The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-11-16
BY w. w. Jermane, Colorado Building,
Washington, p, c.

Washington, Nov. 16.-Wall street
been falling steadily for several days,
or ever since the government began to
manifest determination to bring the
corporation to book, and it. records
that this week the fall has been 33 1-3
as compared with the price in 1902.
In that year the stock brought $40.
In January Of the present year the
price was 700, and this.<week it got
down to sos. This latest decline is
due entirely to the department Of JUS
tlcee,. which yesterday fled its epoch
making suit in the federal circuit court
at st. Louis.
The intent of the administration is
to push the suit at st. Louis for all
1t IS worth. The attorney general him
sselI Will be IN charge of it, nominany,
but as a new attorney general is to
come into office in few weeks, the
direction Of the case will fall to the
hands of Milton D.: Purdy of Mime
sofa. assistant to the attorney general,
who is to hold that position under Mr..
Bonaparte.
~ The conferences which closed last
dy, Messrs. Kellogg of st. Paul and
Morrison of Chicago, special counsel,
who vii! be actively in charge of the
prosecution, and one or two Of the as
slstant attorneys general. The plans
were gone over carefully, with a view
to seeing that they were watertieht.
ana after various minor changes had
Deen made, the case was turned over
to Kellogg and Morrison, with direc.
10 lions TO-; TO proceed with all dispatch along
ms suit, which will be so important
IN Its etfects upon the desire of the
government to control corporate wealth
mad Its beginnings in rather prosaic
surroundings; A petition in equity
asking that the Standard Oil company
pc alssolVed, and that an Injunction
Ds granted forever forbidding it from
illegal practices, and a special grand
jury to consider the case. sum m ~
actual proceedings. Then the suit will
be on. "A'A
Fighting Merciless Trust.
l9 this action the government is nro.
ceedln1g against the strongest, most
meIclless and richest corporation in the
s sttstoly or the world. In name the
for its dealings in oil now form H.,
smallest part of its vast business. Thru
seVenVy-one subsidiary companies #
GontTols the oil products Of the world.
IL also controls, practically, the sail
sugar, leather, copper, steel and tohao'
20 20 industries of the United States, and
tae electric and gas business of scores
OF American cities. It dominates four
W q Inc great banking houses of New
haIying large interest in Ten Others
eleven gigantic trusts, capitalized
for nearly 100000, 900, are controIleJ
directly by the Standard Oil comnanv
and three trunk line railways having
nearly 1900 miles of trackage.
;, Exclusive Of it's own capitalization Il.
~ Is said to control railroads, banks
ana other properties which are capitai-
-zea TOT 81 ,ooO,o00,0oO in addition to
which it is believed to control $500.
10000 Of capital in still other corpora-
lions on which its operations have been
successfully masked.
Garfield Found Facts.
The facts which are set forth above
have been developed by the government
curing curing the past few years, or since the
Standard Oh company has been the. sub,
9eGt or inquiry at the hands Of Mr.. Gar
neld 8 bureau of corporations Yet.
those familiar with the subject believe
tnat the known facts amount to no
more than mere scratching Of the sur
race, the full measure of the; CORPORA
ton 5 offenses never having .hean ~, 20.
yeaied. At every step the government s
wore has been obstructed, and the com
Pany>s agents have committed perjury.
bribery and forgery, and falsifed rec,
Pros pros and nd been guilty Of actual theft in
, nneat e enorts to prevent the. govern
menus nI probe from being effective,
LIS own crimes have been its undoino
and today it is being bounded in az,
courts OF half dozen states. The smit
now. under way at ST. Louis Is nf
course, the most important of all FOR &
involves a Wtes7 ecope Of offenses. has