Los Angeles herald., 1907-08-28
STANDARD OIL
WI ITH a monumental assurance, in
wv keeping with its history, the
Standard Oil company has col

w keeping with its history, the
Standard Oil company has col
lated editorial utterances from various
papers touching the Lands Judgment
and fine of $29,0OOOOO, and bound them
in pamphlet form for distribution to the
half million of people directly in
terested in it's welfare, to emphasize
the assurance of the company's abso-
Lutte innocence of wrong-doing in any
of the prosecutions lately instituted
against it in federal courts
This compilation, intended as a de-
fense of its methods, opens UP with the
following remarkable statement:
TT should be known as widely as
possible that this is no case of rebate
or discrimination, but simply of the
legality of freight rate. 1t should be
known that the verdict was obtained by
the government upon the most hair
splitting technicality, aided by the
would have removed all presumption of
guilt"
The aim of the pamphlet is to give
currency to Standard Oil opinion of the
trial and all connected with it, and, in
cidentally, to rip up the administra-
tion, Judge Lands and all who aided
to convict the oil combine. 1t is in
keeping with the known impertinence
of all Standard Oil deliverances, and
under its sleek exterior carries a yelled
threat.
This feeler for public sympathy is lost
labor-the public, not the employees,
being the real object aimed at-and will
have somewhat of the effect of BOOM
erang. Why seek sympathy through
specious excuses and explanations? If
Judge Landis erred the supreme court
will overrule him and justice will be
done; why whine to the people? 1t was
John D. Rockefeller who said Judge
Lands would be "a long time dead be-
fore the fine was collected" Then why
cry about It?
The pamphlet is tacit admission of
guilt, and is meant for stay for the
falling fortunes of Standard Oil, and
is also an offense to thinking men
everywhere because of the evident ami
mus behind it.
1t is pity the policy now outlined by
the administration was not in force be-
fore this trial: THAT the most effective
way to make the corporations obey the
laws is to punish the head officials by
terms in the penitentiary, and not
tons"
Such proceeding would place Rookie
feller, Rogers ct al. where the people
at large believe they should be, and
save a suffering public the infliction of
these periodical recriminations ad-
dressed to employees but fired at the
people.
STANDARD Oil' has been a freebooter
in the business world for thirty years,
preying on the very poor, who must
purchase oil in pint bottles and pay
percentage to the wealthy robbers that
has made them the richest people,
financially, and the poorest, morally,
on Gods green earth. It's corporate
name is the byword of the age, and all
the combined agencies of the mental,
moral social. fraternal, scientific, pro-
fessional and religious worlds arise as
one man to comprehensively and de-
servedly damn it's sponsors and bene-
ficiaries. They never spared the peo-
pie, and now the people most heartily
repudiate them. They froze the we'll
spring of pity in the public heart by
their corporate inhumanity and have
forfeited all claim to intelligent SYM
pathy.