The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-02-15
Both Attempting to Control
Waters-Pierce Company.
ANOTHER PLAN OF STANDARD
Charged 1t Is Part Of Scheme to
Unite Companies.
Echo of the Dissolution Or
dered by Supreme Court.

ST. Louis, FEB. 16.-The fight be-
tween the Standard Oil interests and
the H. Clay Pierce forces for control
or the Waters-Pierce Oil company was
carried into court today by the Stand
ard Oil company filing a mandamus
suit to compel the tellers at the stock
holders meeting at the annual cleo
rion to accept the split stock votes
of the Standard faction.
The petition of the Standard was
granted by the circuit court. The pc
tition was directed against attorneys
for Pierce as inspectors at the cleo
ton The polls opened soon after the
mandamus suit was filed.
ST. Louis, Feb. 15.-Beaten, on the
race of the return of the annual stock
Rockefeller interests for control of the
Waters-Pierce Oil company Henry
Clay Pierce and his associates laid the
control.
Through one of the representatives Of
the Pierce interests a statement was
given out attacking the good faith o.
the standard interests III complying
with the decree of dissolution of Uni
ted States supreme court and the SUI
preme court Of Missouri, ousting the
STANDARD from this state, and charging
that the individuals charged in the go7-
ernInent suit with Conspiracy in
restraint of trade were trying to per-
retrate the oil trust in a new form.
The fight between the Pierce ana
Rockefeller interests for the control Of
the WaterS-P1erce company was taken
into court Upon a writ of mandamus
filed by the Rockefeller interests to
compel the tellers appointed by Pierce
to countthe ballots offered by the Stand
ard-ISockefeller stockholders through
M. NJ Vanburden and Walter F. Taylor
as proxies. The Pierce representatives
charged the Standard d-Rockefeller were
conSpiring not only to perpetuate the
-4w-rs1
cf the many corporations which for
morally constituted the Standard Oil
company OF New Jersey, but theat they
were planning to get control of the oil
business OF Mexico.
Pierce Files Protest.
When the attempt was made to vote,
Pierce filed a written protest The
Standard interests wished to vote for
three directors
Pierce protested against the accept
ance of the vote of the Archbold stock
and against the acceptance of the vote
of all other stock owned by persons
confederated or allied with Archbold,
Rockefeller and the old Standard Oil.
Pierce's protest declared that by
reason of the connection of Geo. w.
Mayer of Kansas City and A. w. Stew
art of Chicago, the Standard candi-
dates with the Standard of Indiana,
they were ineligible as directors of the
Waters-Pierce both under the decree
of the supreme court of the United
states and of the supreme court of
Missouri.
The Pierce spokesman said Pierce
would not count any of the votes of
the Standard and his own board of
directors had been legally elected. 1t
was predicted that the fight between
the Pierce and Rockefeller factions
would wage hot until the courts final
ly determined whether the Standard
Oil interests are entitled to vote the
stock. Since the Standard Oil com
pany was ousted from Missouri under
the decree of the supreme court no
effort had been made to vote the
stock. The move to regain control of
the local corporation was made after
the supreme court of the United
States had dissolved the Standard OIL
trust and had ordered its holdings
distributed among the individual
shareholders.
While the meeting was in session at
torneys for the Standard Oil faction
obtained from Judge Kinsey an alter
native writ of mandamuS to compel
the Waters Pierce tellers to record the
votes by the Rockefeller interests.
Judge Kinsey ordered the defendants
to appear in court Saturday and show
cause why they should not count the
contested ballots.
Standard of New jersey Dividend.
New York, Feb. 15.-The Standard
Oil company of New Jersey today de-
clared a dividend of IS a share COM
ago and SIS declared a year ago. To-
days declaration was the first one to
be declared since the dissolution un-
der the mandate of the supreme court
In the last few years the Standard
company or parent organization de-
cIared dividends aggregating 40 per
cent year.