FYI August 03, 2018

  • Filed under FYI


 
 

Widget not in any sidebars

 
 
 
 

On This Day

 
 
1907 – Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis fines Standard Oil of Indiana a record $29.4 million for illegal rebating to freight carriers; the conviction and fine are later reversed on appeal.
Standard Oil (1905–09)
By the first decade of the 20th century, a number of business entities had formed themselves into trusts, which dominated their industries. Trusts often sought to purchase or otherwise neutralize their competitors, allowing the conglomerates to raise prices to high levels. In 1890, Congress had passed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, but it was not until the Theodore Roosevelt administration (1901–09) that serious efforts were made to break up or control the trusts. The dominant force in the oil industry was Standard Oil, controlled by John D. Rockefeller. Modern-day Exxon, Mobil, Atlantic Richfield, Chevron, Sohio, Amoco and Continental Oil all trace their ancestry to various parts of Standard Oil.[29]

In March 1906, Commissioner of Corporations James Rudolph Garfield submitted a report to President Roosevelt, alleging large-scale rebating in Standard Oil shipments. Federal prosecutors in several states and territories sought indictments against components of the Standard Oil Trust. On June 28, 1906, Standard Oil of Indiana was indicted on 6,428 counts of violation of the Elkins Act for accepting rebates on shipments on the Chicago & Alton Railroad. The case was assigned to Landis.[28]

Trial on the 1,903 counts that survived pretrial motions began on March 4, 1907.[28] The fact that rebates had been given was not contested; what was at issue was whether Standard Oil knew the railroad’s posted rates, and if it had a duty to enquire if it did not.[30] Landis charged the jury that it “was the duty of the defendant diligently in good faith to get from the Chicago & Alton … the lawful rate”.[31] The jury found Standard Oil guilty on all 1,903 counts.[32]

The maximum fine that Landis could impose was $29,240,000. To aid the judge in determining the sentence, Landis issued a subpoena for Rockefeller to testify as to Standard Oil’s assets. The tycoon had often evaded subpoenas, not having testified in court since 1888.[33] Deputy United States marshals visited Rockefeller’s several homes, as well as the estates of his friends, in the hope of finding him. After several days, Rockefeller was found at his lawyer’s estate, Taconic Farm in northwestern Massachusetts, and was served with the subpoena.[34] The tycoon duly came to Landis’s Chicago courtroom, making his way through a mob anxious to see the proceedings. Rockefeller’s actual testimony, proffered after the judge made him wait through several cases and witnesses, proved to be anticlimactic, as he professed almost no knowledge of Standard Oil’s corporate structure or assets.[35]

On August 3, 1907, Landis pronounced sentence. He fined Standard Oil the maximum penalty, $29,240,000, the largest fine imposed on a corporation to that point. The corporation quickly appealed; in the meantime, Landis was lionized as a hero. According to Pietrusza, “much of the nation could hardly believe a federal judge had finally cracked down on a trust—and cracked down hard “.[36] President Roosevelt, when he heard the sentence, reportedly stated, “That’s bully.”[37] Rockefeller was playing golf in Cleveland when he was brought a telegram containing the news. Rockefeller calmly informed his golfing partners of the amount of the fine, and proceeded to shoot a personal record score, later stating, “Judge Landis will be dead a long time before this fine is paid.”[38] He proved correct; the verdict and sentence were reversed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on July 22, 1908.[39] In January 1909, the Supreme Court refused to hear the case, and in a new trial before another judge (Landis recused himself), Standard Oil was acquitted.[40]

Read more ->
 
 
 
 

Born On This Day

 
 
1918 – Sidney Gottlieb, American chemist and theorist (d. 1999)
Sidney Gottlieb (born Joseph Scheider; August 3, 1918 – March 7, 1999) was an American chemist and spymaster best known for his involvement with the Central Intelligence Agency’s 1950s and ’60s assassination attempts and mind control program, known as Project MKULTRA.

Read more ->

 
 
 
 

FYI

 
 
Great photo’s!
By Hannah Gold: Do We Have to Worry About Chicken Diapers Now, Too?
 
 
 
 
By Ryan F. Mandelbaum: Small Dogs Pee Higher to Lie About Their Size, New Study Concludes
 
 
 
 
By Ryan F. Mandelbaum: Here’s How an Absurd Primate Ended Up With Squirrel Teeth
 
 
 
 
Beyond Bylines: On PR Newswire: Hawaii Travel Safe Despite Kilauea Volcano, CBS Responds to Allegations, Study Shows Spike in Lyme Disease
 
 
 
 
By Heather Chapman: Big South American lizards infesting Florida, could spread
 
 
 
 
By Heather Chapman: Editorial: Rural America needs Theordore Roosevelt
 
 
 
 
Radiotopia Podcasts: The Great God of Depression
Hey Radiotopia Citizens,
We just launched a brand new Showcase series, The Great God of Depression, and all five episodes are available now. Think of it as a “podcast novella.” Listen straight through, or enjoy at your own pace.

The series tells the true story of the acclaimed writer William Styron (Sophie’s Choice, Darkness Visible), a brain scientist named Alice Flaherty, and their shared quest to understand the secrets of madness and creativity.
 
 
 
 
Two Nerdy History Girls: Friday Video: Dressing an 18thc English Gentleman
 
 
 
 
USA Today: Workplace fatalities: 25 most dangerous jobs in America
 
 
 
 
By Courteny Enlow: Carrie Fisher’s best quotes and greatest life lessons
 
 
 
 
By Priscilla Frank: A History Of Black Cowboys And The Myth That The West Was White
An exhibition on view at The Studio Museum in Harlem hopes to retire the persistent myth equating cowboys with whiteness.

 
 
 
 
By Gary Price: Mass Digitization Projects: See Thousands Of Orchids in Incredible Detail in Newly Digitized Collection From the Smithsonian
 
 
By Gary Price: Conference Paper: “‘Zip Books’: Using the Online Marketplace to Build Stronger Collections and Higher Customer Satisfaction By Delivering Books Quicker at Lower Cost”
 
 
 
 
By Dave Merrill and Lauren Leatherby: Here’s How America Uses Its Land
 
 
 
 
Barn Finds: Let’s Hit The Beach: 1975 Volkswagen THING, Sweet Treat: 1980 Toyota Celica GT Sunchaser, A Tale Of Two FJs: ’76 VS ’75 Toyota Land Cruisers and more ->
 
 
 
 

Ideas

 
 
By Hometalk Highligths: Show Off Your Family Photos With These 16 Creative Ideas You’ve never thought of displaying your photos like this.
 
 
 
 

Widget not in any sidebars

 
 


 
 

 
 

Recipes

 
 


Widget not in any sidebars

 
 

Widget not in any sidebars

 
 

Widget not in any sidebars