The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-08-22
DETERMINING TO
THROTTLE MONOPOLY.
CRIMINALS MUST SUFFER
Connissioner of Corporations Be.
neyes Government Is Bound Not
70 Pursue Against Chicago
q Alton Railroad.

Washington, D. C.. Aug. 22.-"So
far as the Bureau Of Corporations T.
concerned no promise OF immunity
was made to the Chicago & Alton rail
way as 10 the charges that company
gave the Standard oil company re-
bates on shipments Of oil"
Herbert Knox Smith, commissioner
Of corporations and acting secretary
Of the Department Of Commerce and
Labor. made this statement, after At
torney General Bonaparte had said
that former Attorney General Moody
had acquiesced in L. S. District At
torney Morrison's promise not TO
prosecute the Chicago & Alton for the
giving Of rebates to the Standard OIL
company.
AS a matter OF good faith" contin.
ued Commissioner Smith, Il believe
the government Is bound not to pur-
sue proceedings against the Chicago
a. Alton. In the prosecution OF the
case against the Standard oil com.
pany, OF Indiana. the officials OF the
Chicago Il Alton gave the govern.
ment valuable assistance. They sub
mitted to United States District At.
torney Sims 1888 way.bills showing
/ how the rebates to the Standard had
been given and they explained to him
the operation OF the rebating system.
That information formed the founda.
ton OF the case against the Stand
ard and II Is inconceiyable either In
equity or In fairness that 1t should
be used against the Chicago a Alton
In a prosecution by the government !
am not so sure that the furnishing
OF this evidence renders the Chicago
a. Alton immune from prosecution un'
der the law: but certainly In good
faith the government cannot use that
evidence against the Chicago a. Al.
ton itself
II is interesting TO know that the
Bureau OF Corporations will make, In
the course OF the next few months ad-
ditional reports concerning the opera
tion OF the Standard Oil company.
Commissioner Smiths reports during
the past six weeks have stirred up
the Standard as II never was stirred
before and his blows have gone
home" The Standard officials. falling
TO bulldoze the government, now are
attempting 10 Justify their action be-
fore the people by making misleading
statements. As a matter OF fact, the
half is not known. Much has been
withheld by Commissioner Smith con
cernlng the operations Of the Stand
ard, because of suits which the gov.
ernment has pending against the cor
poration. In the trial OF those actions
the facts will be developed and they
will show the enormous extent to
which the Standard has gone In
milking the American people.
Four additional reports are to be
made public by Commissioner Smith
as TO the operations Of the Standard.
dealing with the work OF the company
In the foreign field, with discrimina.
tion against the American market,
with the production and sale of oil in
the mid-continent field and with the
production OF oil In California All of
these reports will deal with the
Standards unjustifable operations
and win explain just how the com.
pany has maintained its control OF
the American market.
II Is the purpose OF the govern.
mcnt TO keep after the Standard until
the monopoly which It has enjoyed for
n third of century is dissolved and
until Independent producers of oil
stand on footing square-toed with
the Standard. Whether any OF the
Standard officials can be brought to
book in a criminal way is yet a ques.
tion. but II any OF them can be found
guilty II Is a certainty that they will