The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1909-06-01
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
st. Louis, Mo-, June 1.-The govern
ments dissolution suit against the
Standard Oil company of New Jersey,
seven of its officers and seventy sub
sidiary concerns, has been in the
courts since November 10, 1906, when
the complaint was filed in the ciruit
court of the United States for the east
ern division of the eastern judicial
district of Missouri at ST. Louis. 1t
has been heard by the four judges of
the eighth judicial cirucit who have
sat en- banc as the United States cir
cult court of appeals, thus allowing
direct appeal from this decision to
the supreme court of the United States
This was the circuit in which the
Northern Securities case was heard,
and it was selected for the Standard
Oil case because of its location, and
because many of the governments
witnesses were residents of adjoining
states.
The governments allegations, which
were filed by David Dyer, then United
States district attorney, were based
largely upon an investigation of the
oil business conducted by James r.
Garfield, commissioner of the bureau
of corporations, at the behest of Presi-
dent Roosevelt The investigation
consumed a year, and because of it.,
various juries returned indictments
containing S193 counts. according to
Commissioner Garfields annual report
of December 8, 1906
In petitioning for the dissolution OF
the New Jersey corporation and Its
subsidiaries, the government complain
ed that the defendants had conspired
ito restrain the trade and commerce
in petroleum, commonly called crude
oil, in refined oil and in the other
products of petroleum among the sew
eral states and territories of the I'm
tied States and the District of CO,
mmbia, and with foreign nations, and
to monopolize the said commerce"
John D. Rockefeller, William Rookie
feller and Henry NJ. Flagler were nam
ed as the originators of the alleged
conspiracy The bill claimed that De.
tween 1870 and 1882 Henry H. Rogers,
John D. Archbold, Oliver H. Payne,
and Charles M. Pratt joined the con
spiracy which eliminated with the or
ganization of the New Jersey corpor
alton in 1899
Three periods Of development are
alleged in the complaint The first
that proceeding 1882. was marked, it is
asserted. by the activities of the in
dividual defendants in connection
with the Standard Oil company of
Ohio, in acquiring interests in, or en-
tering agreements with, various com
peting firms, corporations and indiyid
uals engaged in the oil business.
From 1882 to 1889 the complaint re-
cited, the affairs of the various con
Germs and individuals were under the
of nine trustees by a
trust agreement" alleged to be lin
restraint of trade and commerce and
in violation of law"
Since 1899 it was alleged, the de-
PENDANTS have acted through the
Standard Oil company of New Jersey
as holding corporation, which com
pany acquired the majority of stock |
in various corporations and managed |
them in violation of law"
1t was charged also that in their
alleged efforts to monopolize the oil
the defendants had solicited |
and received rebates on shipments not
only of their own products but also
on those OF competitors and later ac-
quired control of various pipe lines /
which were merged into the National (
Transit company.
From the inception of the case, /
Frank B. Kellogg, St. Paul and /
Charles B. Morrison, Chicago, have
appeared on behalf of the government
as special assistants to the attorney !
general of the United States. John 4
New York; Moritz Posen- 4
hal, Chicago, and John G. Johnson. 4
have headed the defend
nts' long list of attorneys
The judges who have considered 4
he case are: Walter II. Sanborn. st Il
Paul; Elmer B. Adams, St Louis; 4
Willis A. Van Devanter. Cheyenne.