The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1907-08-15
Judge X. M. Lands Of
Federal Court Assesses
Enormous Fine.
jurist Shows Spirit and Regrets
that Prison Term Cannot
Be Imposed
Special Grand Jury Is Ordered, and
Railroads May Also Face Grim.
inal Prosecution.

Judge Kenesaw NJ. Lands Of the
Federal District Court in Chicago on
Saturday fined the Standard Oil Com
pany S29,240,0OO for having violated
the Ekins law pertaining to rebates.
on 1,462 counts. 1t was the maximum
penalty permitted by the statutes. Md
1t Is the largest assessment for an in
fraction Of law that is recorded In all
history, for all governments. This vast
sum of money is not to be paid without
protest, however. Attorneys for the oil
corporation announced their intention
Of perfecting an appeal to the United
States Court of Appeals. From there
1t is announced the case will 90 TO the
Federal Supreme Court.
Judge Kenesaw NJ. Landis of tho
United States District Court, who in
fiicted the unprecedented penalty, did
not stop with the imposition of the fine.
He directed attention to the Studied
insolence' Of the legal representatives
of the corporation to the court Of which
he was the representative and COM
mented forcefully upon it. After de-
nOuncing the methods of the oil COM
paHy, which he declared imposed bur-
dens upon every class of citizens and
wounded society more deeply than open
depredatiOns of criminals, the jurist
expressed regret that only fine could
be imposed for violations of the law
under which the company was indicted.
While this regret was being voiced 1t
was recalled that there still are pend
ing against the oil corporations seven
Indictments like the one just disposed
of, containing 4,422 counts. Should
there be convictions on all these counts
there would be possible additional fines
Of $SS. S.44O.OOO.
Springs Second Sensation.
While occupants of the crowded
courtroom leaned forward in amaze
ment at the drastic arraignment of the
corporation and the gigantic penalty
mcted out to il. the jurist stirred them
anew. Judge Lands had no sooner
mentioned the amount Of the $40 24O,-
mendous sensation that he would call
n grand jury to investigate the rela-
tiOns of the railroads to the big rebate
conspiracy. In view OF his remark
that the penitentiary was the place for
the offenders. and that Congress at the
last session passed an act under which
they may be sentenced to serve time
the effect was electric.
OmciaIs to he Prosecuted.
Backed by the cohesive forces of the
United States authorities, it Is expect
ed that Judge lands will proceed
against the railroad companies that
gave to Mr. Rockefeller's oil trust IL
legal rebates. And he will attack tho
individuals Of both the Oil and the
railroad corporations instituting and
permitting such preferential rates The
railroads are likely to be indicted on
lines identical with the procedure in
the Standard Oil cases fined by Judge
Lands. The individuals will be prose
cuted under the conspiracy act under
which, after conviction, there is pre-
scribed penitentiary sentence.
Thus John ID. Rockefeller, William
Rockefeller. John ID. Archbold II. H.
Rogers J. A. Moffett and other officers
of the Standard Oil Company, together
with the contracting freight officers,
auditors and other executives Of the
offending railroad companies are to be
indicted with the end IN view Of plac-
ing them in prison.
The session was declared by many
Of the lawyers to be an epoch-making
one in national history. From the
Federal bench and with the co-opera-
ton Of the United States Government
prosecutors the Standard OIL Company
had received penalty commensurate
with the vastness of its holdings. If
the parent body of New Jersey does not
come to the assistance Of it's subsidiary
branch 1t 10 considered likely the Indi.
ana company will succumb.