The Topeka state journal., 1908-01-21

the grand jury evidence of the alleged illegal acts
of which the Standard Oil official said that other
large shippers in the territory had been guilty
Considering the fact that these shippers included
the packers and elevator men Of Chicago the action
Of the grand jury in calling upon President Mofett
to furnish evidence of their wrong-dong may be
interpreted demand for an elaboration of the
obvious; but the fact that rate-book containing
these freight rates for other shippers offered
in evidence during the trial and ruled by Judge
lands kept out Of sight President Monett
would not, Of course, accept the invitation the
grand jury although he might have been pardoned
II he had referred them to various official inves
legations by the Interstate Commerce Commssion
and other departments 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 amount equal
seven eight times the value of its entire prop
erty because its traffic department did not verify
the statement Of the Alton rate clerk that the six
cent commodity rate oil had been properly filed
with the Interstate Commerce Commission. There
is evidence and none introduced at the
trial, that any shipper of oil from Chicago terri
tory had been interfered with by the eghteen-cenx
rate 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
even by Mr.. Smith that the "independent' shipper
Of OIL whom he pictures being driven of
business by this discrimination Alton, could
have shipped all the oil he desired to ship from
Whiting via Dolton lines of the Chicago
and Eastern Illinois to East st. Louis. In short,
President Moffetts defence is still good. and
predict will be declared by the higher court
The Standard Oil Company has been charged
with all manner Of crimes and misdemeanors Be
ginning with the famous Rice Of Marietta passing
down to that apostle of popular liberties Henry
Demarest Lloyd, with his Wealth Against the Com
monwealth, descending by easy stages Miss
Tarbelrs offensive personalities. finally reach
the neither depths OF unfair and baseless misrep-
resentation 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
leadership of the President of the United States
the corporation is at last dragged to the bar of
justice to answer for its misdoings. The whole
strength Of the Government is directed against it,
and at last, we are told, the Standard Oil Com
pany Is to pay the penalty Of its crimes, 1t is
finally convicted of having failed verify the
statement of rate clerk and is forthwith fined a
prodigious sum, measured by the Under
old criminal law, the theft of property worth more
than shilling punishable by death Under
the Interpretation Of the Interstate Commerce law
by Theodore Roosevelt and Judge Kenesaw Lam
dis technical error Of a traffic official is made
the excuse for the confscation of amount of
property.