The Marshall republican., 1908-09-25

ton, has been exposed n driven from
the State; the Standard Oil Company of
Indiana and the Waters-Pierce OIL Com
pany OF Missouri have been forced by
order OF the Circuit Court Of jackson
County to obey. our laws and sell TO all
who wish to buy. Competition In the oil
business has thus been made possible and
since March. 1905, when began suit;
thirty oil companies have been admitted
to do business in the State, a larger num-
Der than had been admitted In its entire
previous history The result is that the
price Of refined oil no longer increases
when the price OF petroleum decreases.
The result Is that although the wholesale
price of refined oil was 9h cents a gallon
at the time / began this suit, II IL today
81 cents a gallon, which means a saving
Of over $500, 600 a year to the people OF
Missouri.
THE MORAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE
CASE.
But over and above the material ad-
vantages that have been accomplished Is
the moral significance and Importance OF
, this litigation. And 1t will always be a
source Of satisfaction to me arul, ! believe,
to the people, that 1t was the state OF
, Missouri which forced the officers of this
, great combination of wealth and Of power,
the greatest In the history OF the wor ORC
: mission to the law and the courts ana TO
, disclose its plan OF organization and busi-
ness methods. And this result was ac-
complished In a foreign jurisdiction, as
4 against the persistent and untiring efforts
Of the ablest lawyers that money could
I secure. The evidence developed in this
!, suit has since been used as the basis OF
: suits against the Standard Oil Trust by
! Ave States, and by the National Govern
ment, and the arrogant and insolent dis.
Y regard Of the laws OF the Nation and OF
the States and the rights Of competitors
3 and the public which once characterized
. the actions of this corporation have now
I become largely matters Of ancient history.
9 BY this result there has also come to the
. American people a realization OF the fact
I that no combination Of money and OF
I power is above the law and that none
e will be permitted to violate the law with
0 impunity. It is a narrow partisan indeed
8 who will refuse to be satisfied with re-
g suits such as these.
: INSURANCE TRUST.
: I want to tell you the result Of the pro-
ceedings that 1 conducted against another
, combination Of corporate interests doing
business in this State. In 1899 my prede-
7 cessor. Mr.. e. c.. Crow, began a suit
against a number Of insurance companies
on the charge that they were violating the
ANTITRUST laws OF this State. The Su-
preme Court sustained his action and as
!, sessed a fine of 1000 against each Of the
" last two years, by reason OF complaints as
y to the rates Of insurance, / began an In
u v~estigation from which / became satisfied
that the former suit conducted by Mr..
3 Crow had not resulted in a correction of
the abuses incident to the fire insurance
business here; that fire insurance rates
. had not been reduced and were arbitrarily
= fixed and maintained with but slight, II
any, reference to the hazard Of the risk.
= And so / began proceedings against some
v 70 of these companies, charging them with
9 the violation Of our antitrust laws. But
: before the testimony was completed the
representatives of the insurance compa-
MES opened negotiations looking to an
:, adjustment of this litigation and offered to
- reform their business so as to comply with
the laws OF the State and to treat the
people fairly in the matter Of rates II the
prosecution against them was not con-
tinued. I informed them that II they
would re-rate all of the property OF the
State on a scientific basis, giving to each
y bidding the benefit of any protection from
FIRE that It might enjoy, l would hold In
~ allegiance the suit that I had begun. This
proposition was accepted and the work Of
:, readjustment OF insurance rates in this
&c State is new In progress, and will prob,
u ably be completed within the course o.
the next sixty days. In the City ant
County of st. Louis, I am informed that
=. there has been, since the beginning Of this
y suit. a reduction In rates on business
J, property of from 80 to 40 per cent, Nand
- from the reports received OF the new rates
established In some fifteen or twenty
towns in different parts of the State, II
" can be confidently stated that the average
a Ituutlloh III insurance tilua SNAuitN
will be between 10 and Is per cent. As
y the annual amount paid In premiums by
le the people of Missouri to fire insurance
companies, other than mutuals, is approx
matcly $4,000, 900 a year, this reduction
will amount to a saving to the people d.
le rect OF, at least $500 900 a year for ar
indefinite period. Where is the mar not
s, blinded by partisan prejudice who would
m hesitate to admit that this is a better plar
lie OF procedure than to secure the imposi.
ton of a fine which the defendants could
I'd In a few months recoup by an advance ir
IN charges.
ID OTHER ANTITRUST PROSECUTIONS
In addition to these suits brought under
is the provisions of the antitrust laws of tho
is State, / nave also conducted n suit against
,t the Traders Live Stock Exchange of Kan
"a sas City, which was sustained by the Su-
ID preme Court OF the State; a suit against
the Lumber Trust, in which I secured al
ton of that combinations; a suit against
the Harvester Trust, in which the testi'
mony will soon be completed and sub
mitted to the court for decision. In thi.
ID last case II is worthy Of note that the de-
4 fendant offered to pay a fine in order t.
escape the notoriety and trouble OF litiga'
"a ton. i informed the attorneys who sub
N mitted this proposition that the question
Of punishment was a question for the
courts, and not for the Attorney Genera
~ TO determines; that no company could pay
IA u me TO escape the trOuDle OF ntlRatlOT
and continue what l believed to be prac.
tices in violation OF the laws Of the State
that II 1t was not guilty OF violating oul
laws, 1t should pay nothing, and II 1t wa:
"a guilty, 1t should make way for others VIII
"a would comply with our laws. And 1T 4;
ID also worthy OF note that during the taking
Of testimony In this case Cyrus III. McCor,
mick. the president of this $3.50. 900, 00t
corporation, a relative by marriage Of Johr
q ID. Rockefeller, came to Jefferson City al
my request and freely answered all ques
tons that I asked him as to the plan OF
organization and the business methods oil
the international Harvester Company
This same officer recently refused to pay
any attention to similar processes ISSUED
n against him by the Attorney General OF
our n%eighborlng State OF Kansas. It thu
appears that the orders land the DEGREES
OF the courts OF the State OF Missouri arr
y now respected by the trust magnates Of
the country, This is some advancement
n at least, from the time when II, II. Roger:
"A and his associates were with arrogant In
- Science declining IN aanaWar tho atunpIart