Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-02-16
PIERCE WINS FIRST ROUND
Fight for Control of Waters-P Pierce
Oil Company Begins.
ROCKEFELLER VOTES REJECTED
Slate Ineligible Because They
Are ON Boards OF Com
petiug Companies.

| ST. LOUIS. Feb. l5.-Beaten on the face
OF the returns OF the annual stockhold'
ers' election by the Standard oil-Rocke-
feller interests for the control OF the
waters-Pierce OIL company. Henry Clay
Pierce and his associates laid the ground.
work today for legal fight for the con-
troll of the corporation.
Through one Of the representatives Of
the Pierce interests a statement was given
out attacking the good faith Of the stand
ard OIL interests in complying with the
decree OF dissolution Of the United States
supreme court and the. supreme court Of
Missouri ousting the standard from this
state. and gcharging that the. individuals
charged in the government suit with
conspiracy in restraint Of trade were try
ing to perpetuate the oil trust In a new
form.
The, fight between the Pierce and
Rockefeller interests for control OF the
waters-Pierce company was taken into
court today upon a writ Of mandamus
| by the Rockefeller interests to compel
the teilers appointed by Pierce to count
the ballots offered by the Standard OIL
Rockefeller stockholders through NJ. NJ.
vanBuren and Walter F. Taylor as
proxies.
The Pierce representatives charged that
the STANDARD oil-Roekefeller interests
were conspiring not only to perpetuate
the oil trust in the United States, but
that they were planning to yet control Of
the oil business OF Mexico.
sa-@R RoaHef<f1sr nxfr5tE nefased. -
When The stockholders met Attorney
Walter =. Taylor OF the counsel for the
Standard OIL interests and NJ. NJ. Van
Buren. .son-in-iaw of John d. Archbcld,
who was a director and one Of tho prin-
clpal owners Of standard OIL. offered to
vote the shares Of stock owned by Arch
bold, Pierce filed a written protest and
the ballots were refused.
The Standard interests wished to vote
the stock for three directors. Robert w.
Stewart OF Chicago an attorney for the
Standard OIL Company Of Indiana; George
W. Mayer of Kansas City. manager OF
the Standard oil Company Of Indiana
at Kansas City. and Charles NJ. Adams,
now secretary and treasurer OF the Wat
ers- Pierce company.
Pierce's protest was bottomed upon the
legal fact that Stewart and Mayer were
the representatives Of competitive cor
poration. the Standard OIL Company OF
Indiana, which was controlled by Arch
bold. Rockefeller and their associates.
Pierce's protest declared that by rea-
son OF the connection OF Mayer and
they were ineligible as directors OF the
waters-Pierce company both under the
decree Of the supreme court of the
United States and OF the supreme court
of Missouri.
Two States Proposed.
The Standard Oil interests had planned
to elect Stewart president Of the Waters
Pierce company to succeed Clay Arthur
Pierce. son of H. Clay Pierce. Mayer
was slated for vice president under
Standard control and Adams was to be
reelected secretary and treasurer. The
Pierce board of directors proposed was
II. c. Pierce. c.. A, Pierce. c. p. Ackert.
Andrew NJ. Finlay and George T. Priest.
When the polls were closed II. Clay
Pierce declared the directors proposed by
him had been elected. The new directors
Immediately reelected III. Clay Pierce
chairman OF the board. Clay Arthur
Pierce president and Andrew NJ. Finisy
vice president. Charles NJ. Adams. who
was on the Standard slate for director.
was ousted as secretary and treasurer
and T. F. Lyon was elected as his sue
eessor.
All Of the ballots cast by the Standard
Oil Rockefeller Interests. were rejected.