Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-04

The Standard Oil Company was
fined $2O,24o,Ooo yesterday by the
Judge of United States court for
accepting railroad rebates. This
great sum means but little to the
average man and is only made COM
prehensible by comparative figures.
The fines would pay the cost OF
constructing three Libraries of
Congress and leave S3,24o,ooo over
for lawns and shrubbery If a
humble citizen possessed the sum
to be paid by the oil company and
invested ii in real estate trusts in
the District of Columbia at 5 per
cent he would receive an annual
income OF ST .462 900, which means
that he would have S4,oo5 48 to
spend or reinvest every day. 1t is
nearly eight times as much as the
taxes collected ctsary year on prop
erty in the District OF Columbia.
CHICAGO. ILL.,. August 3.-Judge Kenesaw
NJ Lands today in the United States dis
,rict court fined the Standard Oil Company
of Indiana $40 24O,01G for violations of the
law against accepting rebates from rail-
roads. The fine is the largest ever assessed
against any individual any corporation
In the history of American criminal juris-
prudence. and is slightly more than 131
times great the amount received by
the company through its rebating opera
tons The case will be carried to the higher
courts by the defendant company.
The penalty imposed upon the company is
the maximum permitted under the law, and
II was announced at the end of long opin-
ion IN which the methods and practices of
the Standard Oil Company were mercilessly
scored. The judge, In fact, declared in his
opinion that the officials of the Standard
Oil Company who were responsible for the
practices of which the corporation was
found guilty were no better than counter
letters and thieves, his exact language be-
ing:
I'VE may az well look at this situation
squarely. The men who thus deliberately
violate this law wound society more deeply
than does he who counterfeits the coin, or
steals letters from the mall
As to Secret Rates.
Judge Lands commenced reading his de-
cision at 10 o'clock and occupied about one
hour in its delivery. He reviewed the facts
ia the case. took up the arguments of the
attorneys for the defense and answered
them, and then passed Judgment upon the
company which he declared violated the
law for the sole purpose of swelling its div,-
dends.
The court held that the railroads ba,,a
no more right to make a secret rate for a
shipper than board of assessors wopld
have to make a secret assessment Of any,
particular piece of property.
The court expressed regret that tina lou.
failed to provide more serious punishment
than fine, but insisted that the penalty
should be sufficiently large to act as a
determent and not of such size as 10
encourage the defender to persist IN law
lessness
AT the conclusion of his opinion and after
announcing the amount of the fine, Judge
Landts directed that a special grand Jury
be called for the purpose of inquring into
the acts OF the Chicago and Alton Rail
road Company II having been proved in
The case Just closed that the oil company
accepted rebates from that corporation
THIS jury is summoned for August a.
Attorneys Present.
The decision of Judge Lands aroused AL
most as much public interest as did the
presence OF John ID. Rockefeller and other
officials Of the Standard Oil Companv IN
the courtroom on July u. The crush was
go great that large force of deputy mar
shals had much difficulty in coat-olling
the crowd that anxious TO force ,ts
way into the courtroom.
The government was represented in the
courtroom by United States District At
torney Sims and Assistant District At
torney Wllkerson. The attorneys who tried
the case for the Standard Oil Company.
John S Miller, Me-itz Rosenthal and AL
fred ID. Eddy. We're not present the COM
pany being represented by Merritt Starr
a partner of Mr.. Miller and Chauncey
Martyr, from the office of Mr. Eddy
When Judge Lands took his seat on the
bench he said quietly: THE United States
the Standard OIL Company. Is the de-
PENDANT rep-eseuted?'
IF the court please" said Mr. Starr.
ION behalf of the defendant and in the
absence of the regular counsel but with
their authority, | desire to make a sug-
gestion or two pertaining to the final order
IN the case before
Doesn't II strike you broke In Judge
Lands, that it would be well to wait until