The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-01-21

riory had been guilty Considering The fact
that these shippers included The packers and
elevator men Of Chicago the action of the grand
jury IN calling unon President Moffett TO furnish
evidence of their wrong doing may be inter-
prctcd as demand for an elaboration Of the
obyious hnt The fact that ratc-book contain
ing these freight rates for other shippers was
offered 80 evidence dnfiag The trial and ruled
out by Judge Lands WIS kept out of sight
President Moffett would not Of course. accept
the invitation Of the grand jury although he
might have heen pardoned II he had referred
them to various official Investigations BY the
Interstate Commerce Commission and other de-
partments Of The Government
Z. We come hack therefore. to the coneiasion Of
the whole matter which is that the Standard
Oil Company OF Indiana was fined an amount
equal to seven or eight tiaics the value OF its
entire property because It's traffic department
did not verify the statement Of The Alton rate
clerk that the six-cent commodity rate on oil
had been properly filed with the Interstate Com
merce Commission There Is no evidence. and
none was introduced at the trial, that any ship
per Of oil from Chicago territory had been inter
fered with by the eightccn-cent rate nor that
the failure Of the Alton 20 file It's six-cent rate
had resulted in any discrimination against any
independent shippcr-wc must take this on the
word Of the Commissioner of Corporations and
OF Judge Lands Neither IS It denied even by
Mr. Smith that the independent shipper Of oil,
whom he pictures as being driven out Of business
by this discrimination Of the Alton, could have
shipped All The oil he desired to ship from Whit
ing via Doltou over the lines Of the Chicago and
Eastern Illinois to Fast ST. Louis In short,
President Mofiett's defcree is still good and We
predict will be so declared bysthe higher court.
The Standard oil Company has been charged
with alI manner OF crimes and misdemeanors
Beginning with the famous Rice OF Marietta,
passing down to that apostle OF popular Liberties,
Henry Demarest Lloyd. with his Wealth Against
the Commonwealth descending by easy stages to
Miss Tarhcls offensive personalities, we fnally
reach the neither depths OF unfair and baseless
Misrepresentation in the report Of the Commislr
sioncr OF Corporations The Standard has been
charged with every form Of commercial piracy
and with most OF the crimes on the corporation
calendar After long years OF strenuous attack.
under the leadership Of the President Of the
United States, the corporation is al last dragged
TO the bar of justice 10 answer for It's misdo-
ngs The whole strength Of the Government is
directed against H. and at last we are told the
Standard Oil Company IS 20 pay the penalty Of
its crimes. and il is finally convicted Of having
failed to verify the statement Of a rate clerk
and is forthwith fined pgodigious sum, meas
ured BY the car Under the old criminal law,
the theft Of property worth more than shilling
was punishable by death Under the nterpresa-
ton OF the Interstate Commerce law by Theo-
dore Roosevelt and Judge Kencsaw Lands,
technical error OF traffic official is made the
excuse for the conhscation Of a vast amount OF
property.