Jasper Weekly Courier, Volume 49, Number 11, Jasper, Dubois County, 23 November 1906 — Page 2
STANDARD OIL ON THE RACK
Department of Justice Begins Suit at St. Louis to Kill Giant Trust.
Hie Petition Filfd Asks That the Combination Be Declared Unlawful and Restrained fiOii Doing Business -Hislory of the Monopoly and How It Is Alleged to Restrain Trade Its Enormous Profits.
The War on the Standard. St Load IVtition Mod in I'rlted St.ivs circuit cor: a.-ktng for disso-
of the Standard OH company of Now .lersey from $1". 1 1 to $110,000.mo. and made it the holding cortora
lotion of Standard Oil trust and ior- tion and placed the control through
IKMual injunction restraining 70 con- , stock ownership of all the corporaOdtuent companies from working with 'ions previously held by the trusts
into the said company, and exchanged its stock for the stock so acquired.
com i
or pa.'ing dividends to parent com iany
N. w York - S-andard Oil share? share for share, issuing therefor $97.
dropivd II points, making net losa of i J.o.oo0 par value the exact amount
! points sauv Roosevelt's war on
the trust legan; total depreciation in stock since president oened crusade, f 10,090,900; this notwithstanding viuarterly dividends of $10 per share. Flndlay, O Prosecuting attorney directed by Attorney General Kills to keep grand jury in session, all Standard Oil officials may be indicted; officials of Standard Oil company of Ohio indicted agreed to surrender.
St. Louis. Mo The suit to break up the Standard OH trust has been filed in the I nited States circuit cour; here. Um i tition asks: That the court dearee that the combination and conspiracy are unlawful under the Sherman anti-trust act. That the Standard Oil company be enjoined, restrained .and prohibited
from exercisii allied corpora
by tin e't t iion or appointment of directors or officers, or in any other manner. That the subsidiary corporations he enjoined from declaring or paying any dividends to the Standard Oil company of New Jersey. That the defendants, and each and all of them, be enjoined from entering
Of the trust certificates previously is
sued by the trustees The stock of this company was increased by a small amount, and is now $98.338.300. Some Standard Oil Methods. The petition then shows the meth ods employed by the Standard Oil company to monopolize the oil busi ness. These Include discriminating contracts with the railroad companies, manipulation of rates, local price cutting, bogus independent companies, etc. The bill sets up among others a con tract between the Standard Oil corn-
It Is alleged that th de-endsnt.
through the Standard Oil company j and the other corporal ions, are en j gaged In producing, purchasing and transporting petroleum in the various
producing districts m me i i-oi-.i State's, principally situated in New York. Peniis Ivanla. West Virginia. Tennessee, Kentucky. Ohio. Indiana. Illinois. Kansas. Indian Territory, Ok lahotna, Iulslana. Texas. Colorado and California; that they own and con trol nearly all of ths pipe lines in said states, and other pipe lines extending from Kansas to the seaboard, also pipe lines in Texas and in Cal Ifornla; that they own a lance num her of tank cars and steamships engaged In transporting oil ; and that the suid defendants have, through the instrumentality of the Standard Oil com pany of New Jersey (a holding corporation), eliminated competition between all of the separate corporations and monopolized the commerce in oil in the Umtted States. Control the Pipe Lines. It Is alleged that the Standard Oil company has had control of the carr ing business by pipe lines In and from all the oil producing regions of the I'ntted States except Texas, Ioulsiana and California; that they charged excessive and unreasonable rates, and rates which were discriminatory in favor of the Standard Oil company; that they have refused to furnish equal facilities for receiving and de livering oil of independent shippers and refiners; that they have refused to transport oil belonging to others than the defendants anil their associa ted companies, and since the month of August. 1106. have refused to transport oil of others except In such large quan titles as to completely prevent Inde pendent producers ami refiners of oil
pany and the Tidewater Pipe company
whereby the Tidewater companies are from using their service, and that the limited to ll'j ier cent of certain have forced 16 independent refiners
ss in Pennsylvania and New Yo:k. and the Standard Oil company
ir.y control over its) to receive 88 4 per cent of the busi-
s. or any of mem. n(.38 the standard Oil comnanv guar
anteeing the Tidewater company f.'on,- ''. per annum profits, thereby eliminating all competition between them. The bill alleges a contract made
now doing business in Pennsylvania and Ohio, and producing their crude oil through the Standard Oil Companys pipe lines, to s :i all of their export oil to the Standard Oil com pany. thereby eliminatini; their com petition. This contract was procured through threats of the Standard Oil
with the Pennsylvania railroad com- company to reduce the amount of
pany in is 4, which was in existence until 1106. by which the Standard Oil company was able to maintain the
public charges for transporting crude
into any contract, the purpose or ef- oiI frou, wvst.rn Pennsylvania at 40
feet of which is to restrain commerce
in petroleum and its products or to raonopoli7e ihe sam .. The petition contains 1?4 pages of printed matter, or about 100.000 words, and an aditior.al S4 pages of exhibits, consisting of by-laws and minutes of Standard Oil meetings and organizations, and a map showing the retail prices of oil in every state and
territory of tue union. What the Petition Alleges. It is alleged in the ivetitlon that John D. Rockefeller and his aaaoci- j ates. the other individual defendants. I formed a conspiracy to monopolize I the commerce in petroleum and Its ! products at an early date about the :
year iso and mat tne same inuiviauals have controlled the combination during all these years, in all its forms, and now control it. It was. therefore, deemed wise to state in the petition the complete history and growth of this conspiracy. Histor of the Conspiracy. The petition is louir-illy divided into
and 45 cents a barrel to Philadelphia and New York respectively. The Standard Oil company, through its own
pipe lines, transited the oil eight cents a barrel.
crude oil which It would sell to the independent refiners. Enjoy Preferential Rates. It is alleged that one of the prin cipal instrumentalities through which the defendants have been enabled to monopolize the commerce in petro louni and its products throughout Um
for j 1'nited States has been a system of ' preferential rates, and rates dlserimi
COMPONENT PARTS OF KUGF OIL TRUST.
List of Corporations and Partner ft! pany of New Jersey and Wm
Controlled by Standard Oil Com.Vill Ee Compelled to Resume
Business as Independent Concerns Its Case.
If United States Wins
Name.
Acme Oil company.
Where Capitalizaorganized. tion. New York 3C0.000
American Lubricating Oil company New York 100,000
Anglo-American Oil company (Limited) England 1.000.000 Argand Refining company Ohio Notknown Atlantic Refining company Pennsylvania .... 5,000. 000 Baltimore United Oil company Maryland 6CO.OO0 Borne Scrymier company New Jersey 2CO.OC0 Buckeye Pipe Line company Ohio 10.COO.OC0
Buffalo Natural Gas Fuel company New York.
Bush &. Denslow Manufacturing company New York Camden Consolidated O'l company West Virginia Chesebrough Manufacturing company, cona't'd New York Pnlnnial Dil rrtmn.-inv fjuh . I r ' - f
of thes periods, from 17 to Pv. Commercial Natural Gas company Pennsylvania ..,
three eriods. During th first one
the combination assumed th form of
a simple conspiracy that is to say. the defendants, with the Standard Oil j company of Ohio, acted together to i suppress competition and control the , oil business. I Miring the second period, from 1RS2 to ISMi the combination assumed the form of a trust agreement, whereby about 40 separate corporations en-gi'z.-d in the same business, turned -v the management of their business to nine trustees, of which these individual defendants were the majority, so that these defendants controlled all of these corporations. In March. 1892. the supreme court of Ohio declared this trust agreement void and ordered its dissolution. Tbereujxm. on March II, 12. the trust certificate holders met in New ork and resolved to dissolve the trust and aptKiinted .lohn I). Rockefeller, Henry M. Flagler. William Roekefeller. John IX Arrhbdd. Benjamin Brewster. Henry H. Rogers. Wesley H. Tllfovd and O B Jennings as liquidating trustees the individual defendants being a majority of these trustees. The manner of liquidation was not
to sell the property and divide the proceeds among the certificate holdera, nor to return to each person individually the property placed in the trust, but all of the stocks In each of the companies were divided Into ! portions in proportion to the number of trust certificate shares outstanding. so that Rockefeller and his associates continued to control all these corior- ! at ions as In-fore. Birth of the Present Trust. The jetiflon then takes up the third . period of the conspiracy, begining with ihe formation of the present j 1 1 ist. In ord r to accomplish this. In .Tan- J
uary. 1V.9. the:
Testing Butter. i certain butter MM Mi I i i, ,.'e and tri
150.000
20O.CC0 200.000 500.000 250,000 100.000 500.000 300.000 1 .000.000
Connecting Gas company Ohio Continental Oil company Iowa
Crescent Pipe Line company Pennsylvania
Cumberland Pipe Line company Kentucky 1,000. 000 Eastern Ohio Oil and Gas company Ohio 5.000 Eclipse Lubricating Oil company Pennsylvania ....Notknown Eureka Pipe Line company West Virginia 5.C0O.O00 Florence Oil and Refining company Colorado 500.000 Franklin Pipe company (Limited) Pennsylvania 50.000 Galena Signal Oil company Pennsylvania 10,000.000 Indiana Pipe Line company Indiana 1.000. 000 Lawrence Natural Gas company Pennsylvania 1,000.000 Mahoning Gas Fuel company Criio 3CO.O00 Manhattan Oil company Ohio 500.0CO Mountain State Gat company West Virginia 00.000 National Fuel Gas company New Jersey 2.500.COO National Transit company Pennsylvania .... 25,455.200 New York Transit company New York 5.0OO.000
Northern Pipe Line company Pennsylvania Northwestern Ohio Natural Gas company Ohio Ohio Oil company Ohio Oil City Fuel Supply company Pennsylvania Oswego Manufacturing company New York. .. Pennsylvania Gas company Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Od company Pennsylvania People's Natural Gas company Pennsylvania Pittsburg Natural Gas company Pennsylvania
Piatt and Washburn Refining company New Jersey.
Republic Oil company New York.. Salamanca Gas company New York.. Security Oil company Texas ; Solar Refining company Ohio i Southern Pipe Line company Pennsylvania South Penn Oil company Pennsylvania Southwest Pennsylvania Pipe Lines company Pennsylvania Standard Oii company of California California
Standard Oil company of Indiana Indiana 1.000.000 Standard Oil company of Iowa Iowa 1,000,000 Standard Oil company of Kansas Kansas 100.000 Standard Oil company of Kentucky Kentucky 1.OO0.CC0 Standard Oil company of Minnesota Minnesota 100.000 Standard Oil company of Nebraska Nebraska 1.OO0.000
Standard Oil company of New York New York 15.OOO.0J0
. 1,000.000 2,775.250 . 2.0OO.000 2.0OO.000 100,000 . 2,000,000 80.000 . 1.0OO.CC0 350.000 14.000
Prairie Oil and Gas company Kansas 2.5OO.000
3i0.uuu 3O.C00 . . 3.000.000 5CO.00O . . 5.OCO.000 . . 2,500.000 . . 3 5OO.0C0 . . 6.000.000
Standard Oil company of Ohio Ohio
Swan & Finch company New York.. Taylorstown Natural Gas company Pennsylvania Tide Water Pipe rompany (Limited) Pennsylvania Tide Water Oil company New Jersey Union Tank Line company New Jersey
United Natural Gas company Pennsylvania 1.0C0.0CO Ui.ned Oil company Colorado 3.CC0.00O Vacuum Oil company New York 2.EC0.0OO Washmcton Oil company Pennsylvania 10C.OOO
3.500.000
100,000 10.000 625.000 5.000.000 3.5CO.C0O
ok I Waters Pierce Oil company Missouri
400X00
natory against the comtefltors of the Standard Oil company, both In open and published tariffs and by and through secret and unpublished rates, both Interstate and Intrastate, und by . !.ites. concessions, and preferences granted to ths Standard Dil company and Its subsidiary corporations. The bill goes Into the details of many of Ihese rates, and shows a systematic discrimination, substantially all over the I'nlted States, so that rates from Standard shipping points are much lower, for Ihe same distance proiHirtiomttelv and er ton per tulle, than from shipping points of Independent competing concerns. These differences in most Imdances amount to more than a reasonable profit upon the oil. Some Sample Discriminations. The regular published rate from Whiting. Ind.. to Kvansllle. lnd . through Illinois, for Instance, was 11 cents per hundred pounds. Most of the oil shipped by the Standard company was shipped at 8' cents und i'i tents per hundred pounds. The Standard had a rate fiom Whiting. Ind.. to Grand Junction. Tonn., of 13 cents per hundred Kunds. and largo quantities of oil OTOrO distributed from ('rand Junction nil over this southern til tidy on secret rates winch never were published, as required by law. or filed with the interstate commerce commission. The petition alleges that for about ten years prior to INI secret and unpublished rates were made from Whiting. Ind.. to East St. Louis, of 6. I' and tfi-j cents on the various railroads, which oil was destined to St IxjuIs and to a large territory soutfc and southwest of those points while the regular published rate was 18 cents per hundred pounds. How They Control Railroads. It Is alleged that the Individual defondants and other Individuals associated with them and interested with Mu m in the Standard Oil tin I have acquired large interests in the stocks of the principal railroads of the United States and have caused themelves to be elected or have caused other persons acting In their Interest to be elected as members of the beards of directors of such railroads. By reason of such ownership and representation on the boards of directors of mak railroads the individual defendmrs have Influenced t ho railroads to establish and maintain tho discriminatory rates. Among the railroads In which the defendants are Interested at:d upon 'ho boards of directors of which they have representation (together with the names of directors) are the fob lowing: William Rockefeller Central New England; Chicago. Milwaukee & St.
Paul; Delaware. Lackawanna and Western; Lake Shore and Michigan Southern; Michigan Central; New York Central; New York. Chicago and Su Louis; ' New York, New Haven and Hartford; New York, Ontario and Western; New York and Ottawa; Pittsburg and Lake Erie; Rutland. Henry H. Rogers Santa Fe. Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul; L'uieri Pacific. Charles M. Pratt- Ü mn anl Maine, F,ansi!le and Terre Haute; Long Island. Henry M. Flagler Florida East fV.ast.
John D. Rockefeller. Jr. Delaware. Lackawanna and Western, Missouri Pacific William G. Rockefeller T'nion Pacific. H. Clay Pierce Kansas City Southern, St. Louis and San Francisco. C. W. Harkness Chicago. Milwaukee and St. Paul. F. T. Gates Missouri Pacific, Wisom
sin Central. The petition then NKttM the Standard trust's MMfMtjr of the sale of lubricating oils to railroads. Its unfair methods of competition In the cutting of local prices, the formation of bogus independent companies, the payment of rebates on oil prices, and the division of territory. Tells of Stupendous Profits. It Is alletred that by reason of Its .monopoly the Standard Oil company has made enormous and unreasonable profits on the actual value of Its prop
erty; that the trustees' valuation of all the property and stocks placed In their hands In 1S2 was Tin,;. . The additional property purchased or acquired by the issue of trust certificates was $13,310,100, so that the total value of all property controlled by the Standard Oil company of New Jersey, except such as may have been pur chased from earnings, is $6D.02i.70!5.24, according to their own valuation. Upon this capital the Standard has from lfS2 to lfc!5, Inclusive, paid $.'12.940,081.50 of dividends, and has created a large surplus the enact sur plus the petitioner Is unable to state, because the Standard has not published any statements since 1856. Hut from 18S2 to 1S96 Its surplus, according to its own statements, was $79.-02.-, 1 1, and It is alleged that Its property at the present time exceeds the value of $2uo.iM)OJjM)0. Its annual dividends during the last nine years have run from ".3 to 48 per cent per annum, in addition to this largo sur plus.
Ja m mum0 JL f iiiÄjlVrlv lUr
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T" ttY Mil OTT I'K'WtK
LYNN
WvvvO
HE RESISTS TEMPTATION.
The man with the high silk hat and the fat cigar was the one who put temptation In the way of Polio-man Harney Flynn. This man had l'en successful a a politician In a minor way. and he realized that there were "lements of strength In the resourceful conscientious little policeman who was well and faorably known to virtually everyone in the ward Curt hermore, he was looking for sonM MM to run against an old politico! enemy. "Why don't you enter the aldermanic race?" he Mkof one day "Go 'way. now; go 'way from me." returned PolYeman Flynn. walng his arms to keep the man at a distance. "Ye haave th' lllmlnts If th' contagion about ye. an' I'll take no cha-ances." "What contagion?" demanded the pollt IctMk "Th' rontagien Iv seekin' office." answi..l Polioinan Klynn 'Oho' 'tis a ter'ble thing f'r to ca-atch. an' th' cure fr It Is not to be found this Mile i th' gra-ave. 'T Is like th' epytim habit, only 'tis wor-rse. It dr rags ye down an' down till think th' city owes ye a llvin'. an" If it's baikard about givin' it to ye. why. thin 'tis f'r ye to ta-ake It from th' pockits Iv th' taxpayers without askin' th"ir conslnt." "N'trnst nse! " returned the politician. "Any popular man who knows the ropes and has good advice can rtsO In politics. Why. five ymrs ami I wa doin' odd 'obs for a livin', and look at me now." ' know. I know," returned Policeman Flynn. "Five y. a: n -: i u .. doin' all kinds iv jobs, an' now ye're doin' all kinds iv min. I ray mimber fa In th' ol' (lays. Ye wore a shah by suit Iv clo'es an' a soft hat. an' ye was Im.-tlin' all th' time; an' now I luk at e. an" I oee a shtovepip. hat on th" ba-ack iv ve er hi ad. an' i suit Iv clo'es that's loud enough to lie hear rd a block, an' a fat see gar. n' a watehcl.ain that ;. might loan to th' rapt'in iv a boat ft to hold his an lior. Oho! 'tis a gr teat obj. c'
gets Into politics gln'rally holoil a feeble mind d Inshtltute or ll.se In a sanitary urn. He's th' victim iv a nu erobe that takes hold Iv th' shtnuu est constitution an' haangs on tlght r than a wa-alkln' dlllgate to a la -alu if union that pa ays him f'r MsdHO throuble. "Tis all wr-rong annyw lid ye Ivor hear Iv Cincinnati?'' "In Ohio?"
"Nlver a bit. th' ol' Roman." "I urn-si you're
All. n
I mean Cincinnati
thinking of the lal
(S. Thurman. suggested t
u.'inst rr.ore. h'ivnn. "In me glr rl Mag Whin he w.i-
New Egypt Arising. rtgi-esslvo Arab of Cairo
Dmerent Then. lfusbnnd It's atranctn that I rnn lind n:i thing ao.mt the ho-
At Interpreted. Mayme (;.,. declared he would !aUy fj through fire and water for
you,
ook
did yon ried. dent
tr. :inage be
the furnace am Piled aft'T t)
Perhaps Put to Better Use. A mn mny not have much fnlth In A church In London Ftili draws an
a w'fe only I doctors, up to the tinio when the flmt '. Income which was bequeathed It for
, ..d - .. '.v ; ' " m WO fcouü choose j baby arrives In bis house. After that the purpose of buying wood where j tor a friend were she a man, j be eards them with aw. I with to hwro hcie'.cs.
"Why Don't You Enter the Alderninnic Race?" lesson ye are. If ye go over tn Lftj Isran 1 w hin a prize fight s comlr.' off, they'll take wan luk at veer r-rlg an' let ye In as th' manager If th' show. Ye luk like a hot sjioort. ye do f'r a fac'; but If I hail to wear thini eloes. Id think th' pinalty lv gfttln office was gr renter than th ray-ward. Besides, thcy's no chanst f'r me to get through th' door lv war'rd politics." "What door do you mean" asked the politclan. Ignoring the critleism of hN personal appearance. "Th' say loon door. If eoorse." replied Policeman Flynn "Tw'u'd I fr me to open a say-loon be wa-ay iv startin' n me career." "Oh. that's not necessary." protested the politician. R-rlght yo are; 'tis not." admitted Policeman Flynn; "but 'tis cheaper an surer that wa ay Th' cost Iv settln' up th' d'.irlnks H not so gr rest If ye're behind th' ba-ar as It is If ye're on th' other nlde iv it. an' ye
hame more chanst f'r to conthrol th' ' v to. Hut tls not f'r me wan wa-ay or th oth.r. 'Tw'u'd be har-rd f'r me to hi reak mesilf Iv th habit Iv : worrkin' f'r me llvin'. an' thin I eaSl f'rget Clancy. I)o ye ray-mlm-ber Clany? Oho! he MM a fine lad If he'd only been Imperv yus to th' contagion Me was a hard wor rkin' ma an. an' he br rousht his sal ry home to th' good woman iv'ry Satur day night till he OOfM thryln' f'r office. Thin he had to h- a good felly, na th' money wlnt over th' ba-ar. 'Me ellctlc.n Ixpens m is atin' up me sal ry." M told his wife, 'bit 'twill bo all r rlftbt vhln th' rotOO is counted.' nut 'twas not. A felly that Waat a s.iyor;i U-at fi In. out. an' he had a har-rd t'me shtandln' off th' grocer till he e'u'd r-rlse a Ml Iv th' CO, 001 Thin th' pn-arty give him a Jib fr th' wnr rk he'd dene In th' campalim. an" twa- all up with hint, M c'n'iln't brreak 'ilmsilf Iv th' bad InhH hi 'd cotithracted. an' he's r-run f'r some office it iv'ry slid loo ulaga. lie lhr.iw sal'ry wliln th' fellle ha l.nows Is on top, an' whin th jrfo not.
bo goto a bit be kltln' r-round th' wsr-rd an' keepln' th' n.in In line fr th' nlNt tMettea. Olwl be boa II ba-ad. fr sure, an" 'tis th' same with most If th' r r.t Iv thlm that gets stn r.rted that waay. I toll ye. th' Mly too
'Tell Him." Says Cincinnati. Bt Wa-ay iv Reply. 'F'r to Br iir.: th' Office Out to Me". " polltteian. whose historical knowb !- did nt.t date book to t'- time of Cln innatus.
" Tis f'r you to gue; retorted Policeman thinkin' iv th' ma an gie wa talk In' alwait.
elletod prisidlnt Iv Rome or mebB twas may r they had to go to hi-, far-rm fi to let him know, an' whin they got there he was plowln" In I field. Tell him.' they says to his hin d ma an. 'f'r to come up to ' house an" bO ma a b- prisi lint.' 'Ti II tbim ' says Cincinnati, be wa-ay If It ply. 'f'r to br ring th' office out to me. I have no time f'r to go chasi' afther It." That's th' kind iv a mann Cincinnati was. No settln' thlm up f'r th' lives f'r him. no hancin i h th' tlliphone wires, no log-rollln' and tbrickery. no manijuilattn' conventions. 'If ye want me ft tc ha avth' goods," says he. 'sind them to ni" an' IH luk thlm over an' tell ye w hat I think, iv thlm when I ha avo time.' " ' Hut what's all this got to do with UM aldermanic eedion?" Inquire ths politician. " 'Tis this wa-ay." replied Polle mr-.n Flynn. "I'm goln' out fr to do a lit tie plowln' along mo boat, an' whin ye haave any political goods f'r nsO ye can bring thlm to me there." "You'll never get office that way In these days." asserted the politician. "I suppose not." said Po'icenian Flynn "You have to go after It." persb to 1 the politician. "R-rluht ye are." admitted Police man Flynn; "but there's wan thine ye'll notice shout oT Cincinnati that'.inissln' in th' fellies that r runs fr office now." "What's that"" ' Th' politicians lv that da ay." sail Policeman Flynn. slowly, "th" pra. tical an' profisslonal politicians, ha' no chanst f'r to assess him fr can: palgn ixplnses an' lead him a fftld an' excltln' chase fr two or thrc months, an' thin ha-and him a gold brick f'r his time an" his money." (Copyrlgat aw fooafk i Buaito,) (Copmgtit, so too Ooatom co.
WANTED TO KNOW.
f j I
Hlggs I had been In BootOO OBlJ two iayi wlsea 1 ami a torrtbls chill HoggsWhat was Um uirl's .i Parisians in Pniis. How many Pnrlsiun peoplo born h IPlafla ;.re there llviug In Pnrls at tOO I. resent time? According to the hsOt toaoisi ibtmt :: per cent, of the population. Paris has the BtnaUc t Indigenous popt latlon of uny Kuro am capital, st. fHtortrg oaa ! 1 jier cent.. Berlin 41 jn-r cent.. VMUM 15 per ceiu.. Umdoii ii.' per cent. United States H-acU List. The 1 al i 'i StatOO, whii h. In It Jninked second as un export nation, last year took first rank, and ngralu sends wish the record of soiling m ir goods than any other country In t'"J World.