The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-05-16
SUPREME COURT DECISION
DISSOlVES STANDARD OI.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE oNE)

said that the combination in single
or person, by an eX-
change of stock, of the power of
many stockholders holding the same
respectively of the ma
jority OF the stock of each of several
engaged in commerce in
the same articles amng the states, or
with foreign nations, to restrict com
petition therein, rendered the power
thus vested in the corporation or per
son greater more easily exercised,
more durable and more effective than
that previously held by the stock
holders. In these effects. the court
found a restraint on commerce.
The court then proceeded to evolve
plan to remedy the situation. 1t
entered a decree enjoining the Stand
ard on Company of New Jersey from
exercising any contro.. by reason of
its stock ownership, over the sub
diary companies. Furthermore it
enioined these subsidiary companies
from paying any dividends to the
Standard Oil Company Of New Jer-
sey. 1t put provision in the decree
to enjoin any possible evasion of the
decree by the organization of sim
liar combination or of the convey
ance of the property 10 one of the
defendants. Unless the defendants
should sever the relations and cease
the combination within thirty days,
they were to be enioined from en-.
gaging in interstate commerce until
they did cease the combination.
From the circuit court, the case
was brought to the supreme court
of the United States The record laid
before the higher tribunal probably
was the largest ever prepared in
an American case. The petition.
pleadings, testimony, opinions and
decree constituted twenty-five large
volumes of more than 500 pages each.
The casew as first argued before
the supreme court in March, 1910,
but it was restored to the docket for
reargument. The case was heard the
second time in January, 1911, the
latter time before a full bench, noted
attorneys appeared on either side.
For the government, Attorney Gen
eral Wickersham and Frank b. Kel-
logg, special assistant to the attorney
general addressed the court. For the
Standard Oil, there appeared John
G. Johnson, of Philadelphia; John
G. Milburn of New York. and d. T.
Watson of Pittsburg.
In his address to the court. Mr..
Kellogg, who took all the testimony
in the case on behalf of the govern
ment said that the Standard Oil or.
ganization was not a natural growth,
bat was morn and reared in fraud and
oppression, and hangs over the com
merce of this country today like a
threatening cloud"
The Standard Oil Company of New
Jersey, he told the court, controlled
from 50 to 81 per cent of the OF,
business of the country, with a finan-
cial power beyond that possessed by
any other combination ever known.
The combination, he added, was
made effective and powerful by reas.
on of preferential rates and rebates
in transportation, the greatest ever
known 90 have been made and by un-
fair and brutal methods of competi-
ton, which in and of thmselves be
tween merchants and corner-grocery
men would not be dangerous, but in
the hands of a combination of this
size and of this power are the most
instruments to independent
dealers, manufacturers, and men en-
gazing in enterprise known in COM
morce"
The other side Of the contest was
summarized by John G. Johnson. in
the closing argument in the case. He
declared that the country did not
suffer by the mere lafgeness Of tn
corporation bu. prolited. For the al
!esed sins that the corporation mad
committed, he argued, here existed