The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1910-02-03
ARE AFTER THE OIL TRUST
FOES OF ROCKEFELLER COMBINE
TO COMBAT MONOPOLY.
Expect Defeat In the Supreme Court
In Chicago Pros
ecution.

Minneapolis. - The executive COM
Marketers Association is holding a
secret conference at the West hotel
to complete plans to bring a test suit
for damages against the Standard Oil
Company to be instituted under the
provisions of the Sherman act, for
violations Of which the company al
ready has been convicted.
The members of the committee are
Thomas l.. Hisgen of Springfield,
Mass, president of the organization;
f. c. Bretsnyder of Chicago, A. j. Cal
laghan Of Jackson, Mich, f. J. Spieg-
Ter of Chicago, j. T. Murphy of Cleve-
land and w. III. Barber of Minneapo-
lis. Mr.. Barber represents the local
oil dealers association. Mr.. Hisgen
is known nationally because of his
candidacy for the presidency on the
Hearst Independence league tickets.
Confident that the United States SUI
preme court will sustain the st, Louis
court, which reversed the conviction
Of the Standard Oil Company, the
toihiIltAt' DtitNto thdb W await a We"
cision from that body would be a waste
Of time and 1t plans to begin another
action against the company as soon
as the evidence can be put in shape
for presentation to the courts.
The organization which the execu.
tive committee represents has a mem
bership all over the country and in
cludes every Independent jobber and
marketer of petroleum and it's by
products.
Congressional investigation to ascer-
ain why other departments of the
government have not taken up the boy
colt declared by Secretary of War
pany and its allies, will be sought as
the result of the meeting
The committee emphatically APP
proved the stand taken by Secretary
Dickinson in ordering hat his de-
partment cease buying for army use,
oils, lubricants and other products
marketed by the Standard Oil Com
pany and authorized letters of con-
graduation to Frank Kellogg, of st.
Paul, for his fight before the United
States circuit court; Charles Morri-
son, Colonel Roosevelt, Governor Had
ley, of Missouri, former Governor Folk
of Missouri, former Governor Hoch,
of Kansas, and others, for their efforts
in behalf OF aiding competition against
Standard Oil.
Information as to the damages suf-
fered by the Independents because of
the trusts methods, which has been
gathered by agents of the organization
for several months, will be laid before
the committee In this city and gone
over carefully with the assistance of
two Ohio attorneys, who are in the
city to attend the conference. The
question of bringing the suit will be
discussed from every standpoint. The
legal questions will be presented by
the attorneys, who also will assist in
the selection of the best of the mass
Of evidence which is before them.
The plan is to have this suit prose-
cuted jointly by those interested to
give the case a better backing and to
reduce the cost to a minimum. If the
test case is successful, and the attor-
neys say that it is a %foregone con-
clusion, other actions will follow.
The members of the committee say
they are satisfied that the only way to
wage successful wal on the trust is to
make a concerted effort on the part Of
every Independent dealer because of
the vast resources of the Standard
Oil Company, permitting it to increase
greatly the cost of litigation and to
delay action to such an extentn that
no n Independent jobber could af-
ford such a battle. They intend to
make 1t a combination against a com.
bination.