The Adair County news. [volume] (Columbia, Ky.) 1897-1987, 1906-09-12
ND|CT OIL TRUST
ON 6,42S counts
GRAND JURIES AT CHICAGO RE,
TURN. 10 TRUE BILLS AGAINST +,
STANDARD CONCERN.
RECEIVING UNLAWFUL
REBATES is CHARGE
Fines Aggregating $12s, $50, 900 Can Be
Imposed If Verdict of Guilty Is Re-
turned in Each Case-RockefeIIer
Company to Fight.

Chicago, Aug. 29.-The first big gun
of the governments fight against the
Standard Oil company was fired here
Monday, when the two federal grand
juries which have been investigating
the relations of the oil corporation
with various railroads centering in
Chicago returned ten indictments to
Judge Bethea. In the indictments
there is total of 6,42S counts, each
representing an allegation of the gov
eminent that Standard Oil received
an unlawful rebate from one of the
railroad companies involved. This is
the largest Indictment in history.
The railroads mentioned in the in
dictment, which are not accused by
the grand jurors, are the Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy, the Chicago e
Alton, the Chicago & Eastern Illinois,
the Evansville & Terre Haute, the ILL.,
nois Central. the Southern and the
Lake Shore & Michigan Southern.
Can Be Fined Millions.
If the Standard Oil company Is
found guilty under each count and the
fine is placed at the maximum of $780,
900. the total of the fines would reach
the figure of 1928, $50, 900; if at the
minimum of $1,000, the total would
be $6,42S,000. On an earlier indict-
ment Judge Bethea fixed the COM
pany's bond at $4,000. If the same
ratio is pursued the present demand
would be $S,000,O00.
Judge Bethea has announced to Dis
trict Attorney Morrison that he would
prepare to consider the indictments
any time after September II, previous
to which, however, conference be-
tween all the federal attorneys inter-
ested is to be held, at which Attorney
General Moody will be present.
Standard to Fight.
Standard Oil promises to contest the
battle at every step, and the first
strife will come when District Attor-
ney Morrison appears before Judge
Bethea to ask that the company be
required to furnish bonds for it's ap-
pearance to answer the indictments.
John S. Miller, who has been re-
tanned as special counsel by Standard
Oil, will resent the plea for bond. Mr..
Miller said:
1.-The Standard Oil company does
not propose to resort to obstructive
tactics and will not unnecessarily de-
lay the hearing of the cases. 1t is
ridiculous, however, to ask the Stand
ard Oil company to give bond for its
appearance in court. The company
cannot run away. / have never heard
of corporation being compelled to
give bail in a criminal prosecution"
The indictments returned far ex-
coed any advance estimate of what
the two grand juries have been doing
in their secret sessions. yet it is de-
clared to be apparent that the reports
are but the beginnings of the govern
, ment's battle against Standard Oil.
The indictments referred simply to re-
bate gifng and receiving. and were
returned as under the Elkins inter-
state commerce law of 1887. The
vastly more important phase of the
proceedings watch are now the upper
most endeavors of the Roosevelt ad-
ministration as betokened by the
policy which has been mapped out
by the president and Attorney Gen
eral Moody is to bring Standard Oil
to an accounting as violating the
Sherman antitrust law, as a corpora
ton acting in restraint of trade.