Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1907-07-20
gave HIS TESTIMONY
ROCKEFELLER APPEARED IN
COURT AT CHICAGO.
His knowledge Of the Affairs Of the
Company, of Which He Is the Head
Man, Is WoefuIIy Lacking-Investi-
cation Is to Find Out Who 10 to
Blame for Violation of the Law

Chicago, July John D. Rockefel-
Ter, president of the Standard OIL
company of New Jersey, occupied the
witness stand in the district court
Saturday, while Judge Lands Piled
him with questions regarding the I'm
ancial strength and the business meth
DDS of the corporation of which he is
the head Mr.. Rockefeller was very
willing and an equally unsatisfactory
witness. He was ready to tell all that
he knew. but he said that he knew
practically nothing. The net result
of his examination was that he be-
lieved during the years 1903, 1904 and
1905, the period covered by the in
dictments on which the Standard OIL
company of Indiana was recently con-
victed, the net profits of the Standard
Oil company of New Jersey were ap-
proximately 40 per cent of an out
standing capitalization Of $1O0,O00,00
The investigation by Judge Lands
was instituted by him for the express
purpose of determining whether or not
the Standard Oil company of Indiana,
which was convicted of violation or
the law, was really owned by the
Standard Oil company of New Jersey;
whether the Union Tank Line COM
pany, whose cars were used for the
shipments made in violation of the
law, was similarly owned, and also
to obtain an idea of the financial re-
sources of the convicted corporation,
in order to inflict fine proportionate
to the offense and the assets of the
convicted company.
The prospective appearance in court
of the man reputed to be the richest
man in the world brought about a
spectacle the like of which has never
been witnessed in the vicinity of a
Chicago courtroom. The crowd was
, so dense that frequent cries for as
; sistance were heard and people who
were damned against the wall fran
tically begged for relief against the
5 pressure to which they were subject
, ed
} Admission to the courtroom was by
card only, but many people succeeded
: in evading the guards and when Judge
t Lands took his seat the room was
r packed to the last inch. Inside the
e courtroom perfect order prevailed al
!, all times, except at the immediate
1 opening, when Judge Lands threat
/ ened to clear the room if absolute
+ quiet was not preserved.
r Secretary Pratt testified that the
J. net earnings of the Standard Oil OF
y New Jersey we're sS1,000,000 in 1903
l. SCI 900, 600 for the first half Of 1904
}, and s57000,0O0 in 1905.
Y "Send John D. Rockefeller and {
l. dozen other trust magnates to prison
for a long term of years and one o
the most vital questions before thu
:, people of this country will have beel
II solved" William Jennings Bryan de
= clared on the case at banquet givel
e in his honor by DR.. Sol. G. Dickey
president of the Winona Lake assem-
. bly,, at Warsaw, Ind, as follows:
II president Roosevelt and others ar
now bringing to successful issue tn
i principles and ideas 1 advocated 1
Ii years ago." Mr.. Bryan continued
y This is particularly true as regard
the tariff. The president is compilin
y my future speeches for me-"