The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1907-04-20
sTlNDARD OIL COMPANY CONVICT
fDON HANY COUNTS.
Result of Trial a Great Victory
for the Covernment---In Trial
One Technical Point After
Another Was. Raised and
Swept Away.
Swept Away.

Oil Company may be fined anywhere
from 81, 400. 900 to $28, 900, 600 for vio-
lations of the Elkins law.
After trial that has been long
drawn out aud bitterly contested by
attorneys and counsel for
the Standard Oil Company, the case
went to the jury late Saturday after
noon and at 10 o'clock in the evening
q verdict was returned in which the
defer dant corporation is found guilty
on every one of the 1,463 counts in
the indictment that had not been
quashed by Judge Lands.
As the matter now stands it Is one
of the most sweeping victories yet So
cured by the federal government in
its contest against corporations. This
is not the end, however. The defend
ants fled a motion for new trial and
the arguments on this motion will be
heard probably early this week
The charges in the indictment were
that the Standard Oil Company ac-
cepted a lower rate for shipments of
oil from Whiting, Ind, to East st.
Louis than is allowed in the published
tariff for the haul.
Can't Get Immunity Bath.
Originally there were over 1900
counts in the indictment, tut nearly
400 of these were ruled out by Judge
Lands and hearing Of the case pro-
coedod on the others.
Counsel for defense made every
effort to have the whole Indictment
quashed on the ground that it was
faulty. John s. Miller, of Immunity
bath" fame made an elaborate argu-
ment along this line. It also was at
tempted to be shown that the defend
ant corporation could not be held
guilty of a violation of the law be-
cause it had not been proved that the
Standard Oil Company had willfully
and knowingly accepted lower than
the established rate and that it was
not incumbent upon the defendant to
60 further than the Office Of the rail-
road involved in order to learn what
the rate was.
Last Resort Of Standard es.
As final resort it was sought to
compel the government to choose some
single count on which to hang it's
case. the theory being advanced that
in any event there was but q single
violation of the law, If any at all; in
other words, if there was an ofense it
was of a continuous character.
It was urged that the corporation
was ignorant Of the lawful rate for the
two years during which it shipped oil
from Whiting to st. Louis at oDe-third
the lawful rate. By means of this rate,
which had all the effect Of a rebate,
the Standard Oil Company is charged
with having collected about $3.50, 900
from the Chicago & Alton road.
As the case went to the jury there
were rumors Of an attempt to tamper
with the jurors, but these were not
taken seriously, although government
detectives, as they had done through
out the case, kept close watch Of all
movements around the fed
eral building.
The indictments charged that In the
shipment of 1908 cars Of oil over the
Chicago Terminal Transfer and the
Chicago & Alton railroads from Whit
ing, Ind, to East st. Louis, Ills, by
way Of Chappell. Ills. the Oil COM
pany accepted rate of cents for
100 pounds when the published rate
was 10 cents. The jury was out less
than three hours and reached the YER
dict on the first ballot.