The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1910-03-12
By Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
Washington, Mar. IL. = The most
serious legal battle that 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
arguments on the appeal of the Stan
dard 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 cor.
poration as an illegal combination
and monopoly in restraint of inter
state commerce. To point out the al
legged errors 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 decision of the lower
court, Mr.. Wickersham, the attorney
general of the United States himself
will head a brilliant array of counsel
for the government.
The circuit court announced grave
findings against the seven individual
defendants, John D. Rockefeller, Will.
liam Rockefeller, Henry M. Flagler
Henry H. Rogers, John D. Archbold
Oliver H. Payne and Charles M
Pratt, the Standard Oil company OF
New Jersey and other defendant com
panies.
The court found that in 1899, by an
exchange of stock by the seven in
dividuals, the Standard Oil company
of New Jersey acquired the legal title
to a majority of the stock of 19 com
panies, which in turn controlled q
large number of others, all but one
engaged in the oil business.
What is found as to this combina
tion was this;
That since 1899 the affairs of al
these companies have been managed
by the principal company as the bust
ness of a single person, SO as to fix
for them the price of crude oil, the
rates for transportation and the sell
ing prices of its products.
That the par value of the combined
capital stock in 1899 was about $100,
900, 900, and that in 1903 it was $3.50,
100000
That IL of these companies owned
1874 miles of pipe lines.
That six of these companies had
l3,574 selling stations throughout the
United States.
That these companies from 1899 to
1907 produced more than one-tenth
of the crude oil obtained in this coun
try.
That they owned and operated more
than one-half of all the tank cars us.
ed to distribute its products.
That they manufactured more than
three-fourths of all the crude oil re-
fined in the United States.
That they transported more than
four-ffths 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
fifths 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 railroad companies in the United
States.
On this finding the court decreed I;
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 in
dividual defendants, the Standard Oil
company of New Jersey and 80 other
companies had entered into a combin-
alton or conspiracy to monopolize and
had in fact monopolized substantial
part of interstate commerce in viola