The Washington herald., 1906-11-16
MOODY BELTEVEs HE VIZ WIN
Bailey Says He Has "A Good Case,
Like Northern Securities.

Bailey Says He Has a Good Case,
Like Northern Securities.
The utmost confidence prevails at the
Department of Justice in regard to the
success of the suit filed against the Stand
ard Oil Company in ST. Louis yesterday.
Il is an open secret that Attorney General
Moody desires . make the dissolution OF
the oil trust the crownng achievement OF
mis- administration and be has devoted
much time and study to the antitrust
features of the case
He will leave the Attorney Generals Of
fee TO become a justice Of the Supreme
Court OF the United States soon. and hopes
that the prosecution of the great trust
case viii have been completed by that
time. at least so far as the court Of initial
proceedings is concerned.
Mr. Moody has staked his reputation as
law officer Of the government upon max
ing a successful issue OF this suit. be IS
proud of his achievement and IS firm in
the belief that the steps he has taken 70
dissolve the oil trust will prove efficient.
The question of criminal prosecution
against the officers Of the Standard Oil
Company viii be taken up later. But Il Is
understood that 10 his successor Charles
J. Bonaparte. now Secretary Of the Navy,
viii be placed the burden Of the decision
One Thing at Time.
It Is known that while Mr. Moody be-
lieves the evidence sufficiently strong 20
warrant criminal prosecution. he does not
deem II advisable to press two actions at
the same time. In this he reflects the
opinions Of President Roosevelt whose
..F~ rfr.rrs
tions and TO proviue against their reeur-
renee in the future.
Mr. Moody made public a statement to-
day in which these we're the essential
features:
'-The counsel appointed by me last
June 10 investigate the Standard oil
Company Of New Jersey have completed
that duty. and the report OF their inves-
tigation has received careful cOnsidera-
tion by the President and his Cabinet.
The information available to the de-
psrtment tends TO show that the various
corporations and limited partnerships
| under the control in the manner herein
after stated. of the Standard oil Com
| p2ny Of New Jersey, produce transport.
| and sell about 90 per cent Of the refined
/ 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 pro-
/ duced by a course of action which, be-
| ginning in 1870, has continued under the
/ direction of the same persons. IN the
main, down 10 the present time; that
/ these persons now surviving are John D.
| Rockefeller, William Rockefeller. Henry
/ h Rogers, Henry NJ Flagler. John d.
/ Archbold. Oliver II. Payne. and Charles
/ 81 Pratt
Ihat the design throughout Of the per-
sons having control Of the enterprise has
/ been to suppress competition in the pro-
/ duction, transportation, and sale Of re-
/ hned OIL and TO obtain, as far as possible,
a monopoly therein.
! That the purpose and effect Of the use
4 OF the Standard Oil Company of New Jer-
sey as holding company are 20 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:
4 that BY the foregoing methods, aided by
/ the establishment Of railroad rates for
/ transportation which Disseminated in
/ favor of the corporations whose stock was
/ held by the holding company. that com
! pany has been enabled 10 obtain, IN large
/ sections of the country, a monopoly Of the
I sale of refined oil, with the result that
/ the prices to the consumer within the ter
ritOry where the monopoly prevails are
very much higher than within the terri
| tory where competition 10 some extent
| still exists.
1T is believed that these facts. together
with others contained in the report Of the
special counsel, justify and require action
/ by the United States in the courts.
"Accdrdingly. a petition in equity under
1 the provisions Of the Sherman act has
/ this day been filed against the Standard
| Oil Company of New Jersey and seventy
other corporations and limited partner
ships and the seven individual defendants
befFre named, IN the Eighth judicial cir
/ cult at St Louis. Mo. to have the said
| combination adjudged and decreed TO be
/ unlawful, and that the holding and con-
| troll by the Standard oil Company New
Jersey of the stocks OF the seventy cor
porations be declared unlawful and the
| said corporations be prohibited from de-
| claring or paying any dividends 20 the
1 Standard oil Company Of New Jersey,
and be enjoined from entering into or
1 performing any contract or combination
| 10 restrain trade and commerce or to mo-
nopolize trade in the future.
The question whether any action Of a
different nature should be taken is re-
/ served for future consideration. The con-
! troversy is now pending in the courts,
and any further comment by this depart
ment or by any one connected with it
would obviously be improper and Un-
| fair"
Senator Joseph ". Bailey. Of Texas,
who. according to his local enemies, rep
resented the Waters Pierce Company, a
branch Of the Standard oil, before the
courts while a Senator, and who is
charged with being subseTvient 70 the
Rockefeller interests, arrived in Washing
| ton yesterday and was asked what ne
/ thought of the prosecution. He replied.
/ Il have not seen the allegations IN the
/ governments petition, but generally
| speaking, I should say that the decision
/ in the Northern Securities case ought to
I enable the government TO reach the
! Standard oil. Its affiliations and opera
! tions are clearly interstate"
0JT TRUcT nFCTApTC nTUTOr1J1