The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1907-08-05
SEC GARFIELD SAYS
WE. CAN COLLECT
THE FINE
Standard Oil Must Pay Over
S29,0O0,OOO
OFFICIALS MAY co TO JAIL
Commissioners Smiths Report slsnIh
cant In Light OF Lands
Decision.

dispatch from Riverside, Cal, says that
In an address before the chamber OF
commerce there James X. Garfield, sec
rotary Of the interior, alluded TO the
fine Imposed on the Standard oil cam
pany at Chicago. saying:
''The decision and fine arc the end
OF long fight and will teach the peo-
pie Of this country that no man, big or
little, is above the law. The Standard
OIL company and others like that great
corporation have gone ahead on the
theory that they were 80 powerful that
they could do things the ordinary elti-
Esn could not We arc showing them
that they cannot"
Asked II the prosecution could collect
the Cue, Secretary Garfield replied:
"Yes. you may be assured we can.
There are 10000 more counts hanging
over them ON which similar fines can
be- levied"
Dispatches from Chicago say that
Judge lands In the United States dis
trict court there fined the Standard oil
company the vast amount OF 1920
OOO. the extreme penalty possible for
lie conviction on 1852 counts for the
acceptance OF illegal rebates. In the
announcement he closes, 30 far a. bis
court is concerned. one OF the most Inn
portant cases against n corporation In
the history OF the United States.
Before attorneys for the corporation
could recover their breath the judge
gave them n second shock when be
called a special grand jury for Aug. IA
to Investigate the same violations Of
law from the point OF view OF con-
spiraey between the Standard oil. the
Alton road and officials Of both. This
charge. II proved, may land some OF
the railroad and oil officers in jail.
Not only was District Attorney Sims
Instructed 10 proceed against the Alton
railroad a. a corporation. but be viii
also direct an investigation Of the In
dlviduals who were parties 10 the
scheme by which the Standard oil
Company Of Indiana secured the trans
portation OF is products az less than
one third the legal rate.
The charge 10 be made against these
men Is conspiracy 10 vlolato a general
law. known as section $40 OF the re-
vised statutes OF the United States.
The punishment for conviction OF this
lfiense il a ine Of $1,000 or a sen
tence of two years In prison.
While there IL n possibility that some
~ the men mentioned may escape In
ilctment AZ the hands OF the new
grand jury. there IL said 10 be no hope
for the railroad company. The evil
ienee used 90 indIct and convict tho
Standard on company viii also be
used against the Chicago and Alton
and II Is thought will convict that cor
Doratlon.
The fine imposed Il the largest ever
assessed against any individual or any
corporation In the history OF American
criminal Jurisprudence and IL slightly
more than i3i times a. great AZ the
amount received by the company
through IT, Relating operations. IL
was announced AZ the end OF a long
opinion In which the methods and
practices Of the standard OIL company
we're mereilessly csnsurod.
The judge declared In bis opinion
that the officials Of the Standard OF
company who were responsible for
the practices Of which the corporation
was found guilty were no better than
counterfoItcrs and thieves. his exact
language being:
I'VE may ~ well look at this sltua-
lion squsroly. The men who thus de-
llbcrately violated this law wounded
society more deeply than does no who
-ountorfcits the coin or steals letters
from the mall"
Significant revelations are made pub.
Nc In q report submitted 10 President
Roosevelt by Herbert Knox Smith.
commissioner Of corporations. concern
ng the operations of thu Standard oil
sompsny. IL deals with profits and
prices. showing just how the manipu-
iatlon Of the oil industry by the Stand.
ard has affected tho pocketbooks OF
The American people. Commissioner
Smith says:
''Tha Standard OF company il re-
tponsiblc for the course Of the prices
u petroleum and its products during
The last twenty-five years The stand
ard has consistently used its power TO
raise the price OF oil during the last
ten years. not only absolutely. but also
relatively. 10 the cost Of crude oil.
The Standards claim that II has
reduced the price OF oil 10 the people
n untrue.
"The total dividends paid by the
Standard from 1872 20 1909 were $751;
D22.g04. averaging 2ti5 per cent per
year. lts domination has not been ac-
CURED or maintained by It's superior
efficiency. but rather by unfair COM
petition and by methods economically
aud morally unjustinable. The stand
ard has superior efficiency In running
lts own business: II has an equal en-
cheney IN destroying the business OF
competitors. hWNs lar vaaA -