The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1907-08-08
BIGGEST FINE EYER
Standard Oil Company Must
Pay S29, 900, 900
JUDGE lands STANDING FIRM
Standard Oil Company Given Largest
Pine Ever Imposed in History Of
American Jurisprudence More
Than l3l Times Amount Received
Through Relating Operations.

Chicago, Special. Judge Kenesaw
u. Lands Saturday IN the United
States District Court fined the Stan
dard OIL Company Of Indiana S19,-
10000 for violations Of the las
against accepting rebates from rail
roads. The fine is the largest ever
assessed against any individuals or
any corporation in the history OK
American criminal Jurisprudence, aud
is slightly more than III times, es
great as the amount received by the
company through its rebating opera
tions. Tie case will be carried TO the
hi2here courts by the defending com
pany.
TIE penalty imposed upon the con-
pany is the maximum permitted under
the law, and it was announced at the
end of a long opinion III which the
methods and practices of the Stand
ard Oil Company were mercilessty
scored. The Judge, i'll 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 guilty,
were no better than countergeiters
and thieves. bis exact language being:
1--WE may as well look at this sit
nation 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 mall
Judge Lands commenced reading
his decision at 10 O'Clock and occu-
pied about one hour in its delivery.
He reviewed the facts in the Gaze
took up the arguments of the attor-
neys for the defense and answered
them, and then passed judgment upon
the company, which he declared vio-
lated the law for the sole purpose Of
swelling its dividends
The court held that the railroads
have no more right to make secret
rate for a shipper than a board of
assessors have to make a seaoncebant
assessors would have to make a Sc
cret assessment Of any particular
piece of property.
The court expressed regret that the
law failed to provide a more serious
punishment than fine, but insisted
that the penalty should be sufficiently
large to net as a deterrent and not OF
| such a size as to encourage the defen-
der to persist in lawlessness.
At the conclusion of his opinion
and after announcing the amount OF
the fine, Judge Lands directed that
a special grand jury be called for the
purpose of inquiring into the acts OF
the Chicago & Alton Railroad Com
pany, it having ben proved in the
case just closed that the oil company
accepted rebates from that corpora
ton. This jury is summoned for Au
| gust 14th.
The decision Of Judge T.andi.
aroused almost as much public inter
est as did the presence Of John D
Rockefeller and Other officials of thu
Standard Oil Company in the cour
room on July 9th. The crush was 81
great that large force of deputs
marshals had much difficulty in con
trolling the crowd that was enxiou.
to force its way into the court room
The government was represented
in the court room by United States
District Attorney Sims and Assistan
District Attorney Wilkerson. TIL,
attorneys who tried the case for tn,
Standard Oil Company, John s. Mill
er. Mertz Rosenthal and Alfred D
Eddy were not present the eompan,
being represented by Merritt Starr
partner Of Mr.. Miller and Chaunce,
Martyr from the Office of Mr. Eddy