The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1908-01-31

large shippers In the territory had been guilty.
Considering the fact that these shippers In
cluded the packers and elevator men OF Chi
cago the action OF the grand jury In calling
upon President Moffett TO furnish evidence OF
their wrong doing may be interpreted az de-
mand for an elaboration Of the obvious. but
the fact that a ratebook containing these
freight fates for other shippers was offered In
evidence during the trial and ruled out by
Judge Landis was kept out Of sight. Presi
dent Mofrett would not, OF course. accept the
invitation of the grand jury although he might
have been pardoned II he had referred them
to various official Investigations by the Inter-
state Commerce Commission and other de-
partmcnts OF the Government.
We come back, therefore, to the conclusion
OF the whole matter, which is that the Stand
ard OH Company Of Indiana was fined an
amount equal to seven or eight times the val
ne of its entire property. because Its laiic
department did not verify the statement OF
the Alton rate clerk, that the six.cent conmod-
ity rate on oil had been properly filed with the
Interstate Commerce Commission. There is no
evidence, and none was introduced at the trial,
that ANY shipper of oil from Chicago territory
had been interfcred with by the lS-cent rate
nor that the failure of the Alton TO hle It's six
CfHl Idtt ltSu4l'u III uhJ INSTRUMENTATION
against any independent shippcr,-we must
take this on the word of the Commissioner
Of Corporations and of Judge Lands Neither
is 1t denied even by Mr. Smith that the indie.
pendent shipper of oil. whom he pictures as
being driven out OF business by this dscrin-
nation of the Alton, could have shipped all
the oil he desired TO ship from Whiting via
BOLTON over the lines OF the Chicago East
ern Illinois TO East St Louis. In short Prcsl-
dent Moffctts defence is stil good. and we
predict will be so declared by the higher court.
The Standard Oil Company has been charged
with all manner Of crimes and mlsdemeanors.
beginning with the famous Rice of Marietta,
passing down to that apostle OF popular liber-
ties, Henry Dcmarest Lloyd, with his Wealth
Against the Commonwealth, descending by
easy stages to Miss Tarbels offensive person
alities, we finally reach the neither depths or
unfair and baseless Misrepresentation In the
report OF the Commissioner 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 tho
leadership Of the President OF the United
States the corporation Is at last dragged to
the bar OF justice 10 answer for its msdoings.
The whole strength Of the Government is d.
rectcd against It, and at last We are told, the
Standard OH Company is TO pay the penalty OF
its crimes, and It Is finally convicted Of hav-
ing failed to verify the statement OF rate
clerk and Is forthwith fined prodlgious sum,
measured By the car, Under the old criminal
law. the theft Of property worth more than n
shilling was punishable by death. Under the
Interpretation of the Interstate Commerce law
by Theodore Roosevelt and Judge Kenesaw
Lands technical error Of a trafnc Official Ia
made the excuse for the conflscation OF vast
amount of property