Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1907-08-07
BIGGEST fine
Standard Oil Company siass {
Pay $4,000, ,ooeI5
JUDGE LANDS STANDING FiRM
Standard Oil Company Given Largs#
Fine Ever Imposed in History M s
American Jurisprudence Mofa oss
Than i51 Times Amount Receiyess
Through Rebsting Operations. :s 8

Chigaso; Special. Judge Kenesas
NJ. Lands Saturday in the United
States District Court fined the Staas7
+ dard Oil Company Of Indiana $22es::
2AO,OOO for violations Of the Law
against accepting rebates from rail rail
roads. The fine is the largest ever eve
assessed against any individuals SoI
any corporation in he history d
American criminal Jurisprudence, aud
is slightly more than 13l times, gS
great as the amount received by tbs.
company through its rebating operas
tions. The case will be carried to the
higbere courts by the defending conf
pany. Il
TIE penalty imposed upon the con
pany is the maximum permitted undes
the law, and it was announced at the
end of a long opiiion ip which the
ro'thods and practices Of the Stand
ard Oil Company were mercilessly
scored. The judge, in fact, declared
in his opinion that the officials Of the
Standard Oil Company who were res
possible for the practices Of which
the corporation was found guilt.s,
were no better than countergeiters
and thieves, his exact language being:
"We may as well look at this sit.
aation squarely.. The men who thus
deliberately violate this law wound
counterfeits the coin. or steals letters
society more deeply than does he who
from the mail. "
Judge Lands commenced reading
his decision at 10 O'Clock and occu-
pied about 9iie hutr in its delivery.
He reviewed the facts i'll the case
took up the arguments of, tie attor;;
neys for. the defense and answered
them; and then passed Judgment upon
the company; which he declared vio-
lated the Inv for the sole purpose of
swelling its dividends.
The court held that The railroads
have no more right to make a secret
rate for shipper than board of
assessors have, to make seaoncebailti
assessors would have to ilake O seA
cret assessment Of any particular.
piece Of property:
The court expressed regret that tue
law failed to provide a more serious
punishment than a file, but insisted
that the penalty should be sufficiently.
large to act as d deterrent and not of
such a size as to encourage the sdefen.:
der to persist in. lawlessness.
AT the conclusion of his opinion
and after announcing the amount Of!
Tbs spfelsr aAsr gfaha HdSa lily Be ealisd for tie
purpose Of inquiring into the acts Of
The Chicago & Alton Railroad Com
pany, It having ben proved Iii the
case just closed tLat the oil company
accepted rebates from that corpora
ton. This jury is summoned for Au-
gust 18th.
The decision Of Judge lands
aroused almost as much public lnter=
est as did the presence Of John D.
Rockefeller and othel officials Of the
Standard Oil Company in the cotirt
room on July 9Th. The crush was 50
great that large force of deputy
marshals had much difficulty iii cdn4
trolling the crowd that was enxious
to force its way into the court room.
The government was represented
in the court room by United States
District Attorney Sims ahd Assistant
District Attorney Wilkerson. The
attorneys who tried the case for the
Standard Oil Company, John S. Mill
er, Mertz Rosenthal and Alfred D.
Eddy were not present the company
being represented by Merit Starr a
partner of Mr.. Miller and Chauncey
Martyr from the Office Of Mr.. Eddy.