The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-11-16
NATIONAL BLOW At
STANDARD OIL IN
ST. LOUIS COURT
CONTINUED from Page One.)

ehc odLiC picpOi liOu Ol F0IluGu Oil CA-
ported from the United States; that
| this share of the business has been
produced by action which. beginning
in 1870, has continued under the di
rection of the same persons in the
main down to the present time: that
these persons are John D. Rockefel-
Ter, William Rockefeller, Henry H.
Rogers. Henry NJ. Flagler, John D.
Archbold. Oliver H. Payne and
Charles NJ. Pratt; that the design
throughout Of the persons having con-
troll of the enterprise has been to
suppress competition In the produc-
ton, transportation and sale of re-
fined oil. and to obtain, as far as pos
sible, monopoly therein; that be-
tween 1870 and 1882 the design was
many persons and corporations en-
gagged in this business; that in 1882
the result aimed at was made more
certain by vesting in nine trustees
(ncluding five of the above named
persons) sufficient stock in the SO
corporations concerned to enable the
trustees to control their operations in
such way that competition between
them was suppressed: that this plan
was acted upon until it was declared
unlawful by the supreme court of
Ohio, one Of said corporations, in
1892: that during the seven years fol-
lowing the same individual defend
ants, as majority of the liquidating
trustees, were pretending to liquidate
the trust, but as matter Of fact were
q N ouin oil af ho in
the same way and exercising the
same control over them; that the in
dividual defendants in 1899 increased
the stock of the Standard Oil COM
pany of New Jersey from $10,000,000
to $4,000, 900; that said company
was then an appropriating and selling
corporation, and they added to its
corporate powers the power OF pur-
chasing stock in other companies, and
practically all OF the powers exercised
by the trustees under the lawful trust
agreement of 1882; that the Standard
Oil company of New Jersey. then tax.
ing the place of the trustees, acquired
all of the stock of the corporations
heretofore held and controlled by the
trustees, paying therefor by the issue
the president of the board of trustees
became the president of the Standard
OIL company Of New Jersey, and the
business Of the trust then assumed
the direction of the business of the
Standard Oil company of New Jersey,
and ever since continued it; that the
purpose and effect of the use of the
Standard Oil company Of New Jersey
as q holding company was precisely
the same as the purpose and effect
of the appointment of the trustees
hereinbefore referred to, namely, to
suppress competition between the cor
porations and limited partnerships
whose stock was first held by the trus-
tees and then by the Standard Oil
company Of New Jersey. that by the
foregoing methods, aided by the es-
Enlistment of railroad rates for
transportation, which Disseminated in
favor of the corporations whose stock
was held by the holding company,
that company has been enabled to OBJ
tain in large sections of the country
n monopoly OF the sale of refined OIL
with The Re suit that the prices to the
consumer within the territory where
the monopoly prevails are very much
higher than within the territory
where competition to some extent
still exists.
at is believed that these facts, to-
gether with others contained in the
report of the special counsel, justify
and require action by the United
States in the courts. Accordingly, a
petition in equity under the provi-
sions of the Sherman act. has been
6led against the Standard Oil COM
pany of New Jersey and 20 other cor
porations and limited partnerships,
and the seven individual defendants
before named, in the Eighth judicial
circuit at st. Louis, Mo-, to have the
said combination adjudged and de-
creed to be unlawful, and that the
holding and control by the Standard
Oil company of New Jersey of the
stocks of the 20 corporations be de-
clared unlawful, and the said corpora
lions be prohibited from declaring or
paying any dividends to the Standard
Oil company of New Jersey and be
enjoined from entering into or per-
forming any contract or combination
to restrain trade and commerce or to
monopolize trade in the future
THE question whether any action
OF a different nature should be taken
is reserved for future consideration. !
The controversy is pending in the |
court. and further comment by this /
department or by any one connected /
with it would obviously be improper |
and unfair" t
Petition Filed.
ST. Louis, Nov. 15.-The petition in I
shutting suit against the Standard Oil |
OF New Jersey, John D. /
and others, in the name /
of the government by direction of t
the attorney general, was filed in the
United States circuit court here. I
Frank B. Kellogg of st. Paul. Mimi,
special counsel for the government.
formally placed the petition with the
court. The defendants have one
month in which to enter their appear
ance and additional month In which
to file their answer. They also have