The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1908-01-31
Commissioner Smith VS.. The Standard Oil 60.
From the Rail7uuy W0Id, January :, 1905.

large shippers in the territory had been guilty.
Considering the fact that these shippers in
cluded the packers and elevator men OF MI
cago the action of the grand jury III calling
upon President Moffett to furnish evidence OF
thei, wrong doing may be interpreted as de-
mand for an elaboration of the obvious; but
the fact that a rate-book containing these
freight fates for other shippers was offered IN
evidence during the trial and ruled out Dy
Judge Landls, was kept out Of sight Presl-
dent Moffett would not, Of course, accept the
invitation of the grand jury al lough he might
have been pprdoned if he had referred them
70 various official investigations by the Inter-
state Commerce Commission and other de-
partments of the Government
We come back, therefore, to the conclusion
of the whole matter, which is that the Stand
ard Oil Company Of Indiana was hned an
amount equal to seven or eight times the VAL
ue Of it's entire property because It's tralhc
department did not verify the statement OF
the Alton rate clerk, that the siXcent commod-
ity rate on oil had been properly filed with the
Interstate Commerce Commission There is no
evidence, and none was introduced at the trlal,
that any shipper of oil from Chicago territory
mad Deen lnlerleTeu Will ny INC Io'SOhC Jaw
nor that the failure of the Alton to file its SIX
cent rate had resulted in any discrimination
against any independent shipper,-We 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 "lnde-
pendent" shipper Of oil, whom he pictures as
being driven out of business by this discrim-
ination Of the Alton, could have shipped all
the oil he desired to ship from Whiting via
BOLTON over the lines of the Chicago q East
ern Illinois to East st. Louis. In short, Presl-
dent Moffetts defence is still 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 misdemeanors.
Beginning with the famous Rice of Marietta,
passing down 70 that apostle of popular liber-
ties Henry Demarest Lloyd, with his Wealth
Against the Commonwealth, descending by
casv STAGES to Miss Tarbelrs offensive person
alities, we finally reach the neither depths ol
unfair and baseless Misrepresentation IN inc
report of the Commissioner or corporations.
The Standard has been charged with every
form of commercial piracy and with most OF
the crimes on the corporation calendar. After
long wears of strenuous attack, under the
leadership of the President of the United
States the corporation is at last dragged to
the bar of justice to answer for its misdoings.
The whole strength of the Government Is d.
rected against it, and at last, we are told, the
Standard Oil Company is to pay the penalty OF
its crimes. and it is finally convicted OF nav
ing failed to verify the statement OF rate
, clerk and is forthwith fined prOdigious sum,
, measured by the car Under the old criminal
law the theft Of property worth more than
| shilling was punishable by death ohder the
{ Interpretation of the Interstate commerce Ia"
by Theodore Roosevelt and Judge henesaw
1 Lands, a technical error OF trafhc oilclal Is
f made the excuse for the confscatlon OF vast
r amount of property.