The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1878-01-30
ADDRESS
OE THE
Oil Producers of Pennsylvania.

70 the Citizens Of the Commonwealth o.
Pennsylvania, Greeting:
Your fellow citizens of the State of
Pennsylvania, who are engaged in the
business Of producing petroleum in the
western counties, 1esire to bring to
your notice and knowledge, to the end
that it may be brought to an-issue and
be settled once and forever, the sub
ject of freight determinations on the
part of railroads and other common
carriers, whereby individuals are in.
jured, the prosperity Of the State i'm
paired and enterprise retarded or rem
dered abortive.
In our case we find such discrimina-
tions nOW made by our only railroad
outlets, in favor of a single favored re-
fining organization not even belonging
to this State, but having its existence
and headquarters in a neighboring
State, at present an almost impassable
barrier to free trade in our product, by
making it practically impossible for
other than this one favored refining
organization, to pay the current price
for our product, transport it to the
various refining and distributing points
and live.
A more serious question is the fact
that corporations which formerly paid
large amounts of taxes to the State,
have been forced out Of existence, while
their property has become the property
Of this foreign corporation or organiza-
ton, which is not answerable in its
corporate capacity to this State, and
the property thereby escapes much
taxation to which your citizens are
subjected, and thus the treasury of the
State itself is depleted and all this
through the Discriminating action Of
the railroads in favor of this very or.
ganization.
The effect is and has been, to com
pletely paralyze open trade and makes
the one refining organization the only
purchaser of our product, with all the
disasters and evils attending such mo-
nopoly.
Our case is not ar isolated one, it is
but the most recent; unfortunately for
all, the sufferers from such discrimina.
tion are to be found in all branches Of
business, and all parts Of the State
But our case is so hagrant and the in
Justice SO glaring, an entire community
now find voice and Indignantly remon
strate against this arrogant assumption
on the part of the railroad corpora
lions in thus shutting out from th'
world and forcing us to sell only to tht
one whom they favor, and we rely upor
your aid in efectually putting an enc
70 such an iniquitous system.
Various cities have felt the intolera
bic incubus of freight determinations
but none more notably, perhaps, thar
Pittsburgh, which has had its prosper
ity seriously impaired, throwing larg
Numbers of workmen into the streets il
state of idleness, and state of pub
'ic feeling engendered which spoke on
too practically and disastrously il
be terrible riots and destruction o
ailrOad property in July, 1877.
We are, in all parts of the State ant
auntry, suffering the effects of lonI
ntinued business depression, will
tsnkruptcy as the fate of many. Will
sci The only cause, it is believed tn
npolicy and bad management of ou
railroads, has not little to do with j
and owing principally to freight dis
oiminations. Business men canno
andertake large enterprises where the.
fe dependent upon treacherous ant
ncertain rates of freight, for to engag
iccessfully in business requires equal
ily in freight rates and as little uncer
ainty in such matters as is possible t.
ltain. The managers of these railroa,
erporations, which your laws created
actieally assume to control the mer
ntile and commercial affairs of ou
nmoDwealth, divert them as the,
Use, and carry your merchandis
products at rates subject to thei
nNn will alone and practically assuI1