The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1923-03-13
Oil. From Gusher to Consumer


investigating oil" brought out some
very interesting facts. To these facts
they have added some rather positive
conclusions.
Judge Lands. present king-pin OF
the base ball business. first became
known outside OF his own town OF
Chicago. when a jury in his Court
found the Standard Oil Company gull
ty on 1902 counts and he sentenced the
defendent company to pay a fine OF
S20.240.OO0.. That was way back III
the fore part OF 1907, and it was at
the very beginning OF an attempt to
throttle the trusts. The Sherman an
titruse law was on the law books, and
President Roosevelt strenuously adj
vocated its enforcement on the
grounds that II it was a good law 1t
should be used, and If bad law It
should be repealed.
In the end the Standard Oil Com
pany was dissolved and in order to
conform to the antitrust law it was
reorganized into many Standards,
onto which the names OF states were
tacked-"the Standard Oil Company
of New Jersey" etc. 1t took long
time for the oil interests to arrange
all these new companies. but when
they were made antitrust the Rock
efellers still had more than fifty-one
per cent OF the stock in each COM
pany. Nevertheless, the law had APP
parently been obeyed, and COMPETE
ton apparently existed between the
Standards. The public never under
stood lust how that could be so, but
the minions OF the law were not acus-
ing John d. of New Jersey with
"trustful" intimacy with John ID. OF
Indiana. And so all went well at the
gas stations.
The Senate committee points out
that the final decree entered by the
United States supreme court was one
forbidding even an implied" agree
ment to fix prices or restrain trade,
and that the investigation just COM
pleted tends" to show the existence
at the present time OF such an agree
ment The committee has a good deal
to say about the violations of the law,
and disregard the decision OF the SUI
prement court, monopolistic control
of the whole oil industry by the Stan
dard Oil, and the earning of excessive
profits through excessive prices ex-
acted from the public.
All of these features arising from
the report have been carried in the
news dispatches. The denials from
Standard Oil have been forthcoming. |
Ont OF the situation there has grown |
another chapter in regard to the Gov
ernment's fight for the right TO control
big business. Control is the new ma
tional policy. But the supreme court,
the department OF justice, the federal
trade commission, and the other
branches OF the government have gone ,
on record TO the effect that the legiti- ,
mate growth, and expansion of bust 6
ness and industry must not be inter i,
iered with. That does not give the +,
Standard Oil or anyone else the right +,
to enter into arrangements with its =
rlosely-knit competitors to control the !,
prices. The objection has been made Il
hat the packers have done the same >,
hing. The lumber interests and the e,
cement people have also been questio- /,
ID along these lines, and there has :,
'een desire TO find out whether in -;
ide arrangements have been made in Al
hese instances TO the detriment of the ~
onsumer. =:
Presumably the oil report considers er
My the consumer. who in this m Ia
lance is supposed TO be unable TO re-
Isl even "dollar-a-gallon' gasoline. VI,
enaiorally speaking, all will be well ="
long as the consumer does not lose
is rights at the hands OF trust where Il,
j is on the way from the gusher to ~
lie gasoline tank. ."
Radios Noisy Minorities II,
Congress jig-sawed with the bills 10 "a,
gulate the use OF radio, with the re- 70,
IL that there was no legislation on in,
e subject. Radio people, big, little ca,
ID all other kinds, have been taking ma
err troubles TO Herbert Hoover In of
absence of the desired laws to con-
d the air the Secretary Of Commerce :
again called a conference to clear -