The Washington herald., 1907-08-04

Chicago. Aug. 3-Corporation and legal
circles in Chicago are stirred as never
before by the fine Of S29,2lO,OOO imposed
by Judge Lands to-day on the Standard
oil Company of Indiana and by the pos
sibility Of jail sentences for several Of
the oil trust magnates.
Fines aggregaung $SS, 10000 may be i'm
posed upon the remaining counts in the
rebate cases. Of which to-days fine IS
only the first.
In his denunciation Of the Standard Oil
Company as trust, Judge Lands Sc
verely arraigned John D. Rockefeller and
his associates as "contaminatOrs of So
ciety."
He regretted that the punishment was
inadequate and outlined a course Of pro-
cedure that may result in Jail sentences
for the oil trust millionaires.
John D. Rockefeller's private fortune
may be seized 10 pay fines aggregating
S17, ,6S0, Geo. If the oil king fails or re-
fuses TO satisfy the Judgment Of the Fed
eral Court, he is liable to indictment for
conspiracy to do an illegal act. the gov
ernment's attorneys assert, and together
with all other officers Of the Standard Of
Indiana and the Standard of New Jer-
sey, is liable upon conviction to impris-
onment for two years for each count Of
the indictments.
All Counts Included.
The extreme liability Of the two cor
porations includes all counts in the pend
ing eight indictments. Originally there
were ten indictments, containing nearly
500 counts. Two were quashed by Judge
Lands. The remaining eight. exclusive
Of the one in which the fines of to-day
were imposed, contain 4,422 counts. The
penalty in each case may be from $1,OOO
10 $4,000 II the maximum is assessed in
each count, as in the .46z counts Of the
first indictment, the sum Of SIS, 10000 viii
be added to the $29 24O,OCO already decided
upon by Judge Landis
Judge Lands obiter dictum plainly
shows his determination 10 collect all
fines from either the subsidiary corpora
ton, which he describes as a mere fiction
for the purpose Of escaping liability. or
from the parent company. and failing in
both cases to proceed against the private
fortunes of the principals.
Judge Lands ringing denunciation Of
the oil magnates, and his comparison of
men who use the power of the railroads
TO crush competition with mail robbers
and counterfeiters, has given the govern
ment attorneys inspiration to investigate
all laws which may enable them to send
violators Of the rebate laws TO prison.
May Seize Private Fortunes.
Their examination Of the laws since
the infiiction OF the fines has convinced
the government lawyers they can aid the
execution against the corporation by seiz-
ing the private fortunes Of every officer
of either company who has received profit
derived from illegal rebates. The govern
ment lawyers contend that a large por-
ton Of the enormous profits Of the cor
poration consists of illegal rebates.
In view of this assumption they hold
10 the opinion that every millionaire hav-
ing a proprietary interest in the alleged oil
trusts IS liable individually for the entire
possible aggregate of all fines. and col
lectively they are all liable. OF course.
collection OF the vast sum from the cor
poration viii satisfy the judgment. and
no action Will be taken against the in
dividuals in that case.
BY the broadest Interpretation of the
law the government attorneys say every
responsible director and officer of the two
oil companies can be held under indict-
ments for consplring TO do illegal acts.
and upon conviction they are liable to
Imprisonment.
stockholders In Panic.
Judge Lands determination to nut the
defendant millionaires in the class Of
robbers and counterfeiters has created a
panic in the ranks Of the lawyers and
holders Of stock in big corporations. It
is regarded as a warning that the in
trepid judge intends to be unsparing Of
the application of the extreme punish
ment IN the cases Of individuals. By the
same reasoning the attorneys for the al
legged trust expect no mercy at the hands
Of the court when the remaining cases
are tried.
Many members of the bar believe that
every influence at the command of the
big corporations viii be used TO get the
remaining cases before some judge who
may be friendly or susceptible 10 political
or personal influence which may be
brought to bear on them
Dramatic Scene in Court.
The scene in the courtroom during the
reading OF Judge Lands opinion was in
tensely dramatic 1t closely paralIeled
that Of the day when John D. Rockefeller
sat in the witness chair. The crowd was
as great Custodian Nagle had difficulty
IN keeping the women present from an
plauding when the judge scored the trust
One woman sitting directly behind the
Standard oil attorneys was several times
cautioned by a deputy Two newspaper
photographers, who attempted to take
pictures in the courtroom. were elected
By deputy marshals Most of the throng.
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