The Cairo bulletin., 1910-03-15
OPENED YESTERDAY WITH JOHN
G. MILBURN ON THE
FLOOR.
Will CONT NUE. TODAY
Large Crowd Attracted to United
States Supreme Court Room
to See Final Fight Of Stand.
ard Oil

washington, March 1d.-~The final
fight for the dissolution of the Stand.
ard Oil" began before the supreme
court today when John G. Milburn OF
New York, spoke for three hours in
Its defense He viii conclude tomor-
row The hearing attracted to the
court room lawyers and spectators
from all parts of the country. Mem
bers of both houses of congress for.
isook the Chambers to hear the re-
view OF the decree OF the circuit
court for Eastern Missouri, dssoly.
ing the Standard Oil Company OF New
Jersey as a conspiracy in restraint OF
trade and as a monopoly in violation
iof the Sherman act.
The greater part Of Milburn's adj
dress was review OF the growth 81
Standard Oil, with the object Of lay
ing foundation for the contention
that the corporations entering into
the reorganization OF the STANDARD
OH Company of New Jersey In 1885,
were non-competitive, because fol
many years they had been under com
mon ownership.
He told of the tremendous size o
| the business Of the Standard Oil ant
explained how it had grown. He saic
| a large factor In this growth were
the building of pipe lines (which any
body had right to build" building d
rehneries and extending of market
ing facilities throughout the countr,
land the world,
1--WE compete abroad with grea
corporations" he said. that are pro
tected and shielded by their govern
ments and compelled to combine S,
that they may be powerful We hay'
been able to meet them. because 0
our strength
Toward the close os tho day h
entered upon a discussion of the Shei
man act. -
| After the discussion of the ger
eral meaning OF monopoly, he revert
cd to alleged monopolistic conduct 8
Standard Oil.
| Milburn did not believe the corpol
alton was in restraint of trade, II
view of common ownership" 1t ha'
never restrained the liberties OF cap
tai or any one who entered into il
nor any competitor Instead Of be
ling a monopoly the amount OF bus
ness 1t was doing was decreasing.
| "'The Sherman law is interesting,
observed Milburn.
Napoleon claimed that the law
Ibid not lend themselves to imagins
ton, but he had never read the Shel
man antitrust act"
Milburn took up the charges o
monopo'istic conduct alleged to hav
been shown by transportation dis
elimination He declared that th
railroads throughout the countr
would discriminate in favor Of a bus
ness that afforded only one-half of on
per cent Of the total traffic, was pr'
lposterous.
4 mo Independent reiiner sine
1887" he added, when the interstat
commerce act was passed, has con
lplalned to the interstate commerce
commission of discrimination.
He spoke of the alleged unfair con
petition Competition does nc
breed virtues" he said 1T is lowe
mature that comes uppermost, undt
such conditions. But are we to b
held responsible for all acts Of Ell
ployes?"
Out of $4,000 towns in which tn
Standard Oil has plants, the recor
showed complaints of unfair comp'
tition from 81. An example of thos
who had complained of competition
he said, was one employe who ha
lquit the Standard Oil Company b.
cause of It's bad moral influence o
business. This man took with hir
i the files Of the Standard Oil Con
lpany when he quit the service, an
these files we're used by the govern
ment In the preparation Of the cas-
| AS to the charge that the Standar
lOiI men corrupted the railroad o
lcers to obtain information as to IN
the competitors in business, he a
serted that the employees found doin
so would be discharged Experienc
had taught Standard Oil, he said, thf
: II had to be more virtuous than mo'
lcrpratins.
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