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Show B THE STANDARD .OIL AND THE ' NEW YORK CENTRAL CON- VICTI0N8. B, Hasty judgments on tho significance Hi o tho trust and rcbato convictions ot H last week are avoided by tho press, In H' view o tho fact that both cases have H yet to bo reviewed by tho higher HI courts, which may roverso last week's H decisions. Theso preliminary con- J vlcltlons are salutary, however, in the H opinion of tho Philadelphia Press, H "because they dispel tho Impression, Industriously urged, that great cor-HJ cor-HJ poratlons can not bo convicted for HJl tho crimes they commit, and by which HJr they profit." Tho decision agalnsi Hl tho Now York Central for giving fa-H fa-H vors to tho Sugar Trust Is a bencfll 1 to'overy railroad In tho country, adds HJ tho same paper, and Is a support to H honest trado as well. Tho convic-HJ convic-HJ tlon of tho Standard Oil coiuiiany ol HJ violating tho Ohio Anti-trust law Is Hi similarly welcomed. The Cleveland HJ Leader refers to the operations of the HJ OH Trust In that stato as "commercial L brigandage," and tho Toledo Blado bo- L Moves that tho trust" must either re- HJ form its business methods or get out HJ i of Ohio." Tho Blade adds: M "Defeat means much to tho Stand- HJ ard. If tho stato convicts It, other HJ prosecutors, Including one against the HJ head of the concern, will follow. The HJ testimony which is being used in thlfc HJ caso will bo avallblo in tho others, HJ ana wlulo the Standard can only bt HJ punished by a fine, tho conviction o HJ its officials will be a much mora so- HJ rlous matter." H The legal department of tho Stand- H ard, however, has given out tho fol- HJ lowing confident statement: H "Tho verdict in tho caso at Find- HJ lay, Ohio, against tho Standard Oil HJ company of Ohio carries with it a sin HJ glo fine of from $50 to $5,000, whicl H. is tho maximum according to tho law H under tho Information on which the H' suit was brought. Tho defendant H lawyers in tho caso aro talcing im- HJ mediate stops for appeal, which, bo- H fore final adjudication, may pass HJ through thrco courts, namely, Court H of Common Pleas, tho Circuit Court, HJi and the Supremo Court of Ohio. Thej H feel confident of securing a reversal HJ on manifold errors in tho trial just HJ concluded." HJ Tho main features of tho Standard H Oil case aro outlined thus by tho New HJ York World: HJ "In 1892 tho Attorney-General ol HJ Ohio secured a decision that virtually HJ put an end to tho old trust form ol HJ business consolidation, and the Stan- H dard Oil Trust was forced to dissolve. HJ Its lawyers undertook to find 'some H other way," as tho Northern Securl- H ties people at first said they woud do HJ after their merger was declared illo- HJ gal by tho United States Supreme HJ Court. Tho 1882 Standard Oil Trust HJ certificates were recalled, and the HJ stock of several constituent compa- HJ nlcs substituted. HJ "Tho Valentino anti-trust act was HJ passed by tho Ohio legislature in HJ 1893, but it was not until March that HJ tho Ohio Supremo Court, after a long HJ legal battle in lower courts, held the HJ law unconstitutional. HJ "At tho Flndlay trial of tho Stand- HJ ard Oil company of Ohio, Attorney- HJ General Ellis proved that tho Man- H hattan Oil company, which has desk- HJ room in a .London office, competes H with none but tho Independent Oil HJ company of Ohio; that tho officers and HJ directors of tho Buckeye Plpo Line HJ company, tho Ohio Oil company, the HJ standard Oil company ot Ohio, and HJ tho Solar Refining company aro of- HJ fleers and directors of tho Standard HJ Oil company of Now Jersey, the HJ mother trust; that tho Buckeye pipe- HJ lines connect with tho Solar and the HJ Standard refineries, and that tho otli- HJ: t. or companies- send their telegrams HJ; H free of cost over tho Buckoyo lines. Ho proved that tho Standard Oil of Ohio buys only from other members of tho trust in Ohio and is tho only member of tho trust that sells refined oil In Ohio; that it does not compete with tho only other refinery of importance im-portance in Ohio, tho Solar; that it pays that company's inspection fees, and that it owns two hundred distributing distrib-uting stations as well as 90 per cent of tho refined oil in Ohio, although tho Solar is said to reflno halt tho oil in the stato. "Such proceedings- as thoso of the State of Ohio against tho Standard Oil, and of tho United States government govern-ment against tho Now York Central, furnish conclusive answer to demagogs dema-gogs whoso tongues run riot. Their nly hope of success is to Inflame popular passions by reckless declamation, decla-mation, and tho effective administration administra-tion of justice blocks their plans." Tho New York Central conviction is claimed by tho organs of tho Dom- ocratlc candldnto for governor as "a triumph for tho Hearst newspapers, ' which havo led in this battle." "Tho evidence which secured tho conviction," convic-tion," wo read, "was obtained by the Hearst nowspapers and given freely by them to tho United States department depart-ment of justice." Justico Holt, of tho United States Circuit Court, In passing sentence on tho railroad and Its traffic manager for giving rebates to tho Sugar Trust said in part: "Such a violation of law is much more heinous than tho ordinary common com-mon or vulgar crimes usually brought boforo tho criminal courts. Those crimes of sudden passion and of temptation. Theso crimes wo aro dealing with woro committed by men of education, business experience, and standing In tho community, and as such they should bo expected to set an example of obedience to tho law, on tho maintenance of which tho security secu-rity of their property depends. "This corporation received largo and valublo privileges. It was under tho highest obligations to treat all citizens aliko and not to grant any unjust discriminations. This was a secret crime, tho proof o which was difficult to obtain. The law was originally orig-inally passed twenty years ago. Tho complaints of tho granting of rebates by railways wero frquent and Insistent. Insist-ent. Congress passed amendatory legislation, but so difficult was tho securing of tho necessary proof that this Is the first caso brought in this court, and with tho exception of ono recently In Philadelphia, tho only ono In tho cast. But few havo been tried in tho west. "Under theso circumstances and for an offense so clearly flagrant, it Is tho duty of tho court to impose a penalty pen-alty commensurate with the gravity of tho offense. Between tho two de- fendants tho principal penalty should bo Imposed upon tho corporation. The Individual defendant acted without advantage ad-vantage to himself, in accordance with what ho deemed to bo tho policy and wishes of his employers." I Ho then proceeded to fine tho railroad rail-road ?108,000 and tho traffic manager 0,000. Tho caso Is to bo carried up to tho United States Supremo Court. Literary Digest. |