Rocky Ford enterprise., 1908-01-31

large shippers In the territory had been guilty.
Considering tho fact that these shippers in.
ciudcd tho packers and elevator men OF Chi.
cuso the action Of tho grand Jury In calling
upon President Moictt TO furnish evidence OF
their ons.dong may be interpreted as = do
mand for m elaboration OF the obvious: but
tho fact that q raic-book containing these
freight fatcs for other shippers was offered In
evidence during tho trial and ruled out BY
Judge Lands. was kept out OF sight. Prcsi.
dent MofIctt would not, of course. accept tho
invitation of tho grand jury although he might
have been pardoncd II he had referred them
TO various official Investigations by the inter-
state Commerce Commission and other do
partments Of tho Government.
We come back. therefore. TO the conclusion
OF tho whole matter. which Is that the Stand.
ard OIL Company Of Indiana was fined a.
amount equal to seven or eight times the VAL
uc OF its entire property, because its trafiic
department did not verify the statement OF
tho Alton rate clerk. that the six.ccnt commod-
ity rate on oil had been properly filed with tho
Interstate Commerce Commission. There is no
evidence. and mono was introduced at the trial.
that any shipper of oil from Chicago territory
had been interfcred with by the 1s.cent ratio
nor that the failure Of the Alton to nle 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 II denied even by MIR. Smith that the "indc-
pendent shipper Of oil. whom he pictures AZ
being driven out Of business by this discrim-
ination Of the Alton. could have shipped an
the oil he desired to ship from Whiting via
Dolton over the lines OF the Chicago & East
ern Illinois to East st. Louis In short. Prcsi-
dent Monetts defence Is still good. and wo
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 to that apostle OF popular liber-
ties, Henry Demarest Lloyd. with his Wealth
Against the Commonwealth. descending by
easy stages to Miss Tarbell's offensive person.
alities, we finally reach the neither depths OF
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 the
leadership Of the President Of the United
States, the corporation is at last dragged to
the bar Of Justice to answer for its msdoings.
The whole strength OF the Government is d.
rected against It, and at last, We are told. tho
Standard Oil Company is to pay the penalty OF
its crimes, and Il Is finally convicted OF hav-
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. Under tho
Interpretation of the Interstate Commerce law
by Theodore Roosevelt and Judge Kenesaw
Landis. a technical error Of trafic ofacial II
made the excuse for the conhscation of q vast
amount Of property.