The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-03-12
Very Existence May Depend on
Outcome Of Coming
Struggle.
RESULT FAR n IE.A C HI NG

Not Only Oil Trust, but Vast r
Business Enterprises, May u
Be Affected. Q
washington. March i1.--rhc most :
serious legal battle that "standarli
or has ever faced will confront III
next Monda2.
That Is the day set by the Supreme
Court of the United States to hear ar
gumeilts on the appeal OF the STANDARD
I OIL Company OF New jersey from the
adverse Judgment of the United States
Circuit Court for the Eastern District
OF Missouri. which ordered the disco
luton of tho New Jersey corporation 4
as an illegal combination and monop-
oily In restraint OF Interstate COM ;
mcrce. 10 point out the alleged err
rors of the Circuit Court in It's findings
and In it's decree, the kcenest intel
| lects within command have been pro-
cured TO argue for the ahlrmance
| of tho decision OF the lower court. MT.
|! Wickersham. the Attorney-Gcnefal OF
|, the United States. himself will head
| a brilliant array OF counsel for tho
4 government
4 The Circuit Court announced grave i
findings against the seven indiv1dual
4 defendants, John D. Rockefeller. Will |
i liam Rockefeller. Henry NJ. rlagler.
Il Henry H. Rogers. John D. Archbold.,
Oliver Fl Payne and Charles NJ. Pratt. I
the STANDARD OIL Company of New Jcr-
I. scy and other defendant companies
The court found that in 1899. by an
4 exchange of stock by the seven lndl-
viduais. the Standard Oil Company or
/, New Jersey acquired the legal title 10
81 majority of the stock OF nineteeh
!, lcompanies. which in turn controlled
:, large number OF others. all but one
: engaged in the oil business.
Governments Charges.
What It found at to this combination
was:
: That since 1899 the affairs of all
. these companies have been managed
= by the principal company as the bus
=, mess of single person. so as TO Tx
: for them the price Of crude oil. the
rates for transportation and the seilihS
}prices of its products.
re THAT Iii. par value of the combined
+ capital stock in 1898 was about $780,
lel 100000, and that in 1903 1t was $3.50
le 100000.
r That twelve of these companies
l5 owned 5i.565 miles OF pipe lines
re That SIX of these companies had
III 1914 selling stations throughout the
T. United States.
r. That these companies from 1899 to
IN 1907 produced more than one-tenth OF
n the crude oil obtained in TINS country
al That they owned and operated more
than one-hnlf OF all the tank cars used
10 distribute It's products.
That they manufactured more than
X. thrce-f ourths OF all the crude oil re-
at fined In the United States,
That they transported more thar
four ffths Of the petroleum derived
st from the Pennsylvania and Indiana oil
n, fields.
That they marketed moro than four
hfths of all the illuminating OIL solf
s. In the United states.
*. That they exported more than TOUR
ffths Of ali the Illuminating oil sen
forth from the United states.
no That they sold moro than four
he fifths of all the naphtha sold in IN
to United States.
That they sold more than nine
tcnths OF all the lubricating oil sold t
to railroad companies In the Unite
States.
Courts Decree.
On this finding tho court decreet
the That the organization in 1899 was
on combination or conspiracy In RESTRAIN
lIcf Interstate commerce IN petroleu
land its products. such as the first Sc
Ity. ton of tho Sherman antitrust act d
Tor clares is illegal; that the soven !
dividual defendants, the Standard
Company of New Jersey and thtrty-nl'
has other companies had entered into
IRE, combination or conspiracy to mono
olize and had IN fact monopol1zed
substantial part of Interstate CONNER
re- in violation OF the second section
IN 1.-The Sherman anti-trust act; that thist
three other companies accused VIC
nrovcu not to be In this comblnatlo'
'Ws, The court cn1oined the principal co.
MSS mans. ana it's directors from exercls
any control over the subsidiary CO
NAMES; 1t enjoincd the subsldlarS co!
panies from declaring or paying !. :
- dividends to the principal company
not from distributing ratably to
Shareholders Of the principal conlpa
tnc stock Of tho subsidiary compal
In inioined those found to DO IN
i.lllegal combination" from contlnui
Pos In III or forming a new comblnatloIl
.ibcs means of aggregation of physi
nropertics in the hands OF one il1eu.
until Of the combination, and toroaae W
from in tho combination from ehsaslns
and Interstate commerce until the co'1lp n.y.
X tion was discontinued
~ II - t brilliant Array.
sn,,,a Tho counsel arrayed III defense
, s,i.a tho standard OIL Includes John q,
,.,;;,, h,,rn. Of Buffalo. N. T.. In whose ~
lVlnS ~. u. " So, X, ri watson and r
s to Nlcilh.sy u'ssi ,eaders 90 the Penn
from &. loh ,ls y 4, -. NIoritz Rosenthal
your, wanna - ~ standard OH, In
y 70 csts. OF these Johnson mado
~. princlpal argument to tho supr
i q nc Court IN tho defense in the tob
All to 800 asns Tho defense has urged that
good aSrnra /, ons. which entered into
been ~. ~. Of 1890, had q not
& Can - 3 tors since 1879; that the st
18th a h od 81 Of TIC principal company
+ who ma Me- ioInt owners of the stock OF
rs SO subsidiary companies and had
II by t.. lar IT 10 tho former in trust for Il
!, dis selves, Il and Congress was ~ MY
i now powcr to restrict their aeau's'
Saotly} gthoir. method of bel an
ng off l8thciE disposition &c Their
TO- their proper or a, z,