The daily Alaskan., 1909-03-11
CORRUPTION IN OUR COURTS.

Early in 1907 evidence was brought before a federal grand jury in Chi. cago which resulted in more than 6. 900 indictments for accepting rebates being brought against the Standard oil company. The case was prompt. ly tried and after exhaustiug every subtertuge known to the legal lights, whom it employed, the Standard oil company was convicted on every count. Judge Kenesaw Landis i'm. posed fine of s2s,24O,OOO, the max. imum penalty.
 The Standard oil company prompt, ly appealed the case to the federal court of appeals.
 Now there was no doubt about the guilt of the Standard Oil company, The evidence was so clear that the officials of the Chicago & Alton rail. road and officers of the oil octopus admitted their guilt. Neither was there any doubt as to criminal intent, for it was proven that false waybills had been issued to hide the relating from independent oil shippers.
 Deliberately the Standard oil com pany had sought rebates that by this means they might undersen competi- tors and stifle competition. This course was practiced for years and is the secret of the Standard oils great power. Independent oil men are put out of business by the rebate.
 Jubge Peter Groscupp is a member of the federal court of appeals of H. linois. Judge Groscupp receives salary of sT5OO a year. He has been serving for ten years. He is veal thy man and most of his wealth is in railroad stocks. He wrote the decis, ion which set aside the fine imposed by Judge Landis. It is a remarkable document. that reversal It sounds more like a defense of the rights of vested interests" than a judicial de- cision. It defends the Standard oil company; it scores Landis.
 It was proven that Judge Groscupp misquoted Landis. but the appellate court refused to re-hear the case. At, toruey General Bonaparte took the matter before the supreme court; but they refused to grant a rehearIng,
 All that could be done was to re- try the case. Judge Landis refuse to do this and Judge Anderson of h. biana was called in. From the very first he manifested a spirit of par tiauty towards the Standard Oil com pany and yesterday U. s. Attorney Simms threw up the case in disgust and the Standard oil company was acquitted.
 If a man goes out and robs another man and is captured he is given a term in prison-that is unless he has a political pull. In some states man can be given as much as thirty years for stealing more than sSO.
 But it seems to be quite proper to wreck banks, to water stocks, to fals- ify reports, to gamble with money en- trusted by others, or to accept re bates. That is if a powerful corpOr. ation is the offender.
 Our federal appellate courts and the supreme court are seldom men toned without sueer. They make justice by-word and a mockery. They have always been the bulwark and the last refuge of the wealthy malefactor or the law breaking cor poration-and seldom if ever have they failed to protect. Laws regulat- ing proper safeguards for railroad work have declared "uncOnstitutiOn al;" fines and prison sentences are reversed on the merest technicalides
 No single valid reason was ever ad- yarced for the refusal of our higher courts to enforce the fine which Judge Landis so fearlessly imposed. No
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