Milford chronicle., 1911-05-19
KNOCKOUT BLOW
FOR OIL TRUST
Supreme Court Orders Standard
Company TO Dissolve.
MODIFICATION IN DECREE
Six Months Instead of Thirty Days
Allowed For Breaking Up Of combi-
nation Guilty Of Conspiracy and Mo.
nopoly In Restraint of Trade.


The Standard Oil Company of New
Jersey must dissolve. This was the
decision Of the supreme court of the
United States.
In a decision delivered by Chief
Justice White the government won its
Flong and hard fought dissolution case
brought under the Sherman antitrust
law in that the Standard Oil company
was guilty of conspiracy and monopoly
In restraint OF trade. The decree of
the lower court was affirmed, but was
modified in particulars, which Chief
I Justice White said were very slight
indeed
Associate Justice Harlan announced ,
a dissenting opinion.
Chief Justice White began the de.
livery Of the opinion. but before the
findings Of the court were reached he
read great part of a 25.00O word re-
view OF the litigation and the evi-
dence This kept the crowd of emf
nent lawyers and government officials
In the court room in suspense.
The decree Of the lower court was
absolute cessation of interstate com
merce in petroleum and its products
by such vast agencies as are embraced
in the combination, a result Which
might arise from that portion of the
decree which enjOined carrying on of
interstate commerce not only by the
New Jersey corporation but by all of
the subsidiary companies until the dis
solution of the combination by the
transfer Of the stocks in accordance
with the decree" .
The court also extended the time lr
rom one to six months in which the u
ilssoslUtiOn must take place p
Probably the most important propo- 9,
ition Of law laid down in the opinion m
vas that the words in the statute
every restraint Of trade" are not to dc
e literally construed. but are to be su
onstrued in the light of reason.
On this point the court held that en-
he position of the government that of
ne supreme court had decided that no
ny qualification Of this phrase was wi
recluded by previous decisions of the of
ipreme court was erroneous.
OF the first two notifications the -
nguage Of the chief Justices con D.
usion was:
We construe the sixth paragraph
the decree not as depfiving the
ockholders or corporation of the
sht 20 live under the law of the
nd. but as compelling obedience to
e law. As therefore the sixth pa a.
aph as thus construed is not amen
le to the criticisms suggested that
IS obviously right.
We think that in view of the mag I'll
ude of the interests involved and III
'ir complexity that the delay of
rty days allowed for executing the
rec was too short. and should be
ended SO as to embrace a period of
least six months.
So also. in view of the possible
ious injury to result to the public
m absolute cessation Of interstat,
lmerce' in pet. oleum and its pro
is by such vast agencies as are
lraced in the combination. a re-
which might arise from that por-
of the decree which enjoined the
'ying on of interstate commerce
only by the New Jersey corpora
, but all the subsidiary companies.
! dissolution of the combination by
transfer Of the stocks in accord
with tue decree should not have
j awarded"