The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1908-07-28
: STANDARD OIL DECISION :
: Is WIDELY CONDEMNED*
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Outside of New York city, the grea'
| majority of the newspapers of the
country are outspoken in their condem.
| nation of the reversal of Judge Lands
decision in the famous Standard OF
case. While many Of them concede
! that the conclusions of the court of ap-
peals may be, in the main, technically
correct, strong exception is taken to
the structures passed upon the tria
judge.
The following editorial, published in
the Chicago Post on the day following
the decision, is typical of the comments
by influential papers of the middle
west:
s"The Standard Oil company has won
technical victory. It's guilt was es-
tablished beyond question, but the de-
cision of Judge Lands has been re-
versed by the court Of appeals on the
strength of three errors in procedure
Technicalities always are sure of their
day in court. The people are tired OF
technicalities that defeat the ends of
justice.
"The finding of the judges of the APP
peals court doubtless is based on the
laws as they are. But laymen cannot
understand why bubbles over language
or forms of process should let the
guilty. escape. If the laws are at fault
they should be changed.
Everybody, lawyer and layman
knows that Mr.. Rockefeller's corpora
ton secured rate concessions in knowl-
edge of the law and in defiance of it
1t has escaped the penalty for the pres
ent and very probably for the future
as far as the offense in hand is con-
cerned. The country can not congra-
tulate itself on the outcome.
Fine the Only Penalty.
"The only penalty that could be in
fiicted on the defendant company was
fine. The offenses were committed
before the law with it's imprisonment
clause was in force. President Roose
welt has insisted from the outset OF
his crusade against criminal corpora
tions that the only effective means OF
stopping their depredations is to send
the guilty chief officials to prison.
Some day happily this may be done,
but it won't be done until technicality
loopholes, for which the able corpora
ton lawyers are so diligent in their
search. are stopped up.
IF the Lands fine had been allowed
to stand the Standard Oil company
probably would have found way to
make the consumer pay it. This was
an expected result and entirely in keep
ing with the corporations methods, but
whether the victory was costly to the
people or not it still would have been
a victory, for it would have shown that
an organization hedged in with money
was not DeyOuQ the TedCn VI the law.
TT is said that the enactment of
recent legislation has put an end to the
rebate evil. 1t may be that successful
and easy evasion of punishment in the
present case through legal technicali-
ties will give the past offenders cour-
age to offend again. The thing is dis
heariening but not hopeless. It's a
long lane that has no turning"
Sase for Supreme Court.
The Chicago News, widely recognized
as an Independent and outspoken pa
per, said:
Very pertinent is the comment of
Attorney General Bonaparte on the de-
cision of the United States Circuit
court of appeals in the case of the
Standard Oil Company of Indiana. AS
he says, suit of such Importance
should go to the supreme court for
final decision. 1t is disgraceful that
congress has denied the pleas Of var
ious attorney generals that the gov