The weekly Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1911-1922, 1911-05-18
(From Chicago Tribune)

Washington, D. G., May 15-The
Standard Oil company of New Jersey
and its nineteen subsidiary corpora
tions were declared today by the
Supreme Court of the United States
to be a conspiracy and combination
In restraint of trade.
1t also was held to be monOpoliz-
ing interstate commerce in vio]ation
Of the Sherman antitrust law. The
dissolution of the combination was
ordered to take place within six
months.
Thus etded the tremendous strug-
gle on the part Of the government
to put down by authority of law a
combination which it claimed was g
menace to the industrial and econ
omie advancement Of the entire
country.
Limits to Undue" Restraint.
At the same time the court inter-
preted the Sherman antitrust law
so as to limit its application to
acts Of undue" restraint Of trade
Tt was on this point that the only
discordant nete was heard in the
cour..
Justice Harlan dissented, claim
ing that cases already decided by
the court had determined once fol
all that the word "undue" OF
unreasonable" or similar words
were not in the statute. He de-
clared that the reasoning of the
court in arriving at its finding wa.
in effect legislation which belonged
in every instance to congress ant
not to the courts.
The opinion of the court was an
Eouneed by chef Justic e White
In printed form it contained more
than 10000 words. For nearly al
hour the chief Justice discussed tn
sease from the bench. going over mos
of the points in the printed opinion
but not once referring to it In orde
to refresh his memory.
Distinguished Men Listen.
Before him sat a distineuishe
audience Of the most famous me
of the country, Senators and repre-
sentaties left their respective cham
bers In the capitol to listen to th
epoch-making decision Of the cour
Most eager to hear were Attorne
General Wickersham and Frank I
Kellogg, special counsel of the go'
eminent, who had conducted th
great fight against the Standard Ol
None of the brilliant array c
counsel for the corporations or II
dividual defendants was present
the court during the reading of II
opinion.
Today, as on previous days Fl
months past, rival broker agen
with messengers in line to the va
ious telephone and telegraph i
struments throughout the capital we,
on hand, but to their dismay the a
nouncement of the decision was N
begun until an hour after the closis
of the stock markets.
Defends "Rule Of Reason"
By far the greater portion Of t
opinion of the chief justice was
voted to the justification of t
court In requiring that the "ru
of reason" be applied to restrai
of trade before they were held to
violations of the Sherman antitru
law.
The court found this justifcati
in the common law of the FOL
fathers and in the general law
the country at the time the Sh'
man antitrust law was passed.
In short, the court held that
technical words Of tie statute We
TO be given the meaning which tht
words had in the common law and
the 9aw Of the country at the tt
of the enactment.
This meaning Of the words accc
ing totheeourt called for the
crises Of reason in determin'
what restraints on trade were p
hibited.
1Eess Complete Of TRUSTS.
In the course Of the opini
Chief Justice White recalled &
the lover court-the United Sta
Circuit Court Of Eastern Missouri
had found that the effect OF
aequisition by the Standard OilCt
pany of New Jersey Of the shares
other corporations in exchange
It's certificates, gave to the corpo
ticr an enlarged and more peri
SWAY and control over the trade
commerce in petroleum and its P
ducts.
The effect Of this, Justice WI
said the lower eouzt held, was
destroy 'sths potsntiality Of &