Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-15


rection Of the business of the Standard Oil
Company of New Jersey and ever since
continued it; that the purpose and effect
of the use OF. the Standard Oil Company Of
New Jersey as a holding company was pre-
cisely the same as the purpose and effect Of
| the appointment of the trustees hereinbe-
fore referred to, namely, to suppress COM
petition between the corporations and lin
tied 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 establish
ment of railroad rates for transportation
which Disseminated in favor OF the cor
porations whose stock was held by the
holding company, that company 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 competi-
ton to some extent still exists.
Prosecution Justified.
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. Accord
ingly petition in equity under
the provisions of the Sherman act
has this day been fled against the
Standard Oil Company of New Jersey and
seventy other corporations and limited
partnerships and the seven individual de-
PENDANTS before named. in the eighth judi
cial circuit at st. Louis Mo-, to have the
said combination adjudged and decreed to
be unlawful. and that the holding and con-
al hx-t he IorI Cov~,
Jersey of the stocks of the seventy corpora
tons be declared unlawful. and the said
corporation be prohibited from declaring or
paying any dividends to the Standard OIL
Company of New Jersey. and be enjoined
from entering into or performing any con-
tract or combination to restrain trade and
commerce or to monopolize trade In tho
future.
THE question whether any action of a
different nature should be taken is reserved
for future consideration. The controversy
is now pending in the courts, and any fur
Their comment by this department or by
any one connected with 1t would obviously
be improper and unfair"
Injunction Asked For.
The suit of the United States government
against the Standard Oil Company of New
Jersey, John D. Rockefeller and others was
instituted in the name of the United States
by direction of the Attorney General
against John d. Rockefeller, William Rock
efeller, Henry H. Rogers. Henry M. Flag
| Ter, John D. Archbold, Oliver H. Payne,
Charles NJ. Pratt. and seventy-one corpora
lions and partnerships, charging them with
having violated sections / and 2 OF the
| Sherman antitrust act.
The government asks for an Injunction
against these defendants which, IL granted,
will result in the dissolution Of the alleged
| combination.
/. It Is alleged in the petition that John
1 D. Rockefeller and his associates, the other
| Individual defendants, formed a conspiracy
! to monopolize the commerce in petroleum
| and its products at a very early date-about
| the year 1870-and that the same individuals
1 have controlled the combination during
| all these years, in all its forms. and now
| control il. 1t was therefore deemed wise to
| state in the petition the complete history
/ and growth of this conspiracy
The form which such combination and
| conspiracy has assumed, and the devices
| and practices employed to obtain control of
| the business, have. however. from time
| to time been subject to change as the indi-
| fective for carrying out their purposes. The
petition, therefore, is logically divided into
| three periods.
| The Standards Three Periods.
| During the first one of these periods. to
wit. from 1870 to 1882. the combination as
sumed the form of a simple conspiracy-that
Continued on Fourteenth PaSe.)