Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-12-31
Regulation of Trusts
and Pursuit of Grafters.

The American smile of 1907 when
Judge lands fined the oil trust 500
100000 for taking Alton rebates GER
tainly came off July 90 last. when
Judge Grosscup and associates Of the
court of appeals at Chicago reversed
Lands on the assumption that the fine
was excessive and not based on good
law. What the chief hunter of the big
octopus had to say of that partic, a, r
turn in the road was that the merits
of the case had not been touched and
he would regard it as gross miscar-
riage of justice If through any techni-
calitieS" the quarry should escape. The
president at once had the motion for n
rehearinG made. This was denied, and
the famous case goes up on appeal to
the supreme court.
But in the meantime the government
pack was in full cry along other paths.
the chief of which led toward the dis
solution of the Standard Oil company.
Sept. 10 at Philadelphia Judge Gray
| and associates on the circuit bench
sustained the right of railroads to own
and operate coal mines, holding the
, commodity clause of the Hepburn bill
to be despotic and confiscatory.
Federal suits were also started
| against the Hartman railroad trust
| and against the powder trust, while
| numerous fines were imposed on rail.
roads and other corporations under the
| Elkins law for rebating. On March %
| the supreme court, s to 1, invalidated
| the Minnesota and North Carolina rate
! laws. holding that federal courts had
the right to review and to stay eXecu.
| ton to protect stockholders. The Ala
bama rate law was held up by the Cir
cult court pending investigation OF
| reasouableness of rates. Pennsylvania
| two cent rate law was invalidated by
| the state supreme court. On Nov. 81
! the United States supreme court ruled
| that the order of the Virginia railroad
commission fixing Il two cent pasSen
| ger rate was subject to review AND
must be tried before the highest state
court before seeking federal interven
| ton. In December the circuit court OF
appeals enjoined the tobacco trust from
continuing Interstate traffic.
Early in January the supreme cour
| knocked out the employers Liability
law because it was not confined TO in
terstate corporations. On Jan. 20 il
ruled that membership in uniol
might justify dismissal of interstate
railroad employees On Feb. ) in tin,
famous Danbury hatters' boycott cas-,
it decided unanimously that the boy
To- as method of fighting capital i:
Illegal when declared against goods il
interstate traffic. President Gomper
and other A F. of L. officials We're en-
joined from publishing an unfair list.
On March . the California suprem,
court vacated the conviction of forme
Mayor SchmitZ, and he was freed OF
heavy bail covering other charges afte
having been confined ten months
When in November his pal, Boss Ruei
was brought to trial the despera ton o
act of one diScredited saloon man
Haas. who shot Heney in court
Though Heney was seriously injured
he recovered to continue the fight wit
increased public sympathy. Ruef wa
convicted Dec. II and faced a priso
term Four of Pennsylvania capito
grafters Were convicted in Februar
and sentenced Dec. IS to two years Il
prison and $500 fine each.
On Nov. 6 at New York Charles W
Morse, the millionaire whose illega
banking practices were believed t
have started the financial panic o
1907, was brought to stern justice wit
conviction and a fifteen year ser
tence At the same time sentence fo
his banking associate, President Cul
tbs of the Bank of North Americs
was suspended.
Pittsburg was shocked by a se:ie
Of banking explosions and defalc:
lions, two of which stand out as CO
: lossal crimes. On March % Henr
Reiber, teller. and John Young. aud
tor Of the Farmers Deposit Nation,
bank, were arrested for the misuse
over a million Of the bank funds.
June they were sentenced to ten yea
~ each. On May Z William Moptgol