Show STANDARD OIL CASE The rime conviction and fino of time the Standard Oil company which was Wag sot set aside says time the San Francisco Chronicle did not satisfy time the sense of or justice ju lIce in the tho public mind Testimony In favor of the tho defendant was excluded on technical grounds to the benefit of which the defendant was entitled by uy every eer consideration of equity and oven oen decency Intent is of the Ule essence of crime and when tho the vilest of or crimi criminals criminals nals offer testimony tending lending to prove his absolute t Innocence regard for jus justice justice tice requires that the testimony bo be ad nd admitted witted milled to be believed or disbelieved according to the Judgment of oC tho the Jury There were other features of or tho the original origInal inal inn trial which shocked public senti sentiment sentiment sentiment ment not the least of which was the tho grossly attitude of the trial Judge Some of tho the utterances of Judge Julge La Landis were worse than thor they were demagogic The Tho result of the second trial and Ml the attitude altitude of oC Judge Anderson aro are no nomore nomore more moro satisfactory factor than the outcome of the time first trial Tho The bearing of oC Anderson has Indicated that from rom tho the first ho was determined to throw tho th case out of court Perhaps it ought to have havo been thrown out but If so BO it was oas bettor better fur for all interests Involved that such end be reached reach cd by b what was evidently a calm and deliberate rato judi judicial cial process Tho The verdict of oC the coun country country try will be that both h Judge Landis Land is and ancl Judge Anderson aro are temperamentally tally unfit for the bench and that error wac committed In appointing them They aro are doubtless both of them per perfectly per por honest The facts In this case are that there thero were three routes by br which the tho Stand Standard Standard ard ani Oil company could ship oil to St SL StLouis StLouis Louis from the point of origin Imol Involved involved ved ed in this case Two of these routes hud had open published rates of G 6 cents a 0 hundred Tho The Alton rate on Ille with the interstate commerce commission was IS 18 cents The he Standard Oil com company company company pany shipped b by all routes and paid pad padG G cents by all routes ami antl upon the first trial offered to prove proe that its traffic manager supposed tho the Alton published rate to bo be the same as us that of the otho othe 6 cents This evidence was refused on the ground that it was tho the business of the tho shipper to absolutely know what rates rat were wore on file me with the commission and that it ho shipped In error but in good faith fal he was just as guilty as though h ho he had Intended to commit crime crimean an atrocious doctrine which tho the higher courts made maJe short work of or All tho the generally known farts facts in the case in indicate indicate that thai oven if IC there were technical cal violation of the law In default of conclusive evidence of Intent to lo commit com commit commit mit crime tho the fine should have been nominal and not spectacular Now there Is a demagogic clamor for the tho punishment of oC Standard Oil Olt because It Is rich and on general prin principles principles Such Influences In an on honest court will sturdily resist regardless of ot otan any an personal consequences conseQuence to himself but when a judge goes gocs wholly out of or his way war to acquit a defendant by do de elating unlawful that which courts In numberless cases ses have treated as law lawful lawful ful and which If not doubtful ought to be bo to so he ho does docs oes wrong He Ile should have admitted the classification sheet and aud If the verdict was M guilty let tho the legal point bo ho raised whore If Ii not sustained the Limo course of Justice would not bo IJO blocked A rate rato on any glen given commodity can be as clearly stated ina in ina Inn a n classification sheet as by ur a special commodity rate It Is the method in common use uso since railroads have been operated Jt II t Is tho the only satisfactory way lay of conducting the business and it will stand s md Of Oc the two trials t and tho the two judges one is as unsatisfactory as the tho other |