The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-03-11

Chicago, March 1O--J A. Moffett
, president. of the Standard Oil com
: pany Of Indiana, now on trial here 1r
a charge Of having received rebates
: denied tonight that the representa-
tiyes Of the oil company had suggest
ed to he federal authorities that the
company might be willing to plead
guilty. Moffett said: ANY such
stat ment is without truth. The
Standard Ol company is rot frighten.
ed at any prospects of conviction"
Washington, March l0-EIas the
Standard. Oil company weakened?
Il was stated here today in official
circles that a tentative proposition
of surrender by the great OH mono9.
toy had been made to the government
Certain people who claim 10 repro.
sent the System have intlma Ell
that the Standard Oil company
might be willing to plead guilty to all
of the indictments now pending
against it throughout he country in
el0jing, cf course. he cases On trial
in Chicago. provided a nominal f9e
only should be entered in each case.
| 1t is said that Rogers and William
! Rockefeller have come to the con
cluson that the court proceedings
are downright dangerous. and that
ne Standard Oil company has made
itself liable to a series Of cumulative
fines which NAV run up In the mil.
lions The system people seem to
put their proposed surrender en- the
ground that public opinion unver.
sally is so strong against them they
cannot hope t6 secure a fair trial
Afraid Of Big Fines.
/ Up TO the present time no formal
Offer OF a plea OF guilty has been
manner ny Il soipc'1,-y----4 -,s ;,,arfe a
| of the lawyers engaged in the trial
of the Chicago and other cases IheI
suggestion has been made however
and apparently with the full author.
lily Of ii. II. Rogers, the maser mind
OF the System"
Standard Oil is said to be fright
ened by the prospect Of having to pay
enormous fines 1t believes the
Roosevelt administration is only
anxious TO make an example, and
therefore it hopes hat the govern
ment at the last moment viii agree
TO accept a plea of guilty In each
case, with only a nominal fine. rms
they say, will keen the record clear.
the government will have established
its position. he dignity of the Eikins
law will be Wind Gated. AMI on IT'S
| nart the Standard Oil would agree 90
behave like a good boy f. tne future
No decision has yet been made IN
the matter, and the case at Chicago
will continue as If no offer had be-n
under contcmpla ION The propo l.
tio, for a surrender is chiefly S
lniffcant because II indicates the be-
Ilef Of the ruling powers in Standard
| Oil that their case is hopeless the
! mirute IL Is surrendered TO a Juy-
and the best thev can d. is % com
prom Sc. so as 10 keep the fines down.
! Ii has been showa tha If the
United States should win every case
lit now has against the STANDARD Oh
and the maximum fine should Dee m
fiicted on every count Of every Indie.
ment. IL would wipe out the cap tai
stock OF the Sta-dard oil. On the IN
dictments now pending i'm Illinois
Tcnesseo aud New York. there is a
possibility Of tn" maximum hu'
reaching the staggering otal Of {lsl,
600 0ol Thee are S00S counts in
1.-The eases now pending and ih h7e
prescribed hy Law ranges from S1.'H.
} fo 100000 for each offc-se. The
miuimum duc on these cases. there
, fore. if the government should viii
Ion all OF htem. would Boz $s0as o"e
Even the Standard OIL great a. it l.
,.lli no, pay these minimum fines
withcu % treWpr.
, II q plea OF guilty shoul1 be o.
r +erpI 10 would not he On the ba is O
e ,ra lnai-tion of the N n mum fine ~
j. each count. hut the proposition Of ih'
i standard oil LAWYERS probably wnu.'
he that the governmen. should trea'
: each Indictment as a single case. i1
[ aicting Il necessary tie maximum
k fine llt not attempting ro fN a sep
. a,afe fine for each Govt
o Indictments Are Scattered.
Ii In the northc % q strict of lliinH
a there. are ten indictments. in t1'
western district Of Tennessee. one 20
j. dictment. in the wes ern iii frict o
2 New York. FIVE i-dictrents an
. others scattering throughout t7'
9 country. There are in round nHm
hers about twenty Indictment
L against the s ands-d o. corp u
ei Tor receiving illegal rebates. II th
= gosa. umeat should ac-e1- a rr7p'7
e fion for a plea Uf guilty and tfea
(Coociu5ed on -hir Pags1