The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1910-04-13

years after the fling OF the petition
in the circuit court. the four judges
WHO had been called in TO pass on
the suit announced the decree of the
! court.
That decree upheld nearly every
contention the government had made.
1t did, however, dismiss some of the
defendant companies. It decreed
that the reorganization of the Stand
ard Oil Company of New Jersey in
1899 constituted a combination and a
conspiracy in restraint of commerce
| among the states and with foreign ma
tions and a combination and conspir-
acy to -nonopolize that commerce in
violation of sections one and two re-
spectively of the Sherman antitrust
act.
The principar or holding company
was enjoined from directing the af-
| fairs of the subsidiary corporations.
| and the subsidiary corporations were
prohibited from paying dividends to
the holding company. Tne defendants
were entoined from engaging In inter
state commerce, until the Illegal con-
! bination was discontinued.
Lest the defendants get around
the decree in some manner the court
enjoined them from carrying the COM
bination into further effect either by
| the use of liquidating certificates CIV
| en- to trustees, or by an agreement or
arrangement like that adjudged ille-
gal.
1t did, however, grant permission
specifically for the distribution rata
| bly, to the share holders of the hold
| ing company of the shares in t1e sub
sidiary corporations.
Then the suit was brought to the
Supreme Court of the United States
| on the appeal of the Standard. On
| account of the great Importance of
| The case. 1t was advanced for an early
nearing.
On March IA of the present year,
| the final argument of the case began.
| Ii lasted three days. For the Stan
dard Oil, the most brilliant lawyers
| obtainable pleaded its cause. John G.
| Ionnson, Of Philadelphia, headed the
| list. and associated with him were
| John G.. MilbuEn, of New York, and
d. T. Watson. of Pittsburg. For the
Government, Attorney General Wick
ersham in person and Frank B. Kel-
logg, of st. Paul, directed the fight.
The government dwelt upon what 1t
termed tee Standards enormous pro-
fits and high prices. the pipe lines as
an aid to monopoly, numerous con-
tracts in restrain of trade" railroad
rebates and Determinations in con-
nection with the alleged monopoly
L h,r 10 %
| ton and various forms of unfair
methods of competition"
AS to its monopolistic tendencies.
the Standards attorneys entered a
denial, but boasted of it's largeness,
rs the natural development and out
growth of business begun nearly fifty
| years before.
by untiri1g energy. with infinite
| skill. with abundant capital and the
steady reinvestment of early profits"
said MFR. Watson in his brief prepared
for the court, "these men and tneir
| associates created out of an entirely
new, unique and unprecedented pro-
duction of crude oil, a new. universal
iy used and cheapest illuminant the
world has known. They succeeded.
as If one had developed Unexpectedly
a gold or diamond mine, and abun-
dant revenue legitimately became
theirs"
The reply OF the government to tnis
line of argument was summed up in
one out-burst of M. kellogg in ad-
dressing the court, when ne shouted: ::
They waved the black flag over the
! land as others mad done over the
sea-"