Evening star., 1923-07-11
REEDSTARTSF|GHT
ON STANDARD OIL
senator Now in Greatest
Legal Battle of His
Career.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.


senator James A. Reed of Missouri
Is spending the long congressional
recess in assembling evidence for
prosecution of the Standard Oil Com
: pany in one of the most gigantic
damage cases on record. He repre-
sents California oil interests known
as the Dubbs group. which charges
the Standard with infringement of its
process for converting crude oil into
gasoline.
The Dubbs complainants seek an ac-
counting and corresponding indemni-
ties. If the litigation results in their
1avor, the Standard Oil Company will
be called upon to indemnify the Dubbs
group to the extent Of tens of mil
lions of dollars. Practically all the
gasoline the various Standard cor
porations have produced is said to
come within the sphere of the in
fringement alleged by Senator Reeds
clients.
Started In Missouri Court.
The case was instituted several
weeks ago in the southern district Of
the federal court in Missouri, before
Judge Arba s. Van Valkenburgh at
Kansas City. Not the least interest
ing feature of the proceedings is
that they find Senator Reed faced as
opposing counsel by his lately de-
senatorial election. r r. Brewster.
AIR. Brewster hadS the array of
lawyers who are fighting the in
fringement case on behalf of the
Standard Oil Company. Despite their
acrimonious campaign in 1922. Reed
and Brewster. who are both members
of the Kansas City bar, are friends
and are now jointly and bloodlessly
conducting deposition-ta taking through
: out the country.
To that end Judge Van valken-
burgh appointed Holmes Hall, a
lawyer of Sedalia, Mo. to serve as
q special master in chancery. Ac-
companied by the formidable legal
retinue now engaged on both sides,
Mr.. Hall is presiding over deposition
proceedings in number of states.
Testimony already has been taken in
regions as far east as New York.
Witnesses are now being examined in
California. which is the principal dis
trict involved and where thh forces
attacking the Standard Oil Company
are centered.
Affects All Users.
The political as we'll as the flnan-
cfal possibilities of the infringement
case are lIllTn1taDle. II may enO WITH
mulcting Of the Standard in figures
which would reduce Judge Kenesaw
NJ. Lands celebrated fine of $4,000
0G0 to relative insignif1cance. The
case comes home to myriads of auto
mobile owners who use Standard
gasoline. Every gallon of that prod
uct. the Dubbs interests claim. has
been and Is being manufactured un-
der a process which the Standard is
alleged to be utilizing without legal
right. The testimony now being
taken at every point where Standard
gasoline is produced is designed to
develop specifically. instance bv in
stance, whether and how the Dubbs
process has been exploited without
due authority.
Senator Reeds friends in Missouri
say he has plunged into the fight of
his life. He is a brilliant cross-ex-
Aminer-some think he is without
peer in that branch of court practice.
If he beats the Standard Oil in the
Dubbs case. it will mean. his admirers !
declare. much more to Reed than a six
figure lawyers fee. They are certain !
il will give him enormous national pres |
tge in political sense-"the man who
convicted the Standard Oir' and "rab-
b'e-roustne" stuff of that sort which
no one knows better how to capitalize