Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1908-12-31
STANDARD OH IS 4
FOREVER OuST'ED
FROM MISSOURI
Evidence Showed Combination
to Regulate Prices to
Retailers.

Jefferson City, Mo-, Dec. %.
/! The supreme court of Missouri
handed down decision today
ousting the Standard Oil COM
pany of Indiana and the Republic
Oil company from the state Of
! Missouri and forbidding them ever
again to do business in Missouri;
and dissolving Waters-Pierce Oil
company. of st. Louis.
In addition each of the COM
panies was fined $4,000.
The order dissolving the Wa
ters-Pierce Oil company is to be-
come effective January Is, unless
the company on or before that
date furnishes to the supreme
court satisfactory evidence that it
intends to operate as an indepen-
dent concern.
A Conspiracy.
The court finds the companies con-
| spired to regulate and fix the prices to
retail dealers to control and limit trade
in refined products of petroleum, and
to prevent competition in buying and
selling these products: to mfslead the
public in the belief that they were sep
arate corporations. pursuing indepen-
IDENTIFY their business as legitimate
competitors.
Suit to GUST the three companies was
Instituted by Attorney General Hadley
in 1905. Evidence was taken by spe-
cial commissioners in st. Louis and In
New York. 1t has been before tho
state supreme court for more than 9
Seven Judges Concur.
The opinion was written by Judge
Woodson. All seven judges concur.
Judges Graves and Lamb wrote sep-'
arate concurring opinions.
Judge Lamb concurring as to tho
! action against the Standard and Re-
public companies. adds that in his be-
should be fined $1.000,000 instead OF
$4,000.
| Judge Graves. in his opinion. thinks
the Waters-P Pierce company should not
! be dissolved. He said the evidence
showed that H. Clay Pierce, who owns
company, did all in his power to pre-
vent 1t from going into the trust, even
| losing his position as president Of the
company on that account The minor
ity stockholders. Judge Graves says.
could co not help themselves; they should
| ~ PAOSSSSoAs NvAAAA0 S0A60 9A9NS0
urged greater punishment for the
Standard of Indiana and Republic OF
Ohio. yet 1t was due to his influence
that the Waters-Pierc Oil company
was not absolutely ousted from Mis-
souri,.
The opinion of Judge woodson.
which was concurred in by other
judges, states the record shows the
Standard has been guilty of unlawful
means in the formation of the trust to
control the output of OIL and prices
at which it is sold to dealers.
Word for Pierce.
In conclusion his report, which covers
400 typewriter pages, Judge Woodson
says the action in giving the Waters
4 Pierce Oil company time in which to
sever it's connections with the trust Is
taken to protect the minority stock.
holders. The evidence, it is said. dis.
closes a majority of interests in the
company We're owned by the New Jer-
sey company and that these interests
displaced H. Clay Pierce. president OF
the Waters-Pierce company, because OF
his persistent efforts to conduct the af-
| fairs of the company independent OF
the Standard The punishment, he says
should be severe enough to meet the
| crime committed against the state. but
the good faith of minority of tlls
| stockholders should be recognized