Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-12-31
Graft and Rebate CASES
Fill the Court Calendars.

Fill the Court Calendars.
The great chase started in 1906 with
the Roosevelt challenge to the Stand
ard Oil company and to all law defy
Ing trusts has gathered impetus in
1907, when the whole pack of state
and federal law officers has been in
full cry after the game. The year will
long be remembered for the vicious
bite which the oil trust got from one
federal Judge namely. the S29.240.00a
fine imposed AUG. ) by Judge Lands
at Chicago as the maximum penalty
| for accepting a large number of re-
bates from the Alton. But this was
| only one of 4 large number OF criminal
| prosecutions laid against the Rockefel-
| Ter aggregation. Indictments contain
| ing thousands of counts. We're brought
| in Ohio. Missouri. Texas. Tennessee,
| Minnesota. New York and elsewhere
until the total maximum Of fines posi-
bly, exceeded the probable income of
the trusts. The principal action of the
| government for the dissolution of the
Standard Oil Company of New Jersey,
which was begun at St. Louis NOV. Il.
| 1906. still remains to be fought ont, but
| i'll his examination of witnesses at New
| York in September Governments Coun-
sci Kellogg virtually pillOried the oil
| trust before the people by, compelling
its officials to reveal the various proc
csses through which it has monop-
| Oiled the oil industry. Missouri and
! Texas finally barred all Standard con-
! Germs.
Other actions against SO called trusts
were numerous. and rebate fines Were
imposed in several cases.
The following are the supreme court
decisions of general interest: Dismissal
of the Kansas petition against diver
sion of Colorado riyer by the state of
Colorado, involving. the principle that
congress cannot limit the action of
courts after creating them; the eight
hour federal workday. law sustained;
rate fixing section of the federal law
| sustained.
Along with the building of new
San Francisco there has been q
cleansing of its official and political
rottenness First. under pressure of Gu
mulative evidence, came the fight and
confession of Abraham Ruef, manager
of the corrupt city machine. In May.
His confession duplicating Mayor
Schmitz in the acceptance of brihes
made possible the verdict of guilty
| rendered by Il jury against the mayor
MAY 13 and his sentence JULY to
five years imprisonment. 1t also made
possible the indictments against sew
eral millionaire bride givers and the
conviction of one of them. Glass. who
received Il five year sentence.
Pennsylvania saw the work of the
capitol Investigators bear fruit.
Gradually District Attorney Jerome
of New York has got Insurance evil
] dence before the grand sjury, and in
dictments have begun to issue against
officials, one of whom. Walter r. Gil
lette, former vice president of the Mu-
tuai. was convicted of perjury and
sentenced to six months. /
When in July Judge Pritchard is
sued his federal order against the exc
cution of the North Carolina rate law.
thus saving from the chain gang Off
court of having sold tickets for more
than the legal rate. Governor Glenn
arose in his might to back up the state
court. Finally the Southern gave In
for the sake of peace and made spe
cial agreement with Glenn, Finlay re
viSing his petition so as to let the
cases take their course rapidly to the
supreme court for final test of the law
; Much the same situation existed il
Alabama, where Governor Conner was
equally resolute when the law was op
posed with injunctions granted by Fed
eral Judge Jones on one pretext or an
other. The Minnesota rate law alss
was held up by Federal Judge Loeb
ren's Injunction in September. Th,
Pennsylvania railroad. after raising
: communication rates when the two cen
law went into effect SEPT. 1. began /:
test case through the state courts
1t is not within the purpose of thi:
history to recount the loag list o
crimes and criminal trials of. the yea
which were chiefly of interest in IL,
: localities where they occurred. Bu
the murder conspiracy charges brougi
: by the state of Idaho against the on
Gals of the Western Federation O
Miners in connection with the dealt
of former Governor Steuneubarg wa
: an event of national. even information
al. Importance Secretary Haywood, a
the strong man of the federation. wa
4 the first to be placed on trial MAY
after the whole country had been stir
l. red up by the preliminary efforts O
}. organized labor and the Socialist pa
a pers to raise funds for his defense an,
7 to get their view Of the matter befor