Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-12-20
RooRBACk
Rockefeller Helped by Danger
Gus Morton Precedent.
THE CORPORATION FALSE FACE,

THE CORPORATION FALSE FACE.
The President's Decision Tint Corpo-
ratiOns, but Not OficiaIs, Are Re-
sponsibie liz Embarrassing In stand
ard OIL Cases-Six Years of Roasting
of Trust Busting With No Results.
When President Roosevelt decided 10
the Santa Fee railroad rebate case that
the corporation and not the officials
was to be punished he created a prec-
edent that Is now coming home to the
Roosevelt roOst. He was so anxious to
save Paul Morton, who was the official
that had ordered the rebating and who
was a member Of his cabinet, that the
punishment Of similar trust lawbreak-
ers In the future was sacrificed to pro-
tect a member of the presidents house
hold. The Roosevelt precedent Is prov
Ing a boomerang in the case against
the Standard OIL magnates, and their
escape from punishment under the
Roosevelt ruling is probable. Even If
the Standard OIL trust is convicted it
cannot be punished, for a corporation
cannot be imprisoned and a fine would
be obviously inadequate for the Of
lenses charged and would be, partly at
least, paid by many innocent stock
holders instead Of the real culprits.
When the president appointed those
two celebrated lawyers, Messrs. Jud-
son Harmon and Frederick N. Judson,
both Democrats, to investigate and re-
port on the Santa Fe rebating case
they reported that Paul Morton, the
manager of the Santa Fe railroad,
should be prosecuted and not the rail
road. Their argument was briefly:
mo proceeding should be commenced
without evidence, but facts presumed
or judicially noticed are evidence. The
proceeding we recommend is not IN
usual or exceptional. hut. on the con
trnry, is the natural and ordinary one
ID such cases.
"What we have said is peculiarly
true Of the great corporations Of u
day. They canno be imprisoned, and
punishment by fine Is not only made
quate, but reaches the real cuIprity
only lightly, If at all. The evils with
which we are now confronted are cor
porate in name, but individual In fact.
Guilt Is always personal. SO long Isl
officials can hide behind their corpora
tons no remedy can be effective.
When the government searches out the
guilty men and makes corporate wrong
doing mean personal punishment and
dishonor the laws will be obeyed."
In the case Of the state Of Ohio
against Mr.. Rockefeller and the Stand
ard Oil company the attorneys for
Mr.. Rockefeller took advantage Of
the precedent set by President Roose-
welt in the Paul Morton and Santa
Fe railroad case, declaring that only
the corporation and not Mr.. Rockefel-
Ter could be reached by the proceedings.
Mr.. Phelps, the attorney for the state.
followed the argument Of Messrs. Har-
mon and Judson, contending that tho
Individual and not the corporation
should be reached, declaring:
GA corporation has no face except a.
false face. 1t is a mantle that covers
the individuals in it, so that when the
head Of the company, its president.
speaks, that Is the language Of the cor
poration itself"
How can those who have been de-
ceived into believing that President
Roosevelt is really intent on prosecut-
ing and furnishing the trust and corpo~
ration magnates who conspire to plum.
der the public for the benefit Of them.
selves and their associates excuse his
evident intention to protect the real
lawbreakers by creating the dangerous
precedent in the Morton case2 For six
years President Roosevelt has been
boasting Of trust busting and control
ling corporations so that their unlawful
exactions from the people may be light
ened and lifted, but can any n point
to a trust or corporation magnate con
victed and in Jail as the result Of these
years Of Boosting? One such convic-
ton and Jail sentence would have more
deterrent effect on future trust and
corporation %plundering than all the ad-
min1stration has done in the six years
Of its existence.
D..>