Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-03-12
BRILLIANT ARRAY OF
COUNSEL ON BOTH SIDES
United Sta'es Circuit Court Has Or.
dered Dissolution OF Combination
Which Controls Four-fifths OF coun.
try's Oil. and Supreme Court is 10
Pass Upon Ruling.

WASHINGTON, ID. c., March IL
The most serious legal battle that
standard Oil" has ever faced will
confront IL ~ xt Monday.
That is ne day set by the Supreme
Court of the United States TO near
arguments on the appeal OF the stand
ard oil Company of New Jersey from
the adverse Judgment of the United
States Circuit Court for the Eastern
district OF Missouri, which ordered the
dissolution of the New Jersey corn"-
raticn SIS an illegal combination
and monopoly In restraint or
interstate commerce. 20 point
out the alleged errors of the
circuit court in its findings and IN It's
decree, the keenest inteilects WITHIN
command have been procured. II
argue for the afiirmance OF the de-
cision of the lower court, Mr.. WickFr-
sham. the encouragement of he
United states, himself will head bril-
liant array Of counsel for the govern
ment
The Ciicuit Court announced grave
findings against the seven Individual
defendants. John ID. Rockefeller. WI
liam Rockefeller, Henry NJ. Fiagser,
Henry H. Rogers. John d. AFchbaiI.
Oliver II. Payne and Charles NJ.
Pratt. of the standard Oil Company Of
New Jersey and other defendant
companies.
Absorbed Nineteen Companies.
The coI-t found that in 1899, by an
exchange OF stock by the seven In
dividuals. tn. Standard Oil Company
of New Jersey acquired the legal title
to a maiort, of the stock of 10 conf
pan.es. wn.ch in turn controlled a
large number of others, all but one
one engaged IN the oil business.
What IL found as to this combina-
ton was this: 81
That siace 1899 the affairs OF all
these companies have been managed
by The principal company as the bust
ness OF single person. so as to Iiy
for them the prices of crude oil. ne
rates for transportation and the sell
ing prices OF its products
That the par value of the combined
capital stool: in 1899 was about $780,
100000 anu that in 1903 1t was $780,
00O, goo
That twelve of these companies
owned 54.565 miles Of pipe lines
That six of these companies nad
1854 selling stations throughout he
United States.
That these companies from 1899 TO
1907 produced more than one-tenth tf
the crude oil obtained in this country.
That the~ owned and operated
more than one-haIf of all the tank
cars used to distribute its products.
Manufactured Three-fourths Of All.
That they manufactured more tnan
three-fourths of al the crude oil re-
fined in the United States.
That they transported more th3n
four-ffths OF the petroleum derived
from the Pennsylvania and Indiana
oil fields
That they marketed more than four
fifths Of al the Illuminating oil sold
in the United States.
That they exported more than fOT--
fifths OF all the Illuminating oil sent
forth from the United states.
That they sold more than four
fifths Of all raphtha sold in the Unit
ed states.
That they sold more than nyrc-
tenihs Of a. the lubTicating oil SOL
20 railroad companies IN the Unrcd
States.
IN Restraint Of Trade.
On this finding the court decreed:
THAT the organization OF 1899 VAS
a combinat on OF conspiracy in p
s;raint OF interstate commerce in pc
trcle1m end It's products. such as shc
first section OF the Sherman anti
trust act declares is Illegal. that the
seven individual defendants. the S'an-
daid OIL Company o. New Jersey aad
thirty-nlae other companies had cr-
tered into combination or con-pi-
racy 10 mCropoiize snd had in tact
monopolized a substantial part o. IN
terStafe commerce In violation OF rn-
second section Of the sherman ang-
trust act. that thirty-three other con-
panies accused were proven not %
BE- "a this combination.
The coEst enjo!ned the priacirxI