Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1908-01-31

ritory had been guilty Considering the fact
that these shippers included the packers and ele-
vator of Chicago the action of the grand
jury in calling upon President Moffett to fur
nlsh evidence of their wrong doing may be in
terpreted as demand for elaboration Of tka
obvious; but the fact that a book contain
ing these freight rates for other shippers was
offered in evidence during the trial and ruled
out by Judge Lands, kept out of sight.
President Moffett would not of course, accept
the invitation of the grand jury although he
might have been pardoned if he had referred
them to varions official Investigations by the
Interstate Commerce Commission and other de-
partments of the Government.
We come back, therefore, to the conclusion of
the whole matter, which is that the Standard
Oil Company of Indiana was fined all amount
equal to seven or eight times the value of its
entire property, because its traffic department
did not verify the statement of the Alton rate
clerk, that the six-cent commodity rate oil
had been properly filed with the Interstate Com
merce Commission There is no evidence ard
none was introduced at the trial, that any ship
ment of oil from Chicago territory had been in
terfered with by the eighteen-cent rate nor that
the failure Of the Alton to file its six-Ccnt rate
had resulted in any discrimination against any
independent Sh1pper,-we must take this on the
word Of the Commissioner of Corporations and
Of Judge Lands. Neither is it denied even oy
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 DCton over the lines of the Chicago and
Eastern Illinois to East St Louis. In short,
President 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 1nisdemeanors.
Beginning with the famous Rice of Marietta,
passing down TO that apostle of popular hber-
ties, Henry Demarest Lloyd with mis- Wealth
Against the Commonwealth, descending by easy
stages to Miss Tarbels offensive personalities.
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 CONNER
cial piracy and with most Of the crimes the
corporation calendar. After long years of siren
nous attack, under the leadership of the Pre:i-
dent 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 Gov
ernmcnt is directed against it, and at last, we
are told, the Standard Oil Company is to pay
the penalty of its crimes, and it is finally
victed of having failed to verify the statemens
Of rate clerk and IS forthwith fined a prodig-
ious sum, measured by the car Under tn. OLD
criminal law, the theft Of property worth more
than shilling was punishable ty death Undss
the Interpretation of the In.erstat. Commerce
law by Theodore Roosevelt and Judge K.aesEx
Landis technical error Ct 2 taft: Official 10
made the EXCISE for the ccnhscatioa of vas.
amount Of property.