The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-03-17


WNsHINGToN. March IS-AIter listen
ing for three DAYS tn the arguments ct
counsel th. supreme Court late thus
afternoon took Under Amusement tie
appeal uf the Standard Oil Company
from the decr... OF the Federal court
at 81 Louis ordering the dissolution at
that corporation b..cau-,. 81 its violation
Vt the sherman antitrust law. That
thus. together with the dissolution suit
against the American Tobacco iOmpanv
argued "A few weeks aLo' ~ The most
inpOTtau' ease ever before the court
Vas the OPINION oppressed IA tie address
Of Attorney -G-n-Ta Miyksrsham TODAY,
and this opinion has been borne out by
the daily att"udanc" Ut prom ln-nt lawyers
from all over the country and the I'M
Tagging interest with which they have
listened 10 the arguments Of the case
fT three days The space within the
railing reserved fOT members at the tar
has been filled To overflow ing each dav.
the attendance AMI interest surprising
all previous records. even those when
the cOnstIpItiOnality Of the income taN
vas under argument soune ift.en years
ago.
because Ut Its importance the court
enlarged the tIm" Tor arguments from
the four hours usually ailOttesl To- eleven
and a quarter hours. Ia. tame being
equally divided between the attorneys
let ia. standard and tn" Government
David 1 Watson at PittSburg Tor the
standard company. began has argument
Yesterday shortly before adjournment
anu concluded tins afternoon. lie de
Vut,Si himself largely Ia the legal side
81 the case. cont"nding that the company
was not vIoiatoT Of the antitrust Law
AMI that u Was never intended to pre-
vent TIA" combinations at capital which
were neycsSary under modern business
conditions tie was arguing against a
proposition advocated by M Kellogg.
that the court finding Il fact might go
further than the lower court had gone
and asserted that tins could not be done.
when IA" Was interrupted by several ot
the Justices With suggestions To the con
lrarN.
-Do vou mean 20 tell me ha quaried
that the Court will wade through the
twenty -thrs.. volumes forming he record
IA this cas-. for the purpose 81 making a
new finding 81 fact ~
Certainly, II n 10 nscesSary.- replied
Justice Harlan
Well then. retOrtSi Mr. Watson. you
had bett" tat more than slA mont h to
decide IN.
. Attorney Gen..ral WtckerShAm began
he concluding argument for the Govern
n@nt shortly h''fora - clock He spoke
until the rsgs~s and finished his address
~ 3lj Referring 10 he methods of IN"
Standard ~ compelling rebates from the
gr~a, railroads MIR v lckersham said "
vAs no wonder that with all hose advan-
tages the company prospersd, hut h" d''
notlno-d them ~ the most nIgultous ever
praCtI--d IN al" history of the world The
present form uf the company under ~
reorganization - 1850. he declared. was
made with the purpn-s. ~ .yadlng th,.
; Consequences of he sherman act He did
not see any material difference between
the situation regarding m. Standard and
that 81 the Northern SECURITIES COMPANY
which had i.-.n Dondemn,'t bv 10. courts
II Wa. be- aid 'umhIuaf inu 10 restraint
Of frslris' q here ever ~a- ore. and was
alFD th. most tremendous combiuat on
IN" world had ever -r-u Rev"rt,ng To
the cry that a decision against the com
pany would he disastrous tn tn. husitess
world Mr NIckersham sad that cry
had been heard before when th. Mort bern
Securities Company had hs.sn brought 10
book and nothing ~ he Kind had hap
penst
John q johnson ~ Philadelphia closed
fl- ,g-s. Tor the Standard Cumuauy
arguing that the lpN"r count had No
jurisdiction - N" ua~n t-pciu~e y had
jurisdiction only over the NaterS-P Pierce
rumUEtuy which was merely "a selling
COMPANY aud nothing else that common
ownership was legal that the present
organization ~ the standard COMPANY
ha- resulted ~ prutn"tiug rather than
restraining trade and hat Will" Oh"
individual act, committed might 10 pun
-l1llc The rpImpauy should not D."
forced pu' Il existence ~ reason - 'he
rpuWun pwuerShIu
Whom VI Johnson bad concluded the
court grafi'.d = motion u"rrurtinE counsel
'ur "Hrr -.de - 'ls an addl'lurllI brief
within ''u i1v. and then 'pu, ~" case
..rdsr al .I~'lDut Nobody preteu,iS go
-1r how IDIu Do vii -. n"fHr,. q DECISION
vii -, fiU,i,.si down