The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-03-18
GREAT FIGHT FOR
RIGHT TO EXIST
HEARING OF STANDARD OIL
CASES NOW ON BEFORE
SUPREME COURT.
Brilliant Legal Talent on Both Sides
History of Government Fight to
Dissolve Giant Corporation Sum-
married Decision Awaited With
Interest by Business World.

Washington, March 12.-The most
serious legal battle the Standard Oil
has ever faced will confront it next
Monday.
That is the day set by the Supreme
Court of the United States to hear ar
guments on the appeal of the Standard
On Company of New Jersey from the
adverse judgment of the United States
Circuit Court for the eastern district
of Missouri, which ordered the disso-
ultion of the New Jersey corporation
as an illegal combination and monop-
oily in restraint OF interstate com
merce. To point out the alleged er-
rors of the Circuit Court in it's findings
and in it's decree the keenest intellects
within command have been procured
To argue for the affirmance of the deci
sion of the lower court Mr.. Wicker.
sham, the attorney general of the Unit
ed States himself will head a brilliant
array of counsel for the government
Findings Against individuals.
The Circuit Court announced grave
findings against the seven Individual
defendants, John D. Rockefeller, Will.
liam Rockefeller, Henry H. Rogers,
John D. Archbold, Oliver H. Payne and
Charles M. Pratt, the Standard Oil
Company of New Jersey and other de-
PENDANT companies.
The court found that in 1899, by an
exchange of stock by the seven indi-
viduals, the Standard Oil Company of
New Jersey acquired legal title to a
majority of the stock of nineteen COM
panies, which in turn controlled a
large number of others, all but one
engaged in the oil business.
Findings as to Combine.
What it found as to this combination
was:
That since 1899 the affairs of all
these companies have been managed
by the pricnipal company as the bust
ness of single person, SO as to fix for
them the price of crude oil, the rates
for transportation and the selling price
of it's products.
That the par value of the combined
capital stock in 1899 was about $780,
OOO, 900, and that in 1903 it was $780,
OOO,O
That twelve of these companies own
ed 54,565 miles of pipe lines.
That these companies from 1899 to
1907 produced more than one-tenth of
the crude oil obtained in this country.
That they owned and operated more
than One-half of ali the tank cars used
to distribute it's products.
Almost Monopoly of Refined Oil.
That they manufactured more than
three-fourths of all the crude oil re-
fined in the United States.
That they transported more than
four-fifths of the petroleum derived
from the Pennsylvania and Indiana oil
fields.
That they marketed more than four
fifths of all the illuminating oil sold
in the United States.
That they exported more than four
flfths of all the illuminating oil sent
forth from the United States.
That they sold more than four-fifths
of all the naphtha sold in the United
States.
That they sold more than nine-tenths
OF all the lubricating oil sold to rail-
road companies in the United States.
Trade Conspiracy Found.
On this finding the court decreed:
That the organization of 1899 was a
combination or conspiracy in restraint
OF interstate commerce in petroleum
and its products, such as the first Sec
ton of the Sherman antitrust act de-
clares is illegal; that the seven indi-
vldual defendants, the Standard Oil
Company of New Jersey and thirty
nine other companies, had entered into