Omaha daily bee., 1906-11-16
Bill iU Equity Charges Violation Of
Sherman ANTI lrust Act,
sY The ATTORNEY GENERAL
Ho Explains bis Action and ssys No
further Comment Will 10 ksde.
LONG LIST OF DEFENDANT CORPORATIONS
standard OH Company of Ncw
Jersey and It's Seventy Constitucn'
Companies and seven Iudi-
Viduals cited.

( ST LOUIS. Nov. l5.--The United states
government today made the initial move
TO dissolve the STANDARD oil (so-cdlledD
/ monopoly by fling in the United States
district court in st. Louis petition IN
equity against the Standard OF Company
I Of New Jersey and It's seventy constituent
corporations and partnerships, and seven
defendants Including John d. Rockefeller
! and William Rockeicller asking that the
combination be declared unlawful and in
/ the future enjoined from entering into
! any contract or combination IN restraint OF
( trade. The suit IS brought under the shcr-
man antitrust uc,. which tho Standard
and its constituent companies and the
seven individual defendants are charged
with violating. In n formal statement by
Attorney General Moody he says that
criminal prosecution is reserved for future
! consideration
Frank B. Kellogg Of St. Paul, MINI, spe-
cal assistant to Attorney General Moody,
brought the petition to st. Louis.
The document was filed with the clerk
Of the United States circuit court by the
governments local representative United
States District Attorney ID. T. Dyer, and
Special Counsel Kellogg.
I When court convened at 10 o'clock At
torneys Kellogg and Dyer held closed
conference for half an hour, al the end
Of which time Special Counsel Kellogg in
formed Attorney General Moody by long
distance telephone that the petition was
about to be dled and was instructed 10
proceed Attorneys Kellogg and Dyer theR
went into the clerks office. where the pc
ttion was formally sworn to and filed by
Colonel Dyer.
Immediate Service Ordered.
After the filiug Of the petition Judges W.
II. sanborn and Elmer b. Adams Of the
United States circuit court Of appeals upon
petition issued an order granting the fed
eral officers authority to Immediately serve
notice OF the suit upon those defendants
who are not residents of the judicial dis
trict in which the suit has been filed.
\ The governments petition in the suit is
signed by William II. Moody, United States
attorney general; Milton B. Purdy, assist
ant to the attorney general; Frank B, Kcl-
a logs, Charles b. MORRISON and c. \. Sever
ance special assistants to the attorney gen
erai The petition contains 19 pages OF
printed matter or about 100000 words. and
an additional eighty-four pages of exhibits,
consisting of bylaws and minutes OF Stand
ard oil meetings and organizations, and
map showing the retail prices of oil IN
every state and territory OF the union. Vs.
The investigation into methods pursued
by the Standard Oil company began early
in 1896 and the results were laid before con-
gress last May by President Roosevelt, who
accompanied the report by a special mes
sage denouncing the apparent methods pur-
sued. The president asserted at the time
that suits would be instituted in the United
Estates courts to abolish the combination.
and the hling Of the suit today marks the
initial step
The defendants are entitled TO one mon
in which to enter their appearance and>
sixty days in which 10 file answer>to the
allegations in the petitions. They also have
the option of filing demurrer TO the bill
statement by Attorney General,
WASHINGTON Nov. l5--Attorney GEN
4 eral Moody today, acting through the resi-
! dent United States district attorney, in
I stituted procee dings against the Standard
. oil company of New Jersey under the
e sherman antitrust act by filing In tho
a United States circuit court at st. Louis
petition in equity against it and It's sew
/ enty constituent corporations and partner
ships and seven individual defendants ask
ing that the combination be declared un-
q lawful and IN the future enjoined from
entering into any contract or combination
In restraint Of trade, etc.
Z The following statement was prepare
!, ana made public by Attorney General
Moody today:
. In June last. by dirocIon OF the prosi-
dent, MesErs. Kellogg and Morrison were
appointed by me special assistant attorneys
general 20 act with the assistant 20 Al
tcrncy General Purdy tg make an nvcsu-
ga tion Of the relations Of tho Standard OIL
company Of New Jersey, 20 the business
! Of refining, transporting, distributing aud
selling oil throughout the United states: TO
T ascertain all the facts and report whether
or not n their opinion there has been
violation OF the Sherman ANTITRUST law by
the STANDARD OIL company Of New Jersey,
or the PERSONS or corporations associated
= with or managing IL. The counsel have
I completed that duty and the report OF their
q. invesuga ton has received careful consid-
Grafton by tho president and his cabinet
scope OF Combination.
. The information available 20 the depuri-
4 porations, the limited partnerships under
the control, I'm the manner hercinaft er
!, |stated. OF the Standard OIL company of
New Jersey, produce, transport and sell
- about 81 per cent OF the refined oil product
= transported and sold iu the United States
A., Tor domestic use and about the same pro-
- portion OF refined oil exported from the
United states that this share OF the busl-
ness has been procured 10y a course On
; action which beginning IN 1870. has con
Z unued under too direction of the same
persons i'm the main tioy,gl 10 the preseDt
. time; that these persons now surviving are
John d. Rockcccller william Rockefeller
Horny H. Rogers, Henry NJ Fiagler. John
n 4Ss9iqh Prat3 hs 9'ySe Se 4 Payne 99s nd Charlie
having control of the enterprise hGs been
10 suppress khlllpf AltiNil lN the pIuus ton.
transportation and sale OF refined oil .nd
@ 10 obtain. as far as possible, "a monopoly
v therein; tnat between 1870 aud 1852 the de-
y sign was Effected through agreements nlade
With many persons and corporations en-
F. gagged in this business, that in 1859 tho re-
"a suit aimed at was made more certain by
vesting in nine trustees Including dve ~
4 the above named persons). sufficient stock
q IN the thirty-nine corpora lions concerned
c to enable tht trustees 10 control thelr
nrerations IN such a way that competition
bot Tecu them was SUPPRESSED. that this
pan was acted upon until it wqs declared
unlawful hy The suprcm- court of Ohio
e in an acton against tine Standard oil CONF
n pany OF Ohio, one OF Eaii corporations in
B. ieei
e Ii"nidatiOn Preteuse.
a That during the seven years following
the same individual defendants. as 4 MAJ
iority nf the NquiGating trustees were
pretending 10 liquidate tho trust, but as IA
'- matter pi fact were managing an Of tbt,
j. corporations Ion The samc way and exer-
p clsng the sume control over them; that
the Individual defendants in 1889 increase !