of producing it, with view 10
making itself master of the situation
The complaint was filed some time ago,
but the fact of the suit only became gener-
ally known yesterday. The defendants
have filed their answers within the iast
few DAYS. Most of these documents make
a general denia but those OF the Stan lard
oil allege tina the United States Pipe Line
Company was not organized for the purpose
of storing and transporting oil outside
of the State of Penn syiyania, where the
company vas Incorporated, and henHe
they deny its right to make a point OF the
fniuTy alleged 10 have been done To its
foreign trade.