The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-08-31
COMPLETE
INF FORMA ION

Chicago, Aug. 27.-Complete infor-
nation regarding the ten indictments
returned against the Standard Oil
company, today by the federal grand
jury in Judge Bethea's court is con-
tanned in a report given out late this
afternoon by the district attorneys
office The maximum fine which may
be imposed upon the Standard Oil
company, should it be found guilty
upon all counts, would amount to
SIPS. .56O, 900
Following is the statement from the
district attorneys office:
Chicago, ILL.,, Aug q, 1906.
Statement showing concessions re-
ceved by the Standard Oil company,
during last three years, as charged in
the ten indictments this day present
+. ed in the United States district court,
for the western district of Illinois by
two grand juries, one drawn from the
district as it stood before the act
of March 8, 1905, changing it's bound
aries. and the other drawn from the
district as it has stood since that
date
Each of the 6,42S counts in these
ten indictments covers separate
offense, and is based on tank car
shipment (averaging about twenty
five tons of petroleum products per
ear), of refined oil, gas oil, petroleum,
1ubricating oil, naphtha, or fuel oil
all FROM the Whiting refneries: c. B.
el,I
St Louis. 1.S00; C. & A. shipments;
East st. Louis, 9S4 st. Louis, 1,O53.
&c. & E. l., E. & T. H., Illinois
Central, and Southern railway; a
small part of shipments to points in
the south beyond Grand Junction, 1O3.
&C. & E. l. and E. T. H., ship
ments to Evansville, and beyond
1915.
Lake Shore & Michigan South
ern, storage charges lin part), 20.
Total number of counts, 6,42S.
THE DETAILS.
"The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
railway and the Chicago & Alton had
published lawful rates, of 1S cents per
100 pounds to East St Louis, and 1914
cents to St. Louis, but carried oil for
the Standard Oil company, on a secret
rate at six and seven and half cents
to those points respectively.
"On shipments to points in the
south, beyond Grand Junction the
Standard Oil company should have
paid the different lawful rates
for the different points of destination,
but was given concessions which aver
aged about 271a per cent of the pub
lished rates The same Is true of the
shipments to Evansville and beyond
THE concessions given to the Stand
ard Oil company by the Lake Shore
& Michigan Southern railway COM
pany were in the shape of canceTla-
tions of storage charges at Chicago
OF five cents per ton per day on oil
delayed in delivery. Other oil ship
pers were compelled to pay the stor-
age charges.
These ten indictments make prac-
tically one indictment charging 6,42S
offenses, and form, without doubt the
most voluminous indictment ever pre-
sented to any court. The penalty
fixed by tie Clkins law for each Of
rense of IL, .slracter is fine of not
less than $i.CJ0 and not more than
$4,000. Indictments were recently
found against the Standard Oil COM
pany on the Elkins law at James
town, N. Y, containing 126 counts.
In case of conviction by a petit jury,
ha ho ;e
tried has the fixing of the amount of
the fine, in each case between these
limits and his judgment on this point
is not open to correction by any high
er court"
1t is expected that the attorneys
for the Standard will enter the ap-
pearance of the company in court as
soon as they have examined the in
dictments If this is not done, the
United States attorney will take steps
to call the matter of the tendency of
the indictments to the attention of
of law at present for arresting any
of the officials of a corporation when
it is indicted.
1t would seem that the proper pro-
eeeding is to issue summons and
have the United States marshal serve
1t on the officers of the corporation
and, in case they do not cause the ap-
pearance of the corporation to be
entered, in court, to take a default
at the next term of court, and ask
for judgment for the full amount OF
all of the penalties and for writ of
execution, authorizing the United
States marshal to levy on the prop
erty of the corporation and sell II
to satisfy the judgment
District Attorney Morrison, made
the statement that the charges OF