The Detroit times., 1908-01-18

Of which the Standard Oil Official said that
other large shippers In the territory had been
guilty. Considering the fact that these ship
pers included the packers and elevator men OF
Chicago the action OF the grand jury In calling
upon President Moffett to furnish evidences or
their wrongdoing may be interpreted as
demand for an elaboration of the obvious; but
the fact that a rate-book containing these
freight rates for other shippers was offered
in evidence during the trial and ruled out by
Judge Lands. was kept out OF sight Pres
ident Mofett would not, OF course, accept the
invitation of the grand jury although he might
have been pardoned III he had referred them
to various Official Investigations by the inter
state Commerce Commission and other depart
ments 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 an amount
equal TO seven eight times the value OF its
entire property. because its traffic department.
did not verify the statement OF the Alton rats
clerk, that the six-cent commodity rate on oil
had been properly. fled with the interstate
Commerce Commission. There Is no evidence,
and none introduced at the trial. that any
shipper OF oil from Chicago territory had been
interfered with by the eighteen-cent rate 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 Corpora
tons and OF Judge lands. Neither Is IL denied
even by Mr.. Smith that the independent ship
per 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 Whiting via Dolton over the lines
of the Chicago and Eastern Illinois to East St
Louis In short President Moffetts defense IL
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 misdenieanors
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 Tarbells 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
leader ship of the President OF the United
States the corporation Is at last dragged To
the bar of justice to answer for It's misdoings.
The whole strength OF the Government is di.
rected against IT, and at last we are told the
Standard OIL Company is To pay the penalty OF
its crimes and IL is finally convicted OF having
failed To verify the statement OF a rate clerk
and is forthwith fined prodigious sum. meas
ured by the car Under the old criminal law.
the theft of property worth more than q
shilling was punishable by death. Under the
Interpretation of the Interstate Commerce law
BY Theodore Roosevelt and Judge Kenesaw
Lands, a technical error of a traffic official II
made the excuse for the confiscaton OF vast
amount OF property.