The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-24
Oil Companies Are 0uSted. COURT DECIDES CASE
 IN STRONG LANGUAGE  They Must Leave the State
 Forever. In Addition the Standard, the Repunnc "nd the waters-Pierce oam-
 Danies Are to Psy Heavy

Jefferson City. Mo. Dec. 2a.--peelar- ing that the Standard oil Company oe Indiana, the Republic oil Company of Ohio and the water-PIerce oil Com psny of Missouri had conspired ana combined to monopolize the oil buaI- ness m the state, the Supreme Court or Missouri today issued a decree busting all three from the common 1 wealth and lined them $50.o00 each, Ihe decree against the Waters- Fierce Company is tempered by the proviso that 1t may continue in busi- ness if. by March 1. 1909, 1t can snow 10 the court that 1t has taken steps to operate as an independent concern and has satisfied the Judgment against 1t. The other companies are l given until March 1. 1909 to wind i,Fs their affairs in the State
 The decision, which was unanimous l on the part of the seven judges. is s, sweeping that Attorney General Had- Icy and Governor Folk hail it as the end of Illegal commercial combinations in Missouri and the former asserts that in conjunction with the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States In the tobacco trust cases. 1t will af. feet similar suits in other cases. Attorney General Had1ey, who has prosecuted the Missouri case since it's inception in March. 1905. will become Governor in less than q month ana then will be charged with the efi- forcement of the decree issued today.
 No comPromtse, Says Hadley.
 The Attorney General followed up the promulgatiou with q statement in which he asserted that attempts had been made to compromise the suit.
 "At least three efforts have been made by attorneys for the ell compa@ nies to get me to compromise the cases" he said. '1 invariably told them that the u1timate decision must be made by the courts and refused their offers, IL was intimated to me that the oil companies were willina I to accept a good large me aud con- cede a victory to tho state The prcp- ositions were never reduced to details but they were entirely legitimate and as such might be made in any other form of litigation.
 In the coming to It's decision the court says:
 'If such abuses as those complained of are permitted to continue untrana- meled. 1t would be only question of time until they would sap the strength and patriotism from the very founda- tions of our government, overturn the republic destroy our free institutions and substitute in lieu thereof some other form of government.
 The principal indictments against the companies are;
 That they have created and become members of a pool. trust. agreement confederation. combination, arrange ment and understanding among them selves for the following purposes:
 First, to regulate. fix and control the price to be paid by retail dealers ana others in the State of Missouri for the refined products of petroleum sald and offered for sale in this State.
 Second, to control and limit the trade in refined products of petroleum in this State.
 Third, to control. limit and prevent competition in the business of buying and selling refined products of petro- leum in this State between themselves and others engaged fin like. business, and. fourth, to mislead the public into the belief that they were separate ana distinct corporations and pursuing an independent business as legitimate cdmpetitors in the purchase and sale of the products of petroleum.
 The Wrongful Acts.
 In explaining how these wrongfut acts were consummated, the decision says:
 "Prices for the products of petro" leum especially refined oils tluminag- ing and gasoline. arc fixed by the Wa taTs- Pierce Company. It sends out to inc trade card quotations, giving tank, wagon and barrel prices. As a rule these prices are followed by other oil companies including the independent companies doing business in this state.
 AS long as the Independent com nanIes do not reduce prices or increase inc aggregate amount of their sales ahove ten to fifteen per cen of the entire amount Of the sales made in the state, there is no war made upon them regarding prices But when ever any independent company re- duces prices below those nxed by Waters Pierce or whenever their ag- gregate sales exceed fifteen per cent of all sales made in the state, vigorous warfare Is waged. against them chiefly through the Republic Company. by means of an elaborate system of espionage in their business and cutting prices or giving rebates until the Independents are glad to throw up their hands and say. enough and he contented to sell oil at the prices and in the quantities prescribed by the Waters-P Pierce com pany and acquesced in by the Indiana and Republic companies.
 "As a result of this method, the Waters Pierce company fixed the price for which all such oils are sold in the state by all dealers, including tue independent companies and at the same time and by the same means 1t controls and mouopolizes for itself and the Indiana and Republic oil Com pany from eighty-hve to ninety-nvs her, cent of the entire business of the state,
 The direct effect of those facts. which are not seriously disputed, was to create. by lndireetion, pool. trust and combination in restraint of trade and to fix and maintain prices at which respondents sold the products of petroleum in this state"
 The states custer suit against the Standard. Republic and Waters-P Pierce conpa nies, was instituted almost four years ago. The evidence was taken in St Louis and in New York and II. H. Ror "a was compelled to testi- fv beforeN ecial commissioner.
 That the 6~r on as to the Waters~i