Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1908-02-06
Commissioner Smith VS.. The Standard Oil Co.

ritory had been guilty. Considering the fzet
that these shippers included the packers and ele-
yator men of Chicago the action OF the grand
jury in calling upon President Moftctt to fur
nish evidence of their wrong doing may be in
tcrpretcd as a demand for an elaboration of the
obvious; but the fact that a ratc-book contain
ing these freight rates for other shippers was
offered in evidence during the trial and ruled
out by Judge Lands. was kept out OF sight.
President Moffett would not, Of course, accept
the invitation of the grand jury although he
might have been pardoned Il he had referred
them to varions official Investigations by the
Interstate Commerce Commission and other de-
part1ncrts 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 or eight times the value of its
entire property, because its traffic department
did not verify the statement of the Alton rate
clerk, that the six-cert commodity rate on Oil
had beer, properly filed with the Interstate Com
merec Commission. There is no evidence, and
none was introduced at the trial. that any ship
Inent of oil from Chicago territory had been in
terfercd with by the cighteen-cent rate nor that
the failure of the Alton to file its six-ccnt rate
had resulted IN any discrimination against any
independent shipper,-wc must take this on the
word OF the Commissioner OF Corporations anu
of Judge Lands. Neither is it denied even by
Mr.. Smith that the independent" shipper 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 Whit
ing via Dolton over the lines Of the Chicago and
Eastern Illinois to East St. Louis. In short,
President Moffett's defence is 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 nlisdelneanors
Beginning with the famous Rice of Marietta.
passing down 10 that apostle of popular liber-
tics. Henry Denarest Lloyd, with his Wealth
Against the Commonwealth, descending by easy
stages tc Miss Tarbclls offensive personalities,
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 CONNER
cia] piracy and with most of the crimes on the
corporation calendar. After long years of siren
uo,is attack, under tho leadership Of the Prcsi-
dent OF the United States, the corporation is ut
last dragged to the bar of justice to answer for
its misdoings. The whole strength Of the Gov
eminent is directed against it, and at last, we
are told, the Standard Oil Company is to pay
the penalty of its crimes, and it is finally con-
yicted Of having failed to verify the statcmcnt
Of j rate clerk and is forthwith fined a prodig-
ious sum, measured by the car. Under the old
criminal law, the theft of property worth more
than a shilling was punishable by death. Under
the Interpretation of the Interstate Commerce
law by Thcodore Roosevelt and Judge Kencsaw
Lands, a technical error Of a traffic official is
made the excuse fer the confiscat;on of a vast
amount of property.