Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1911-05-19
WILL OBEY THE Law.
STANDARD OIL ATTORNEY sAys
COMPANIES AFFECTED az De.
cisioN WILL SEPARATE.
NO PLAN YET DECIDED UPON
Tobacco Case Ruling VIII DeternIn.
Taft PolIcy-President Satisfied
With Decision Of Supreme Court
Despite His Former Views.

New York. AT 26 Broadway
Standard Oil headquarters, Off
cials of the company seemed to be IN
anything but gloomy mood over tn,
Supreme court decision. Their att,
tude showed clearly that they had ex
pected such an opinion for some tim,
and were ready for 1t.
Two points are clear. First, thai
there will be no contumacy by the
company-it proposes to obey the de-
cree; and, second, that it will be some
time before any plans of reorganiza
ton are given out. ia
The company has insisted through
out that no plans had been formulated
In advance of the decree, and the
statement made by Mortimer F. Ell
liot, general solicitor for the com,
pany, takes the same attitude. He
said:
Having only before us the press
reports of Chief Justice Whites oral
opinion and the remarks of Justice
Harlan, and not having seen the opin,
ion of the court in full, 1t is impossible
to make any lengthy statement. The
full opinion must be read and studied
by, my associates and myself before
1t can be intelligently dealt with.
1T may, however, be said that the
Standard OIL company will obey the
decree of the court and that all the
companies embraced in the courts de,
cree will carry on their business az
usual under the direction Of their own
officers and through their own cor.
porate organizations"
Washington. Until the Su
preme court has rendered its decision
In the pending case of the tobacco
trust the administration will formulate
no policy based on Mondays far-reach.
ing decision. The manner in which
the court will now apply the rule laid
down in the Standard Oil case to the
facts presented in the suit against the
tobacco trust become the paramount
issue with department officials.
Broadly speaking, Attorney General
'Wickersham regards Mondays dect
sion the most important declaration
ever made by court of Justice. But
because Of the fact that new rule il
laid down it becomes essential to oh.
serve how the court will enforce the
rule before any of the proceedings are
begun under the new dispensation.
1t is regarded as particularly forum.
ate that there Is to be had so soon as
the Standard Oil decision an opinion
from the court that will serve as 4
guide in all future litigation.
So far as the effect Of the decision
is concerned, both the president and
Acknowledgement Wickersham declared
that they were perfectly satisfied; and
neither would permit himself to be
drawn into any expression of opinion
with regard to the point made by Asso-
ciate Justice Harlan in his dramatic
dissent. Not even the quotations from
PRESIDENT Tafts previous utterances,
which seem to put him at variance
with the majority view Of the court
served to bring forth any explanation
from Mr.. Taft. In conversation with
callers on this point, he merely re-
ferred to the fact that every man was
entitled to view on the circum.
stances before the Supreme court had
passed on case; but once the court
mad decided. it is the presidents opin-
ION that patriotic duty and regard
Tor American institutions require that
every citizen Loyalty accept the view
OF the Supreme court as his own.
The president does not believe that
the Sherman antitrust law requires
any amending by reason of the deci.
sion OF the Supreme court and accord
1ngly he will make no recommends
IONS to congress to that end, while the
attorney general does not altogether
share the view that additional legisla-
ton Is not desirable, he does not be-
heve that legislation at this time
would improve the situation.
Both the president and the attorney
general are as one in the belief that
mooern business demands some lati.
ture for operation under the changed
economic conditions, and In private
discussion they point to the methods
mat have been adopted in both Ger.
many and Great Britain where trade
combinations have been recognized
and legalized and brought under prop.
er and necessary regulation by the
| state.