Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1899-08-09
IMPORTANT CASE.
B. G. Wilson, Of Continental Oil
Company, Arrested.
For Doing Business In New Mexico
Without a License.
Case to Be Taken 10 the United States Su-
preme Court.
FIRST ROUND IN THE DISTRICT COURT.

sff'h''b pttVsf - W. Nth"DhthFt
in chambers. and being sworn testified
that the Continental Oh company IL q
foreign corporation. not organized or do.
ing business under the laws of New Mex
leo, engaged in the business OF producing
aud refining petroleum and coal oil and
the products thereof for illuminating
purposes; that b. q. Wilson IL the general
agent and representative OF said Cont
mental OH company. residing and doing
business In the county OF Bernalillo,
New Mexico.
That the said company and b. q. vii
son, ss agent. have been selling petro-
leum and coal oil and ths products there
of for Illuminating purposes in Bernalillo
county and other counties Of the terri
tory, and are still selling the same. and
have been 20 selling the same since
March 10. 1899. without any license 30 to
DO from the territorial commerce com.
mission. authorizing such corporation
and Its agent, to engage in selling and
disposing Of said products; and that the
said company and its agent has not
complied with the laws OF New Mexico,
authorizing them TO do business In the
territory. nor has II, nor any person for
II, made written application therefor
but on the contrary, the said Continental
Oil company. and its said sgeut. B. q.
Wilson. have refused to procure license
from the said commerce commission
when it demanded that the said Cont
mental Oil company. and the said Wilson.
apply for the same; and the said Cont
mental Oil company refused TO apply for
such license and still refuses 80 to do
and continues to sell petroleum and coal
oil and the products thereof. for illumin
sting purposes In the said territory. aud
Ia doing and carrying on the business OF
selling the same without having obtained
or applied for such license, in violation
OF the law.
Mr.. Dobson states that he knew the
above allegations to be- true. and alleged
that the Continental Oil company and its
agent, b. q. Wilson. are leach guilty OF u
misdemeanor, and prayed that warrant
be issued for the arrest OF said b. q. Will
son. returnsble according to law.
Judge Crumpscker granted the prayer
OF the petitioner aud issued warrant for
the arrest OF Mr.. Wilson. The arrest was
made by the sheriff, and MIR. Wilson IL
now nominslly in his custody. The day
OF trial has not been set.
This IL one OF the most important, and
probably the most important. suit ever
commenced in the district court OF Bar
nslillo county. Before II IL finally set
tied IL will, without question, be carried
to the supreme court OF judicature In the
nation for hnal determination - this
without regard to which side wins in the
lower courts.
In these days OF legislation by almost
every state legislature. on the subject OF
trusts, the decision OF the district court
OF Bernalillo county and Of the supreme
court OF the territory In this very case
may attain a high and commanding
rank among the present law literature
OF the United States.
The last territorial legislature passed
a law requiring all foreign corporations
doing business within the territory to
take out territorial license. This they
have. without exception, positively re-
fused to do, aud the present case Ia
brought to test the legality OF the terri.
toTial law requiring said license.
II may be- that corporations, through
the strict technicality OF law, can avoid
paying this small contribution toward
the support of the government, whose
protection they enjoy, but We bslieye not
II ia contrary TO common sense az we'll
as the genius OF democratic government,
which insists that every individual and
corporation should contribute his or its
share, according to their wealth and
possessions, toward bearing the public
burden made necessary in order to pre-
serve law and order in the community,
II seems strange indeed in these days
when an gngered people are erywhere
crying aloud for justice and vengeance
against arrogant and sOulless corpora
tiOns and trusts. that the manager OF the
Standard OIL company, OF which the
Continental is branch or probably bet
ter only leaf, should possess 10 little
foresight and tact as 10 unnecessarily iTri-
tate this angry feeling, by lighting TO the
last ditch law that Is 80 manitestly fair
and just as was the one passed by the
last New Mexico legislature. Should the
territory ba 10 fortunate a. to get ths de.
cision in the lirst court OF appeals in
" Washington, the territorial sOlOns OF
1904 would be- justified in increasing the
present license iye or ten times IA n re-
compense for the trouble which the terri
tory has been put to by the obstinate and
senseless opposition OF the corporation.
-Four thousand five hundred
ID d Rocky Ford cantaloupes,
Arizona grown, on sale at less
than three cents each in crate lots
at the San Jose Market to-mor-
row.
what Causes the difference,
j. A. Smith, general manager and