The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-04-05
GOVERNMENTS WAR ON STANDARD OIL
 IS RESUMED TODAY
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Pointing out graphically the shocking abuses which it alleges have been proved by the testimony the final brief in the governments dissolution suit against the Standard Oil Company has been filed.
 That the legality of the Sherman Antitrust law hangs in the balance is made clear. The brief says There is no question that if this court holds the Standard Oil Company to be a legal organization and not guilty of monopoly-in other words. gives it carte blanche to pursue it's own meth ods-it can eliminate every competitor inside of two years. We do not wish to be understood disturbing enter prise but if the Sherman act means anything in this country it means a monopoly acquired by such methods of competition as practiced by this con- cern. Unless it is enforced the small corporation or individual who attempts to engage in business twill have no opportunity at a11.''
 The government even hints at con- fisca ton of the Standards products if the court is unable to grant the relief demanded. It declares that it has hesitated to invoke this drastic remedy and. doubts whether any other of the remedies suggested by the law ar quite the step needed to curb the en- croacEmentS of such combinations and trusts. ''Other remedies have been tried and have failed" it says. .either the Sherman Act should be repealed or it should be enforced in manner to make the people respect it.
 '"This testimony continues the brief,'' is valuable as showing the in tention of the Standard Oil Company to monoDolize the commerce in oil throughout the United States. In many districts it has an absolute monopoly. We mean by absolute monopoly that in those districts it does all the buSi- petitor. Practically this is the case throughout the Rocky Mountain coun- try and most of the Pacific coast states. The percentage of independent business throughout the southern states is very small. Moreover where there is competition the competitors are usually strictly under the control of the Standard. in that they must in oil at practically the price the Stand ard dictates and confine themselves to a small percentage of the trade.
 ''If we are looking at the degree of suppression of competition no com bination of modern times in that re- spect approaches the Standard Oil Combination in all it's forms. If we are looking to the evidences of oppres- sion and unfair dealing. no cOmbina- tion is it's equal. in it's obnoxious fea- tures.'
 Aaeording to the brief the Standard Oil Company is the Father of Trusts" the first of the great industrial com binations to be organized, that it was conceived by John D. Rockefeller and his counsel in order to avoid the ille- gality of combination of the various concerns in the Standard Oil Company in Ohio, and that it was followed, ''as always is the case in attempts to evade the law by other combinations of like form. namely the sugar trust, the whiskey trust and the paint and lead trusts'' Continuing the brief says in the matter of unfair competition:
 s"The testimony in this case shows that the various defendants have pur- sued a system of unfair competition