The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-04-12
Throughout the Fight Reorgani-
zation of 1889 Has Been
Storm Center.
NO DECISION FOR MONTHS

Co., of Ohio, by Rockefeller and others
1871. South Improvement compap,
arranges for rebates from railroads.
1879. Organization of Villas Keith.
Chester Trust"
1882. Organization of so-callet
STANDARD oil Trust"
1890. Passage of Sherman antl-tr
act.
1892. Dissolution of STANDARD oi
Trust"
1899. Reorganization of STANDARD
Oil Co. of New Jersey as holding COM
pany.
1906 Filing of petition for dissolu-
tion of STANDARD.
1910. Circuit court at St Louis de-
creases dissolution asked for by gov
ernment.
1910. Appeal to supreme court of the
| United States. on death of Justice
Brewer care ordered re-argued.
Washington, Apr. 12.--The first great
fight over the methods of the Standard
oil interests was directed against the
Standard oil company of Ohio. As a
result of the litigation this organiza-
tion was dissolved. The stock drifted
into the hands of trusts of one form
and another. and more litigation fol-
lowed. Then the Standard OH COM
pany of New Jersey was reorganized
i'm 1899. With its capital stock of s11O,-
100000, it became the holding company,
that is. il acquired the stock. of nine
teen other oil companies, which in turn
controlled a still larger number of
companies engaged in various branches
cf the oil business. The task of fight
ing standard Oir' had outgrown the
states. and the federal government took
up the cudgel
on March IA of the present year, the
final argument of the case to dissolve
the Standard Oil began in the T.. S.
supreme court. 1t lgsted three days.
For the standard Oil, the most brilliant
lawyers obtainable pleaded it's cause.
John c.. Johnson of Philadelphia. head
ed the list, and associated with him
were John c. Miburn, of New York
and ID. T. Watson, of Pittsburg. For
the government. Attorney General
Wickersham in person and Frank b.
Kellogg of st. Paul, directed the fight
The government dwelt upon what II
termed the Standards enormous prof
its and high prices. the pipe lines as
an aid to monopoly, numerous "con-
tracts in restraint of trade" railroad
rebates and determinations i'm connec-
tion with the alleged monopoly by the
Standard on railroad fabrication and
various forms of unfair methods of
competition. In support of this con-
tention of existing monopoly, it pointed
to the finding of the circuit court to
the effect that the Standard, from
1899 to 1907:
Produced more than lilo of the
crude oil obtained in this country.
owned and operated. more than y
Of all the tank cars used to distribute
its products.
Manufactured more than q OF all
the crude oil refined in the United
States.
Transported more than As of the
petroleum derived from the Pennsyl-
vania and Indiana oil fields.
Marketed more than As of all the
Illuminating oil sold in the United
States.
Exported more than As of all the
Illuminating oil sent forth from the
United states.
Sold more than As of all the naph
tha sold in the United States.
Sold more than $40 of all the lubri-
eating oil sold to railroad companies
in the United States.
Throughout the fight the reorganiza-
ton of 1899 was the storm center. and
in defense of that action the legal tai
ent of the Standard directed its en-
ergy.
The claim was set up that the reor-
ganization of 1899 did not restrain
trade by reducing competition, pc
cause ''the properties involved i'm this
suit formed a non-competitive group
prior to the passage OF the Sherman
act i'm 1890 and their transfer to the
New Jersey corporation in 1899 did
not alter their status or restrict COM
petition"
AS to it's monopolistic tendencies,
the standards attorneys entered a de-
NAL. but boasted of its largeness. as
the natural development and out
growth of business begun nearly fifty
years before.
by untiring energy. with Infinite
skill. with abundant capital and the
steady reinvestment of early profits"
said Mr.. Watson in his brief prepared
for the court. "these men and their as
sociates created out of an entirely
new, unique and unprecedented produc-
ton of crude oil. a new. universally
used and cheapest illuminant the world
has known. They succeeded. as If
one had developed unexpectedly gold
or diamond mine. and abundant reve-
nue. legitimately became theirs"
A.. w n Calhraftb opI n,othar