Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1911-01-19
COMBINE BUILT UP THROUGH
DEPRESSING COMPETITORS,
GAYS ST. PAUL MAN,
IN STANDARD OIL CASE
Ayers That Great Monopoly Is Threat
enins cloud.-Brings Forward
Mystery of Where Profits
Have Gone.


Standard Oil organization as made
mighty through depressing competi-
tors and hanging today as a threaten
ing cloud over the country, Frank B.
Kellogg, special assistant to the at
torney general of the United States,
pleaded with the supreme court of the
United States to dissolve the Stan
dard Oil company of New Jersey,
as violative of the Sherman antitrust
law
MI Kellogg went over the early
years of the Standards business, lead
ing up to the central point Of the pres
ent controversy, the reorganization of
the Standard Oil company, of New
Jersey in 1899. He characterized this
reorganization of one illegal form of
holding together the Oil companies for
another illegal form. The first was
, the trust of 1882, with its several
trustees, and the second. the Stan
dard of New Jersey
When Mr.. Kellogg reached in has
argument the trust agreement of 1882,
whereby the stock of the owners of
the hands of trustees, he was inter-
rupted by Justice Holmes.
THAT sort of agreement was quite
common in New England the justice
remarked.
Z have no doubt of that" replied
My Kellogg. The trust agreement
was copied by the Sugar trust which
was declared illegal in New York; by
the Whisky trust which was declared
illegal in Illinois,; by the Lead trust
which was declared Illegal in Missouri.
The plan has been condemned as in
restraint of trade in every state of
the union. And when the Standard
Oh company of New Jersey succeeded
the trustees, the properties simply
were turned over from one to the
other. A perpetual, corporate form
that should hold their common wealth
was substituted for the trustees whose
lives might be cut short by death Is
one any more Illegal than the other?"
Touching On a point of the defense
Mr.. Kellogg said that if the companies
whose stock was procured by the
it was because they We're held together
in illegal trust, that of 1879 and that
of 1882
Take away the fear Of prosecution
by the government and the Standard
OIL would put every independent in
this country out of business in five
years." Mr.. Kellogg continued. THE
independents can exist only under the
protection of the law"
In connection with this point, Chief
Justice White asked if the complaints
against the Standard Oil company
We're based upon its methods and if
objection was made to the methods
because illegal.
That, and size" responded Mi.
Kellogg, Great wealth enables them
to use methods, some unfair, which
would be illegal or reprehensible in
She hands of the corner groceryman."
Mr.. Kellogg dwelt upon the enor-
nous profits Of the company as further
evidence of monopoly.
The record did not show where all
the profits went, he said. For instance
%hSlc w 6S IOLuiilS W SuDW W lldt nap
pened to $23,000,000 of the earnings
of "one small pipe line
Mr.. Kellogg said that it was paid
TO P. S. Trainer
Who is this man Trainer?" in.
quired Justice Lurton.
ooh, he's purchasing agent in
New Jersey" said Mr.. Kellogg. Il
tried in every way to learn Where thai
little sum went. The Standard told me
that they could not find out Mr..
hiiibuTn once said he would not crafty
my curiosity by telling me-
Large profits at home were argued
as not justified to Offset small profits
in foreign trade.
Build up the foreign trade if you
can" said Mr.. Kellogg, "but I deny
the right to do SO at the expense OK
American men and women"