The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1907-08-08
SEVERAL TRUST CHIEFS
! MAY BE IANnEn In DEN

4 Chicago. Aug. 7-When scoring John d.
Rockefeller and his associates as ..con-
taminators Of society" and calling the
Standard Oil company a trust, Judge Ian
dis fined It 500, 24o.0W Saturday he outlined
a course of procedure which may land sew
eral trust magnates in Jail. He started to
carry out his idea of prison sentence when
he called a special grand jury for August
IA to investigate practices of the Chicago
Alton Railroad compa as involved
in the oil case. It Is said tha this prose-
cution will be made on the grounds of
conspiracy. for which the federal statutes
provide prison sentences of two years.
! John D. Rockefeller's private fortune
may be seized to pay ines ~aggregating
Sll7,6sO.OO. If the Oil king fails or refuses
to satisfy the Judgment of the federal
court he is liable to indictment for con-
spiracy to do an illegal act. the govern
ment attorneys assert, and together with
all other officers OF the Standard of Indi-
ana and the Standard of New Jersey. Is
liable upon conviction to Imprisonment
for two years for each count of the indict-
ments
Fine May Be sweIled.
y The extreme liability of the two cor
porations includes all counts in the pend
ing eight indictments. Originally there
were ten Indictments containing nearly
5000 counts. Two We're quashed by Judge
dAio AS ICilalIllHS eight, inclusive OF
the one in which the fines were imposed.
contain 4,42e counts. The penalty In each
case may be from $1,000 to 1000. If the
is assessed In each count as in
the 1852 counts of the first Indictment. the
sum of $Sa4 4O,0 900 will be added to the s29.-
240,0o0 already decided upon by Judge Lam
dis.
Judge Lands obiter dictum plainly
shows hts determination to collect all
fines from either the subsidiary corpora
tion, which he describes as a mere fiction
for the purpose of escaping liability, or
from the parent company, and failing in
both cases to proceed against the private
fortunes of the principals.
After More Bad Ones.
Judge lands ringing denunciation of
the oil magnates and his comparison Of
men who use the power Of the railroads to
crush competition with mai robbers and
,counterfeiters has given the government
attorneys inspiration to Investigate all
Jaws which may enable them to send vio-
lators of the rebate laws to prison.
y Their examination of the laws since the
infection of the fines has convinced the
government lawyers they can aid the exc
cution against The corporation by selling
the private fortunes of every officers of
either company who has received profits
derived from illegal rebates. The govern
ment lawyers contend that a large portion
Of the enormous profits OF the corporations
consists of Illegal rebates. In view of this
assumption they hold the opinion that ev-
cry millionaire. having proprietary inter-
est In the alleged oil trust, Is liable indi-
vidually for the entire possible aggregate
Of all fines, and collectively they are all
liable. OF course collection Of vast sums
from the corporation will satisfy the judg-
ment and no action will be taken against
the individual in that case.
By the broadcast Interpretation Of the
law, the government attorneys say every
responsible director and officer Of the two
oil companies can be held under indict-
ments for conspiring to do illegal acts and
upon conviction they are liable to impris-
onment.