Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1906-11-22

seven individual defendants. The At
torney General asks that the combina-
ton be declared unlawful and that it
be enjoined from entering any contract
or combination in restraint of trade
The following statement was pre-
pared and made public by Attorney
General Moody:
I'm June, by direction of the Presi-
dent, MeSSrS. Kellogg and Morrison
were appointed by me special assistant
attorneys general to act with Assistant
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 to report
whether or not in their opinion there
has been a violation Of the Sherman
antitrust law by the Standard Oil
Company of New Jersey or the per-
sons or corporations associated with or
managing it. Counsel have completed
that duty and the report of their in
vestigation has received careful con-
sideration by the President and his
Cabinet.
Charges Set Forth by Moody.
1.-The information available to the de-
partment tends to show:
That the various corporations and lin
tied partnerships under the control, in
the manner hereinafter stated. of the
Standard Oil Company of New Jersey
produce, transport and sell about 80 pei
cent of the refined oil produced. trans
ported and sold in the United States for
domestic use, and about the same pro-
portion of refined oil exported from the
United States.
That this share OF the business has
been procured by course Of action
which, beginning in 1870, has continued
under the direction of the same persons,
in the main, down to the present time.
That these persons now surviving are
John D. Rockefeller, William Rocdnfel-
Ter. Henry II. Rogers, Henry NJ. FllSla-,
John d. Archbold Oliver Ii. Payne anu
Charles NJ. Pratt.
That the design throughout OF the
persons having control of the enterprise
has been to suppress competition in the
production, transportation and sale Of "t
fined oil, and to obtain, as far as possible,
a monopoly therein.
That between 1870 and 1882 The &C.
sign was effected through agreements
made between many persons and corpora
tons engaged in this business.
That in 1882 the result aimed at was
made more certain by vesting in nine
trustees (including five of the above-nam-
ed persons) sufficient stock in the thirty
nine corporations concerned TO enable The
trustees to control their operations in
such a way that competition between
them was suppressed.
That this plan was acted upon until it
was declared unlawful by the Supreme
Court of Ohio in an action against the
Standard Oil Company of Ohio, one of
said corporations, in 1892.
That during the seven years following
the same individual defendants, as Il ma
jority of the iquidating trustees, were
pretending to liquidate the trust, but as
matter of fact were managing all OF the
corporations in the same way ana eXcr-
cising the same control over them.
That the individual defendants, n 1899
increased the stock of the Standard Oil
Company of New Jersey from S10,0G0,CG0
to $110,000,000; that said company was
then a producing and selling col poration,
and that they added to it's corporate pow
ers the power of purchasing stock in 9TH
er companies and practically all Of The
powers exercised by the trustees unGe- the
unlawful trust agreement of 1882.
That the Standard Oil Company OF
New Jersey, then taking the place of the
trustees, acquired all of the stock Of
the corporations heretofore held and CON
trolled by the trustees, paying therefor
by the issue of its own shares in OK
change: that the president of the boari
of trustees became the president of the
Standard Oil Company of New jersey.
and that the same persons (the individual
defendants) who had directed the bust
ness of the trust then assumed the dirac-
ton of the business of the Standard OIL
Company of New Jersey, and ever since
have continued it.
That the purpose and effect of the
use of the Standard Oil Company of New
Jersey as holding company was precise
ly the same as the purpose and effect of
the appointment of the trustees hereinbe-
fore referred tO-namely, to suppress
competition between the corporations and
limited partnerships whose stock was first
held by the trustees and then by the
Standard Oil Company of New Jersey
That by the foregoing methods, aided
by the establishment of railroad rates for
transportation which Disseminated in IA
va. of tln tior,S,
held by the holding company. that com
pany has been enabled to obtain, in large
sections of the country, monopoly of
the sale of refined oil, with the result
that the prices to the consumer within
the territory where the monopoly prevails
are very much higher than within the
territory where competition to some ex-
tent still exists.
1T is believed that these facts, to-
gether with others contained il the re-
port of the special counsel. justify and
require action by the United States in
the courts"
John ID. Rockefeller Indicted.
John d. Rockefeller, NJ. G. Villas.
treasurer of the Standard Oil Com
pany of Ohio; J. NJ. Robertson. secre-
tary, and II. 2. Mcintosh, director.
were indicted at Findlay by the grand
Jury. before which the recent oil in
quiry was reopened by County Prosecu-
tor David. Bench warrants for Rookie |
Teller and the others indicted WIRE is |
sued Immediately and placed in the |
hands of Sheriff Groves.
Ice Trust Decision Stands.
The Circuit Court of Toledo, Ohio. |
upheld the decision of the Common Pleas |
Court in the sentence of the three prin- /
cipals convicted of conspiracy in restraint |
OK trade in the sale of ice. The sentence