The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-06-24
Member Of the Associated Press.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE "a, 1914.
SUPREME COURTS FIELD DAY.

Monday was field day for the
United States Supreme Court. Not
since 1890 has our highest judicial
body adjourned for its summer Yaca-
ton with such a notable record for its
year s work. 1t has passed on 59l eases
and on adjournment left but II eases
on which it had heard arguments but
was not ready with decisions.
Perhaps the most important of all
the decisions was that confirming the
title of the transcontinental railroads,
specifically the Southern Pacific, to
100000 acres of oil lands estimated to
be worth the enormous total of $780,
100000.
The Supreme Court held void the
clause in the patents making the land
revert to the government if found to
contain minerals ~
The courts held that the patents
were irregular, but that they could not
be attacked collateralIy = by other
claimants = but could only be setaside
+ by direct attack by the government.
The suit involved lands exceeding in
value seven times all the gold coin in
the United States aud more than all
the personal property and real estate
taxed in Louisiana, Rhode Island, Nir-
ginia, North Carolina, or Nebraska
Since the government began to grant
lands to transcontinental railroads in
1866 every patent issued to the roads
has contained a reservation, or excep-
ton, to the effect that lands in the
patent found later to be mineral lands
should not pass to the railroads. Such
a reservation was contained in the
patents issued to the Southern Pacific
for California lands in later years found
TO be rich with gushing oil wells Ed
mund Burke of California contended
that the land did not pass to the rail
road and sought to enter it as mineral
land. 1t was his suit against the South
ern Pacific, with that of j. J. Lampre.
chit and F. NJ. Aiken, as trustees. repre-
senting claims in Cleveland and Day
ton, Ohio, that was decided Monday.
Another very important case that
was settled was the so-called inter
mountain rate case in which the court
upheld the decision of the interstate
commerce commission which had refus
ed to allow the railroads to charge
higher freight rate from the East t,
certain intermountain cities than to tn
Pacific coast cities.
Il | cp,.r+ IogiIoH c,,r,,,or4 e 81,
i decree Of the Southern New York Fed
4 eral Court, holding that organization o
4 eastern states retail lumber dealers ha,
violated the Sherman antitrust law b
4 circulating among their members black
+ lists of wholesalers who sold lumbe
4 direct to big consumers. The cour
4 held that such action restrained con
4 petition.
y The suit was brought against -
= retail dealers associations and 1871 q
their officers. There is no punishment
q for the defendants, but they are CT
- joined from the circulation of the s.
"A called "ofticial lists containing til
va names of wholesalers who sold direct I
&C. big consumers. And it gives firms O
the official lists the right of suit
ot A blow was struck at the StandaI
Oil company when the court sustainc
the validity of the amendment to tt
Hepburn rate law making intersta
pipe lines common carriers, subject
the authority of the interstate cor
merce commission.
sc The court overruled the act of Il
CT Kentucky Legislature that permitt'
pools or combinations of producers
tobacco and other agricultural produc
!" for the purpose of obtaining bett
or higher price therefor than could
might be obtained by selling said GRO
desperately or individually.
- 1t would seem as if the new exem
ttion of farmers association from t
sH workings of the Sherman law wou