The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1908-01-30
Commissioner Smith VS.. The Standard oil Co.


tory ka6 been guffey. Ccnsf6sffag ne fass
that these shippers tnelnded the packers ana
elevator men OF Chicago the action OF tas
grand jury In calling upoa President Aossts
be Interpreted as q demand for an eiabora-
ton of the obvious: bot the fact tia, q rate
book containing these freighs rates fer other
shippers was offered IN evidence during the
trial and ruled oct by Judge Lands. Vas
kert ont OF sight presidsnt Moffett wosie
not. Of course. accept the invitation OF the
grana Jury although he might have been
pardoned II he had referred them to various
ofsciai Investigations By the Intsrststs Com
rnercs Commission and other departments Of
the Government.
We come back. therefore. TO the eonelasioa
of the whole matter, which 10 that the Stand
ard Oil Company OF lndsana was hned an
amount equal TO seven or eisht times tas
value Of its entire property. because It's uanse
department did not verify the statement OF
the Alton rate clerk that the six-eent CEN
modify rate on oil had been properly hled
with the Interstate Commerce Commission
There Is no evidence. and none was intro
duced ut the trial. that any shipper OF oil
from Chicago territory had been interfered
with by the eiEhteen-cent rate nor tnRt the
failure of the Alton TO fale its stx-eent rate
had resulted in any discrimination against
any independent shipper.--we aust take this
on the word OF the Commissions OF Cor
porations and OF Judge lands. Neither H. IL
denied even by Mr.. Smith that the moe
pendent" shipper OF oil. whom ne pictures As
being driven out OF business by this dtscrtm-
ination of the Alton. could have shipped all
the oil he desired to ship from Whiting VIA
BOLTON over tho lines OF the chicago ano
Eastern Illinois to East ST. Louis In short.
President MofYett's defence Is still good, and
we predict will be declared so by the higher
court.
The Standard OIL Company has been
charged with all manner OF crimes aud mis-
demeanors Beginningcwith 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 Tarbells
offensive personalities, We finally reach The
neither depths of unfair and baseless mis-
representation In the report OF the Commits
sioner Of Corporations The standard has
been charged with every form or commercial
piracy and with most OF the crimes on the
corporation calendar After long years or
strenuous attack under the leadership OF the
President OF the United States, the corpora
ton is at last dragged to the bar or Justice 10
answer for itS misdongs. The whole strength
of the Government is directed against 1t, and
at last, we are told the Standard OH Com
pany is to pay the penalty OF It's crimes, and
1t is finally convicted OF having failed 70
verify the statement of rate clerk and is
forthwith fined a prodigious sum, measured
by the car Under the old criminal law, the
theft OF property worth more than shilling
was punishable by death. Under the inter-
probation OF the Interstate Commerce law
by Theodore Roosevelt and Judge Kenesaw
Landis technical error of traffic offc'a
is made the excuse for the conflscation ~
vast amount of property.