The main argument was about control and size. A trust that could become a monopoly, like Standard Oil, controlled the whole industry in size and vertical integration. It controlled the drilling, the pumping, the refining and even the distribution by owning the lines. While there were still companies that could and did compete, they could never match the prices and gain a competitive edge on an industry which controlled so much of the landscape. That was their issue. A company that controlled that much of the sector could push out others and they felt it was the opposite of progress and competition, which our free market was based around.
