The Mena weekly star., 1907-08-08

urday imposed fine upon the Stand. ard oil company of Indiana of $29,- o40 0OO-the maximum amount upon each of the 1,462 counts of the in. dictment on which that company was recently convicted of relating.
 The judge also recommended that call be issued for special grand iury which is to consider the other marty to the rebating operations of which the Standard oil company was found guilty, and it Is therefore pro bable that within short time pro- ceedings will be commenced against the Chicago & Alton Railroad com pany for the alleged commission of similar offense.
 The reading of the opinion by Jndge Landis aroused almost as much interest as the presence of John D. Rockefeller and other off cials of the Standard Oil company upon the witness stand The court room was crowded to it's utmost ca pacity and the United States deputy marshals were finally compelled to refuse admission to all late corners.
 The government was represented in the courtroom by United States Dis trict Attorney Sims and by Assistant District Attorney Wilkersen. The only attorneys of the Standard Oil aKaf were Attorneys Martin and Eddy neither of whom bore a prominent part in the actual trial of the case Attorney Miller, the leading counsel for the Standard Oil company, was in Europe and his chief assistant. Mortz Rosenthal. was in New York Only a few of the lesser officials of the Standard oil company were in the courtroom. Judge Landis began reading his decision at 10:00 o'clock and consumed approximately one hour before he announced the pen alty.
 Judge Landis in his decision said it was proven on the trial that the defendant, corporation of Indiana. operates an oil refinery at Whiting. Ind, that the Chicago & Alton Rail. way company, corporation of Hi nos, operates a line of railroad from Chicago to East St. Louis, H., and that the Chicago Terminal Transfer railroad operates a switching road from Whiting across the state line into Illinois, intersecting the Alton road at station called Chappell. short distance from Chicago, and that there are three companies operating terminal roads from East St Louis lll, across the Mississippi river tc St. Louis, Mo. Prior to the occur rences upon which the prosecution was based the Chicago & Alton com pany had filed with the 1nterstat, Commerce commission tariffs show Ing the rates for the transportation Of oil in car lots from Whiting to East st. Louis, Ill., to be IS cents per 100 pounds and the rate for like transportation from Chappell to St Louis to be 19h cents per 100 polfn's The court says 1t appeared at the airing that the defendant shipped Is goods from Whiting to East St Louis for six cents. and 7A cents tc st Louis. The dealings of the Stand ard oil company were exclusively with the Chicago & Alton which ren- dered all bills for the through serv' Ice.
 The defense argued that the Elkins law authorized the prosecution for but one offense and maintained that tAere could be conviction on only one count.
 The court held that the law is vio lated every time any property is So transported, as the legal rate was established by the railroad company on car lot basis. The unlawful six cent rate was granted and accepted on that basis. As to the defendants claim that the representations by the Alton road had misled 1t into the sincere belief that the Alton six-cent rate had been filed with the Inter state Commerce commission, the court held that as the law required tae carrier to keep the schedule at l's freight office for public inspection. was the defendants duty to as certain at the railroads offices whether the rate was so fixed and 1t uelng for the jury to determine whether testimony exhibited the truth of the transaction. The jury haSing found verdict of guilty it be came the duty of the court to fix 'ae Punishment.
 lhe court then reviews it's action a determining what corporation held ue stock of the defendant Standard V" company of Indiana. This demon qaeted that a very large proportion 'ne stock was held by individuals x, m lee stockholders of the Standard VI company of New Jersey, which aas outstanding stock of approximate. ly slooO0O,ooo.
 ne court discusses at length the
 'a'ious defenses offered by counsel, s"u says the nominal defendant Is
 "s standard oil company of Indiana, si'VVo-oO0 corporation. The Stand.
 a'u oil company of New Jersey,
 anose capital is SiOO.o0O, ,O0O. is the
 @ ueteneant This is so for the
 ,son that if a body of men organize
 ., 'a'se corporation under the lava