oil state texas argued decided january moorfield storey perkins priest thorndike johnson plaintiff error allen batts robert vance davidson jewel john brady gregory allen hart defendant error justice day delivered opinion case begun state district travis county texas forfeit permit plaintiff error oil company corporation state missouri conduct business state texas assess penalties violation laws state prosecution two laws state one march proceeding brought attorney general texas county attorney travis county recover penalties act may day may day march rate per day act march till april rate per day cancel permit defendant business interstate texas jury returned verdict defendant sessed penalties act may march days penalties assessed rate day period total sum jury also found defendant act assessed penalties day april april days rate per day making total jury found permit defendant business state texas canceled thereupon rendered judgment state texas sum penalties assessed ordered cancelation defendant permit business state except interstate commerce business judgment affirmed upon appeal civil appeals texas upon application texas refused grant writ error case brought case submitted upon oral arguments elaborate briefs voluminous pecord argued many aspects though proceeding error review weight evidence adduced state courts rulings upon admissibility testimony determine effect statute limitations state jurisdiction review proceedings state courts frequent occasion declare general reviewing error limited specific instances denials federal rights whether pertaining constitutionality federal state statutes certain rights immunities privileges federal origin specially set state denied rulings judgment rev stat comp stat sit review finding facts made state accepts findings state upon matters fact conclusive confined review questions federal law within jurisdiction conferred upon quinby boyd ed sup egan hart ed sup downer richards ed sup thayer spratt ed sup shall therefore undertake follow counsel consideration questions argued shall limit review questions federal nature deem properly made record essential decision case epitomizing texas statutes purposes charge learned judge presided district speaking first act stated follows purposes charge instructed act made unlawful corporation transacting conducting kind business state enter become party agreement understanding corporation individual fix regulate price texas article manufacture merchandise control limit texas trade article manufacture merchandise instructed said statute also made unlawful corporation transacting conducting kind business state bring permit union combination capital property trade acts capital property trade acts person corporation whereby price texas article manufacture merchandise fixed sought fixed regulated sought regulated whereby price texas article manufacture merchandise reasonably calculated fixed regulated whereby trade article manufacture merchandise texas sought controlled limited reasonably calculated controlled limited statute known law became effective march since continued force purposes charge instructed statute defines trust combination capital skill acts two persons firms corporations associations persons either two either following purposes viz create may tend create carry restrictions trade commerce texas create carry restrictions free pursuit texas business authorized permitted laws state fix maintain increase price merchandise texas prevent lessen competition texas sale merchandise abstain engaging business sale merchandise texas portion thereof statute defines monopoly combination consolidation two corporations effected following methods viz direction affairs two corporations manner brought management control purpose producing common management control tends create trust defined corporation acquires shares certificates stock franchise rights physical properties part thereof corporation purpose preventing lessening effect acquisition tends affect lessen competition whether acquisition accomplished directly instrumentality trustees otherwise oil products petroleum goods wares merchandise character defendant agents may purchased acquired manner outside state texas caused transported agents others within state subjects interstate commerce enter state remain commodities removed original tanks vessels packages imported state become mixed common mass property similar character state laws texas reference agreements pools arrangements character concerning subjects interstate commerce agreement pool arrangement defendant may entered reference sale subject interstate commerce considered violating law texas neither oil purchased defendant corsicana refinery elsewhere texas merchandise purchased defendant points texas oil merchandise purchased defendant points outside state transported state removed original packages vessels brought state mingled property similar character state subject interstate commerce contrary subject local commerce agreement pool arrangement entered defendant reference property sale thereof sale unlawful violation laws state penalties denounced act less day defendant might found violated law act penalty fixed day forfeiture right business within state texas declared complaint case voluminous averments contain history conspiracy oil company number persons composing standard oil company beginning january purpose monopolizing controlling business refining transporting selling petroleum similar products throughout state texas charges oil company incorporated predecessor defendant company party conspiracy purpose carrying entered contracts corporations individuals engaged business selling petroleum similar products within state suppressed competition therein charges oil company entered agreement standard oil company new sey purpose monopolizing trade petroleum purpose carrying certain contracts conspiracies entered purposes aforesaid permitted standard oil company acquire majority shares stock company original oil company dissolved new company present defendant organized may assumed contracts agreements predecessor averred dissolving old company forming new company defendant case pursuance conspiracy purpose continuing monopoly control acquired old company purpose rendering ineffective judgments state ed sup wherein right company business texas forfeited averred new corporation name old one amount stock distributed holders stock new corporation proportion among shareholders old corporation charged major part capital stock although fact owned standard oil company new jersey stood time name pierce fact owned standard oil company conduct business new corporation changed controlled standard oil company new jersey manner old company old contract whereby division territory limitation operations pierce oil company state texas territory maintained enforced concerns acquired carrying scheme charged said companies put business used controlling monopolizing trade business aforesaid defendant new corporation party ments participated engaged carrying things charged alleged effect control defendant large number companies corporation persons acquiescence consent defendant competition texas companies destroyed certain sections parts assigned various companies defendant permitted business texas knowledge consent upon instance demands companies excluded business state texas agreement defendant obliged secure oil sold certain named refiners prices determined standard oil company interested effect monopolizing controlling business oil production petroleum texas fixing prices products state plaintiff summarizes unlawful results accomplished follows plaintiff error dominated controlled business dictated standard oil company new jersey large number individuals corporations business sale petroleum products excluded business state competition lessened price oil maintained exorbitant figure per cent higher oil sold territory claimed plaintiff error competition suppressed business destroyed state unconscionable unfair means substantially complete monopoly petroleum products established plaintiff error sold period ten years past least per cent petroleum products sold defendant answered filed large number special pleas exceptions taking issue upon charges made petition alleging unconstitutionality acts alleging petition state texas granted denied equal protection laws subjected ex post facto laws deprived property without due process law obligations contracts impaired contrary provisions constitution trial may term district travis county verdict rendered favor state penalties assessed judgment rendered herein stated civil appeals state texas found facts found verdict trial concluding opinion upon question fact said appellant motion new trial presentation case verdict jury challenged contention testimony fails show appellant violated laws state evidence voluminous necessary set epitomized opinion sufficient think show date permit business state may appellant party agreement understanding standard oil company new jersey one object create monopoly control price petroleum oil prevent competition sale large specified territory including state texas large extent object accomplished far agreement related state appellant acting agents performed within state performance within limits state constitutes violations texas laws renders appellant amenable laws although agreement standard oil company may made state large extent case rests upon circumstantial evidence say jury warranted conclusions drawn hence hold verdict ported testimony error committed overruling motion new trial left case jury upon charge permitted find whether defendant company acting duly authorized agents entered become party agreement understanding standard oil company new jersey june fix regulate price oil texas whether company remained continued party agreement carried texas dates subsequent june prior march whether oil reference agreement made carried subject local distinguished interstate commerce charged within time stated defendant brought permitted combination union capital standard oil company new jersey whereby price oil texas found controlled limited fixed regulated whereby price reasonably calculated fixed regulated whereby trade oil texas sought controlled limited might return verdict state charged find defendant duly authorized agents entered combination capital capital standard oil company new jersey purpose creating texas tended create texas carry texas restrictions free pursuit selling oil effect increasing price oil texas prevent lessen competition selling said state defendant remained party acted combination march thereafter prior april might return verdict guilty jury instructed found evidence direction affairs standard oil company new jersey defendant company management control march prior april placed common management control respectively authorized officers management control created tended create carry restrictions sale oil texas stated fix maintain increase prices oil said state prevent lessen competition sale oil might return verdict state jury found issues submitted defendant civil appeals affirmed finding fact must accept established purposes proceeding error numerous exceptions taken charge trial subjects assignments error state concerned relate federal questions involved proceeding eleventh paragraph charge instructed jury follows find preponderance evidence standard oil company new jersey march date subsequent thereto prior april acquired majority capital stock defendant corporation thereby effected combination said two corporations find preponderance evidence said stock acquired combination effected purpose intention part managing officers directors said standard oil company new jersey preventing lessening competition sale texas character kind oil mentioned effect said combination tended affect lessen competition sale texas said oil return verdict state say verdict jury find state issues submitted consideration paragraph eleven charge connection instructed defendant entered monopoly character mentioned paragraph charge day march april remained party monopoly days constituted separate violation laws texas judges civil appeals differed views correctnee charge learned justice wrote opinion holding view calculated mislead jury belief might convict upon issue regardless whether defendant knowledge participated aided standard oil company acquiring stock defendant purposes stated agreed wrong part charge afforded ground reversal jury found appellant violated provisions act assessed one penalty day violation therefore judgment error harmless thus deciding civil appeals determine federal question necessarily decide one adversely plaintiff error controlling character appears upon record verdict judgment stand upon grounds free objection far federal rights concerned much argument plaintiff error predicated upon contention acquiring stock company standard oil company making agreement charged shown acts done texas contended acquiring stock agreement acts beyond jurisdiction state inspection record discloses charged agreement made defendant outside state texas made basis forfeiting permit business state unless agreement executed attempted executed state duly authorized agents defendant findings quoted evidence state found defendant since may party agreement standard oil company new jersey create monopoly control prices prevent competition texas large extent object accomplished findings facts conclusive upon us show conviction acts transactions committed carried within state texas argument effect rulings admission testimony upon questions general law deprived defendant property rights without due process law requires us notice limitations upon authority dealing legislative acts proceedings enforce state courts state legislatures right deal matter prevent unlawful combinations prevent competition restraint trade prohibit punish monopolies open question national cotton oil texas ed sup smiley kansas ed sup power pass laws character course state may provide proceedings enforce state keeping within constitutional limitations may provide method procedure determine methods means laws may made effectual limit full control state proceedings courts civil criminal cases subject qualification procedure must work denial fundamental rights conflict specific applicable provisions federal constitution west louisiana ed sup see davis texas ed sup brown new jersey ed sup allen georgia ed sup converse ed sup twining new jersey ed sup decided term subject fully discussed previous cases cited contended acts case given retroactive effect violation federal constitution art argument predicated largely upon contention conviction case old agreement former oil company made long passage present statute time legal creation defendant company view facts found state already referred ground conviction making old agreement division territory suppression competition old company existence new company found carried old agreement made party thereto continuing old arrangement passage law brought within terms similar contention said missouri freight asso ed sup said grant injunction prayed case give statute retroactive effect contract time entered prohibited declared illegal statute passed enjoin act legal time done improper give law retroactive effect agreement question continuing one parties adopt certain machinery agree certain methods purpose establishing maintaining future reasonable rates transportation assuming action legal time agreement first entered continuation agreement declared illegal becomes violation act statute prohibits continuing entering agreement future agreement continued becomes violation act insisted acts question vague indefinite uncertain deprive constitutionality punish forfeiture right business imposition penalties provisions act advise citizen corporation prosecuted nature character acts constituting violation law objections found words act denouncing contracts arrangements calculated fix regulate price commodities etc act acts prohibited accomplish prohibited results insisted laws indefinite one tell acts embraced within provisions support contention argued laws nature explicit persons subject penalties may know duty avoid reference made decisions held criminal statutes definite enable included terms know advance whether act criminal among others tozer inters com fed cited opinion justice brewer judge circuit held criminality act depend upon whether jury may think reasonable unreasonable effect chicago dey inters com fed also decided judge brewer circuit also case louisville com relied upon railroad indicted charging reasonable rate held law unconstitutional act rests jury say whether rate reasonable makes guilt depend upon standards fixed law upon jury might think reasonableness rate controversy texas statutes question give broad power jury determine criminal character act accordance belief whether reasonable unreasonable statutes condemned cases cited take act denounces acts bring prohibited results uncommon criminal law punish completed act also acts attempt bring prohibited result knight ed sup said thorities agree order vitiate contract combination essential result complete monopoly sufficient really tends end deprive public advantages flow free competition language quoted approval addyston pipe steel ed sup northern securities ed sup sherman act directly condemned conspiracies combinations restraint trade monopolizing attempting monopolize said page vitiate combination act congress condemns need shown combination fact results result total suppression trade complete monopoly essential show necessary operation tends restrain interstate international trade commerce tends create monopoly trade commerce deprive public advantages flow free competition phrase calculated include less acts fairly considered tend accomplish prohibited thing make highly probable given result accomplished speaking sherman act said swift ed sup statute gives proceeding combinations restraint commerce among attempts monopolize intent almost essential combination essential attempt acts sufficient produce result law seeks prevent instance monopoly require acts addition mere forces nature bring result pass intent bring pass necessary order produce dangerous probability happen com peaslee mass intent consequent dangerous probability exist statute like many others like common law cases directs dangerous probability well completed result true decisions quoted civil cases involving contracts arrangements held invalid attacked proceedings equity involve penalties imposed case consideration remembered dealing act legislature sustained courts state reference validity view prohibitions federal constitution deprivation state action liberty property without due process law case defendant trial justice duly established laws state question liability submitted jury judgment reviewed appellate correctness findings fact rulings law lower affirmed prepared say deprivation due process law statute permitted charged might conviction acts accomplished prohibited result also tend reasonably calculated bring things forbidden contended fines imposed excessive constitute taking defendant property without due process law contended connection prohibition amendment federal constitution excessive fines operates control legislation fixing punishment crime penalties unlawful acts laws within police power state interfere legislation judicial action enforcing fines imposed grossly excessive amount deprivation property without due process law coffey harlan county ed sup business carried defendant corporation texas extensive highly profitable record discloses property defendant amounted forty millions dollars testified president dividends high per cent per annum theory state sustained verdict judgment former course business continued notwithstanding judgment ouster former case within bounds statute penalties left discretion jury trying case penalties imposed large within terms statute act jury imposed penalty rate day act rate per day assuming purpose defendant guilty violation laws period years transacting business upon large scale shown case prepared say confirmation verdict judgment courts state want due process law penalties assessed remembering frequent occasion say province case limited examination objections arising federal constitution unable find record ground reversing judgment state affirmed