The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-04
Judge Landis Imposes Largest fine in The History of
 Legal Affairs
NO BETTER THAN THIEVES
 OR COIN COUNTERFEITERS
Judge Scores In scathne Terms the Officials of the Standard Oil Com panv and Prepares to lnvesti-
 gate Actions of Railways.

Chicago. August 3-Judge Landis to- day in the United States district court fined the Standard oil company of Indiana s29,24O, 900 for voaltions of the law against accepting rebates from railroads. The fine is the largest ever assessed against any individual or any corporation in the history of American criminal Jurisprudence and is slightly more than 131 times as great as the amount received by the company through it's relating operations. The case will be carried to the higher courts by the defendant company.
 The penalty imposed upon the com pany is the maximum permitted under the law and it was announced at the end of long opinion in which the methods and practices of the Standard Oil company were mercilessly scored. The judge in fact declared in his opin- ion that the officials of the Standard oil company, who were responsible for the practices of which the corpora tlon was found guilty, were no bet ter than counterfeiters and thieves. his exact language being:
 'We may as well look at the situation squarely
 "The men who deliberately violate this law wound society more deeply than does he who commercials coins, or steals letters from the mail" N Judge Landis commenced reading his 4 decision at 10 o'clock and occupied < about one hour in it's delivery.
 Reviewed Facts. He reviewed the facts in the case. took up the arguments of the attorneys for the defense and answered them and then passed judgment upon the com pany. which he declared violated the lew for the sole purpose of swelling it's dividends.
 The court held that the railroads have no more right to make a secret rate for shipper than board of as- sessors would have to make a secret as- sessment on any particular piece ot property
 The court expressed regret that the law faled to provide more serious pun ishnent than fine. but insisted that the penalty should be sufficiently large to act as deterrent and not of such
  to persist in lawlessness.
 At the conclusion of his opinion and after announcing the amount of the fine. Judge Landis directed that a spe- cial grand jury be called for the pur- pose of inuuiring into the acts of the Chicago and Alton Railroad company, it having been proven in the case just closed that the oil company accepted rebates from that corporation. This iv August l.
 The decision of the judge aroused almost $ much public interest as did the presence of John D. Rockefeller and other officials of the Standard Oil company in the court room on July 6.
 Crush in Court Room
 The crush was so great that a large force of deputy marshals had much di.- fculty in controlling the crowd that was anxious to force its way into the court room.
 The government was represented in the court room by United States District At torney Sims and Assistant District Attor- ney Wikerson. The attorneys who tried the case for the Standard oil company, John S. Miller MoritZ Rosenthal and Al fred D. Eddy, were not present, the caih, pany being represented by Merritt Starr, mariner of Mir. Miller, and ,Chauneey Martin from the office of Mir. EGdy. When Judge Landis took his seat on the bench he said quietly:
 .,rhe Tinted States vs. the Standard Oil eompanv. is the defendant represented?' "If the court please" said Mir. Starr, ..on hehalf of the defendant, and in the absence of the regular counsel. but with r,eir authority, l desire to make sug- eestion or two pertaining to the final or der in the case before
 .'Does it not strike you broke in Judee Landis "that it would be well to walt
 fpic with this dOcumontI Then l will hear what you have to say.
 Attorney Sat Down.
 The judge shook his manuscript as he snol5e and Mir. Starr sat down.
 Dur,no the reading of the opinion, uhen the court said something especially stinging against the company or US methods the spectators would laugh loud- lv and the bailffs were compelled re- peatedly to rap for order
 The court had not proceeded far In his opinion when he was interrupted by some attorneys who were trying to transact business with the clerk of the court
 Leaning over the railing in front of him the judge inquired with quiet sarcasm. q am not interrupting you gentlemen, am I?"
 The attorneys fled and the reading was resumed and loud handclapping broke out when the court said
 ''When after all the circumstances or the trial have been brought out and the defendant consistently maintains that the constitution of the United states guaran- tees to 1t the right to make private contract for a railroad rate this court is obliged to confess that he is unable to indulge in .he presumption that in this case the defendant was convicted of it's virgin offense."
 When the reading had been concluded Judge Landis turned to Attorney Starr ana declared that he was ready to hear what he had to say.
 Promised a Delay.
 dr Starr said that it had been prom isI that there would be a delay in the execution of the judgment. but the colt denied this positively. After some dehate between the court and the attor-
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