Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1908-01-03
Graft and Rebate Cases
Fill the Court Calendars.

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The great chase started in 1906 with
the Roosevelt challenge to the Stand.
ard Oil company aud to all law defy.
ing trusts has gathered impetus in
1907, when the whole pack Of state
and federal law officers has been in
full cry after the game The year will
long be remembered for the vicious
bite which the oil trust got from one
federal judge-namely the S29.24O,O00
fine imposed AUG. by Judge Lands
ut Chicago as the maximum penalty
for accepting large number of re-
bates from the Alton. But this was
only one OF large number of criminal
prosecutions laid against the Rockefel.
Ter aggregation Indictments contain.
ing thousands of counts were brought
in Ohio. Missouri Texas. Tennessee.
Minnesota, New York and elsewhere
until the total maximum OF fines posi-.
bly, exceeded the probable income OF
the trusts. The principal action of the
government for the dissolution of the
Standard Oil Company of New Jersey,
which was begun at ST. Louis nov. 10,
1906, still remains to be fought ont, hut
in his examination of witnesses at New
York In September Governments Coun.
sci Kellogg virtually pillorled the oil
trust before the people hy compelling
its officials to reveal the various proc
esses through which ii has monop.
oli2ed the oil industry Missouri and
Texas finally barred all Standard con
Germs
Other actions against 50 called trusts
were numerous. and rebate fines We're
imposed in several cases
The following are the supreme court
decisions of general interest: Dismissal
Of the Kansas petition against diver.
sion of Colorado river by the state Of
Colorado, involving the principle that
congress cannot limit the action of
courts after creating them; the eight
hour federal workday law sustained:
rate fixing section of the federal law
sustained
Along with the building of new
San Francisco there has been a
cleansing of its official and political
rottenness, First. under pressure of Gu.
mulative evidence. came the flight and
confession of Abraham Ruef, manager
of the corrupt city machine, in May.
His confession duplicating Mayor
SchmitZ in the acceptance Of bribes
made possible the verdict Of guilty
rendered by jury against the mayor
MAY Is and his sentence JULY s to
five years imprisonment. 1t also made
possible the indictments against sew.
eral millionaire brbe givers and the
conviction of one of them Glass. who
received five year sentence.
Pennsylvania saw the work OF the
capitol investigators bear fruit.
Gradually District Attorney Jerome
of New York has got insurance evi,
dence before the grand jury, and in.
dictments have begun to issue against
officials, one of whom, Walter H. Gil
lette. former vice president Of the Mu.
tual. was convicted of perjury and
sentenced to six months.
When in July Judge Pritchard is,
sued his federal order against the exc
cution of the North Carolina rate law,
thus saving from the chain gang Off.
cials of the Southern convicted in state
court of having sold tickets for more
than the legal rate, Governor Glenn
arose in his might to back up the state
court Finally the Southern gave in
for the sake of peace and made Spe.
cial agreement with Glenn. Finay re
vising his petition 50 as to let the
cases take their course rapidly to the
supreme court for final test of the law
Much the same situation existed in
Alabama. where Governor Conner was
equally resOlute when the law was op-
posed with injunctions granted by Fed
era Judge Jones on one preteXt or an.
other. The Minnesota rate law also
was held up by Federal Judge Loeb
rens injunction in September The
Pennsylvania railroad, after raising
communication rates when the two cent
law went into effect SEPT. l, began a
test case through the state courts
1t is not within the purpose Of this
history to recount the long list Of
crimes and criminal trials of the year
which were chiefly of interest in the
localities where they occurred. But
the murder conspiracy charges brought
by the state of Idaho against the off.
eials of the Western Federation of
Miners in connection with the death
of former Governor Steunenberg was
an event of national, even information.
Nl Importance. Secretary Haywood. as
the strong man of the federation. was
the first to be placed on trial MAY 8
fter the whole country had been stir.
red up by the preliminary efforts of
organized labor and the Socialist pa
pers to raise funds for his defense and
to get their view of the matter before
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