Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1906-11-22
The United States Government Files
Suit Against Standard OIL
Company at St. Louis.
WOULD BRtAA MONOPOLY
seventy Corporations Are CharSea
with Violating sherman ANTI
Trust Law--CriminaI Pros
ecutions May Follow.

oEu Nll1 bOSoAASN
in the United States district court
In st. Louis a petition In equity
AGAINST the Standard OIL company Oh
New Jersey and its seventy constitu-
emit corporations and partnerships, and
seven defendants, including john y,
Rockefeller and William Rockefeller,
asking the the combination be de-
clared unlawful and in the future en-
Joined from entering into any con-
tract or combination In restraint OF
trade. The suit is brought under the
Sherman antitrust act, which the
STANDARD and its constituent compa-
MES and the seven individuals defend
ants are charged with violating. In
a formal statement by Attorney Gen
eral Moody he says that criminal pros
ecution is reserved for future con-
sideration.
The investigation into methods pur-
sued by the Standard OIL company be-
gan early in 1906 and the results were
laid before congress last May by Pres
ldent Roosevelt, who accompanied the
report by special message denounc-
ing the apparent methods pursued
The president asserted at the time
that suits would be instituted In the
United States courts to abolish the
combination, and the filing Of the
suit marks the initial step.
The following statement was pre-
pared and made public by Attorney
General Moody Thursday:
I'm June last, by direction OF the
president, Messrs. Kellogg and Morri-
son were appointed by me special as
sistant attorneys general to act with
assistant to the attorney general, Pur-
DIV, to make an investigation OF the
relations Of the Standard Oil company
of New Jersey, to the business Of re-
fning, transporting, distributing and
selling oil throughout the United
States; to ascertain all the facts
and report whether OF" not in their
opinion there has been violation OF
the Sherman antitrust law by the
Standard OIL company Of New Jersey
or the persons or corporations asso-
ciated with or managing 1t. The
counsel have completed that duty and
the report Of their investigation has
received careful consideration by the
president and his cabinet.
"The information available to the
department tends to show that the
various corporations. the limited part
nerships under the control, In the
manner hereinafter stated, OF the
Standard Oil company of New Jersey,
produce, transport and sell about 30
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 ex-
ported from the United States; that
this share Of the business has been
procured by a course Of action which,
beginning in 1870, has continued I'M
der the direction Of the same persons,
in the main. down to the present
time, that these persons now surviv-
ing are John D. Rockefeller, William
Rockefeller, Henry H. Rogers, Henry
NJ. Flager, John D. Archbold, Oliver
H. Payne and Charles M. Pratt; that
the design throughout Of the persons
having control Of the enterprise has
been to suppress competition in the
production, transportation and sale Of
refined oil and to obtain, as far as
possible, a monopoly therein; that be-
tween 1870 and 1882 the design was
effected through agreements made be-
tween many persons and corporations
engaged in this business; that in 1882,
the result aimed at was made more
certain by vesting in nine trustees
,(including FIVE of the above named
persons) suGicient stock in the 80
corporations concerned to enable the
trustees to control their operations
in such way that composition be-
tween them was suppressed; that
this plan was acted upon until 1t was
declared unlawful by the supreme
court Of Ohio in an action against
the Standard Oil company, Of Ohio.
one Of said corporations. In 1892; that
during the seven years following the
same individual defendants, as a ma
Iority of the nquidating trustees, were
pretending to liquidate the trust, but
as a matter Of fact, were managing
all Of the corporations in the same
way and exercising the same control
over them: that the individual defend
ants, IN 1899, increased the stock OF
the Standard on company Of New
Jersey from si0,O0o.Ooo to sflO. 900, oOoi
that said company was then a pro
ducing and seilingi corporation. and
they Added to us corporate powers
the power OF purchasing stock IN
other companies and practically all
OF the powers exercised By the trus-
tees under the unlawful trust agree
ment Of 1889; that the Standard OIL
company OF New Jersey, then taking
the place Of the trustees. acquired
al Of the stock Of the corporations
Heretofore held and controlled By
the trustees. paying there for By TIE
lssso Of IL own shares IN exchange;
nat the president Of he board q
,,,.-,.a. hsear,. ne urrrldonf Of he