Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-08-08

Chicago, Aug. 4.-Judge keneSaw
NJ Lands, in the United States dis
trict court Saturday, fined the Stand
ard Oil company of Indiana s29,24O,
000 for violations of the law against
accepting rebates from railroads.
The fine is slightly more than 131
times as great as the amount received
by the company through the rebating
operations. 1t is the largest amount
in the history of American criminal
jurisprudence. The case viii be car.
ried to the higher courts by the de-
| fepdant company.
The penalty is the maximum per-
mitted under the law. 1t was an.
nounced at the end of a long opinion
in which the methods and practices of
the Standard Oil company are merci
iessly scored. The judge declared that
the officials of the Standard Oil com
pany who are responsible for the
practices of which the corporation
was found guilty, were no better than
counterfeiters and thieves, his exact
language being:
Thieves and Counterfeiters.
I'VE may as well look at this situa.
ton squarely. The man who thus de-
liberately violates this law wounds
society more deeply than does he who
counterfeits the coin, or steals letters
from the mail"
Under seven indictments stiTl pend
ing, the Standard Oil company may be
fined an additional SSS,440,000 if found
guilty. In these seven indictments
there are APP counts. The maximum
fine under each count is $4,000.
The Judge began reading his opinion
about 10 O'Clock and occupied about
an hour in the delivery. He reviewed.
the facts in the case, took up the ar
guments of the attorneys for the de
Tense, answered them then passed.
judgment upon the company, which he
declared violated the law for the sole
purpose of swelling it's dividends.
The court held that railroads haveI
no moresright to make a secret rate
for a shipper than the board of asses,
sors to make q secret assessment onI
any particular piece of property
He expressed regret that the law
failed to provide a more serious pun
ishment than a fine. but insisted that
the penalty be sufficiently large to actI
as deterrent, and not of such size as
to encourage the defendant TO persist
in lawlessness.
Now After the Alton.
At the conclusion of the opinion
after announcing the amount of the
fine, Judge Lands directed a special
grand jury called to inquire into the
acts of the Chicago & Alton railroad
company, it having been proved in the
case just closed that the oil company
accepted the rebates from that corpor
alton The jury was summoned for
August Il.
The decision of Judge Lands
aroused as much public interest as
did the presence of John d. Rockefel
Oil company in court July 6. The
crush was so great that a large force
of deputy marshals had much difflsul-
~ in controlling the crowd.
During the reading of the opinion
when the court said something especi,
ally singing against the company,
the spectators would laugh loudly, and
bailiifs We're compelled repeatedly to
rap for order. There was loud hand
clapping when the court said:
when after al the circumstances
of the trial have been brought out. the
defendant persistently maintains that
the constitution of the United States
guarantees to 1t the right to make a.
private contract for a railroad rata
this court is Obliged to confess that
he is unable to indulge in the pre-
sumption that in this case the defend.
ant was convicted Of a virgin of.
Tense"
When the reading was concluded.
Judge lands turned to Attorney Starr
of the company. declaring he was
ready 70 hear him.
Starr said he had been promised
that there would be a delay in the ex
ecution of judgment but the court de
MED this positively After some de-
bate between the court and the attor
news for the government and the com.
pany. II was agreed that the attorney
for the defense he given so days in
which to Gle bill OF exceptions.
The court Is rs anxious to have
the case taken to the court OF appeals
as anybody" said Judge lands. "and
am willing that sufficient time be
given. II must 80 to the higher court
through the regular channels. No ex
eoution viii issue until a certificate Is