Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-11-16

w dSfIiilSt NOV. ID."-AttoIIIcy
General Moody today acting through
the resident United States district
attorney instituted proceedings against
the Standard Oil Co. of New Jer-
sey under the Sherman antitrust
act by filing in the United States
circuit court at st. Louis petition in
equity against it and it's seventy con-
stituent corporations and partnerships
and seven Individual defendants ask
ing that the combination be declared
unlawful and in the future enjoined
from entering into any contract or
combination in restraint of trade, etc.
The following statement was pre-
pared and made public by Attorney
General Moody today:
"In June last by direction of the
President, Messrs. Kellogg and Morri-
son, were appointed special assistant
attorneys general to act with assis-
tants to the Attorney General Purdy to
make an investigation of the relations
of the Standard Oil Company of New
Jersey TO the business of refining.
transporting, distributing and selling
oil throughout the United States: to
ascertain all the facts and report
whether or not in their opinion there
has been violation of the Sherman
antitrust law by the Standard Oil
Company of New Jersey or the per-
sOEs or corporations associated with or
mana ing it. The counsel have COM
pleted that duty and the report of
their investigation has received care
full consideration by the President and
mis- cabinet.
"The information available to the
department tends to show that the va
riOus corporations and limited partner
ships under the control. in the manner
hereinafter stated. of the Standard Oil
Co of New Jersey, produce. transport
and sell about so per cent. of the re-
fined oil produced, transported and
sold in the United States for domestic
use and about the same proportion of
refined oil exported from the United
States; that this share of the business
has been procured by q course of ac-
tior which. beginning in 1870, has con-
tinued under the direction of the same
persons, in the main, down to the pres
ent time; that these persons now sur
viving are John d. Rockefeller. Will
liam Rockefeller. Henry II. Rogers,
Henry NJ Flagler. John d. Archbold.
Oliver H. Payne and Charles NJ. Pratt;
that the design throughout of the per-
sons having control Of the enterprise
mas been to suppress competition in
the production. transportation and sale
of refined oil and 70 obtain as far as
POSSIBLE a monopoly therein: that be-
tween 1870 and 1882 the design was eff
fected through agreements made be-
tween many persons and corporations
enga ged in this business and that in
1882 the result aimed at was made
more certain by vesting in nine
trustees Gncluding five of the above
named persons) sufficient stock in the
thirty-nine corporations concerned. to
enable the trustees to control their
operations in such way that COM
petition between them was sup
pressed; that this plan was acted upon
until it was declared unlawful by the
Supreme court of Ohio in an action
against the Standard Oil Co. Of Ohio,
one Of said corporations. in 1892; that
during the seven years following the
same individual defendants as ma
jority Of the liquidating trustees were
pretending to liquidate the trust but
as a matter Of fact were managing all
Of the corporations in the same way
and exercising the same control over
them; that the individual defendants
in 1899 increased the stock OF the
Standard Oil Company Of New Jersey
from 10000. 900 to $40, 100000; that said
company was then a producing and
selling corporation, and they added to
It's corporate powers the power of pur-
chasing stock in other companies and
practically all Of the powers exercised
by the trustees under the unlawful
trust agreement of 1852; that the STAN
dard Oil Co. of New Jersey, then taxi
| ing the place Of the trustees. acquired
all Of the stock Of the corporations
therefor by the issue of it's own shares
in exchange; that the president of the
board Of trustees became the president
of the Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey
and the same persons (the individual
defendants) who had directed the BUSH
ness Of the trust then assumed the di-
rectiOn of the business of the Standard
Oil Co. Of New Jersey and ever since