Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-08-28
STANDARD Is ND|C|[D|
Ten Indictments on 6,42S
Counts Returned Against
the Octopus
ROCKEFELLER MAY DIE POOR
If Full Penalty Should Be Imposed on
Conviction Fines May Total $685.
56o,ooo-Lowest otal Would Be Six
and One Half Millions.


Chicago. Aug. 2S-Ten indictments,
containing GAPS counts, were returned
against the Standard Oil Company on
the true bills. voted by the two federal
grand juries which made their reports
yesterday afternoon to Judge Bethea,
of the United States circuit court. The
indictments cover five different classes
of offenses and the total amount of re-
bates which it is claimed seven rail-
roads implicated paid the trust in the
last three years is s4S7, 690 No indict-
ments were returned against the rail-
Grads or the officials of the trust.
This marks, virtually, the beginning
of the governments campaign against
the trust. Under the Elkins law, upon
which the indictments are based, the
fine upon conviction may be anything
from $1,000 to $4,000 on each count. AT
the lowest figure the fine would be &c.
42S,O00, and if the highest fines were
assessed the amount would be $685.
100000. This huge amount, taken with
tn highest possible fine based on the
126 counts of the seven indictments re-
Gently found against the oil trust by
federal grand jury at jamestown, N.
Y, makes total of $1S1, $50, 600.
No time ha hnoy, for hos 4 ha
cases, altho after both juries had been
discharged Judge Bethea told District
Attorney Morrison he would be pre-
time after September II. Before this
is done, however, a conference is to be
held between all the government at
torneys interested and at which At
torney General Moody will be present.
Service may be secured on the COM
pany thru w. p. Cowan, vice president
lof the monopoly, whose office is at
Wabash avenue.
Each of the 6,42S counts is based
on the shipment of a tank car In the
case of the st. Louis and East st.
Louis indictments it is charged that
the Burlington and Alton railroads
each had published tariff filed with
the interstate commerce commission of
1919 cents per 100 pounds for the Bur-
lington, and Ii cents per, 100 for the
Alton. 1t was shown, however. that
the Standards oil and by-products
We're carried from Whiting. Ind, to
East st. Louis for IN and cents re-
spectively.
On shipments to the south, beyond
Grand Junction. the Standard should
have paid the different rates as pub
lished and filed at Washington. 1t
was proved to the satisfaction Of the
cago and Eastern Illinois, the Evans
vile and Terre Haute, the Illinois Cen
trail, and the Southern Railroads gave
the trust a discount averaging PIN
per cent of the published tariff. The
same was true of the shipments to
Evansville "and beyond" save that the
concession on short hauls was even
more.
Lake Shore is Involved.
The indictments in connection with
the Lake Shore road, two in number.
are based on the failure of the Oil
trust to pay storage charges of $22,-
900 for oil in the Eighteenth street
warehouse of the company here. In
dependent shippers had to pay storage
charges of cents per ton day for
oil kept there. The jury decided this
was a scheme to grant rebate.
None of the Standard Oil officials
or their attorneys were in the court
when the indictments were returned,
but the action was expected. Attor-
ney John S. Miller, special counsel for
the Standard, held a hurried confer
ence with the company's, general at
torney, A. J. Eddy. Mr.. Miller declar-
ed that as attorney for the defendant
he was in no position as yet to state
what action would be taken.
Railroads Anxious for Relief.
The operations of the federal legal
department and the secret service bu-
reau have been. kept secret since the
beginning of the fight by the govern
ment, but one of the jurors who has
listened to the testimony of every wit
ness divulged the reason for not ask
ing true bills against the railroads. Ac-
cording to his statement the whole in
yestigation Of the methods of the oil
trust is the direct result Of a desire
upon the part of the large transporta-
ton companies to throw off the yoke of
the trust and dictate their own freight
rates.
For sometime, according to the testi-
mony Of many witnesses heard by the
iuries. the Standard Oil Company has
held the withdrawal Of it's entire trade
over the heads of the railroad compan-
les as a club to force them into grant
ing rebates. 1t is said that it was the
constant threat sof the Standard COM
pany to either build parallel railroad
lines or to transport, their products
by means of pipe. lines and refuse to
SEND so much as a gallon of oil over
the leading railroads.
Rather than lose this vast amount of
trade the railroad companies are said
to have agreed to the mandate Of the
trust. However, while apparently con-
senting to the orders of the System"
the transportation companies We're only
awaiting the opportunity to put stop
to the practice and when the fight
against the violators OF, the federal
antirebate laws was first inaugurated
in the east the transportation COM
panies Immediately signified their will
ingness to place every bit of available
evidence in the hands of the govern
ment with the understanding that they
were to be granted, immunity from fur
Their prosecution.
STEAMER ILLINOIS STRANDED