Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-03-28
THE STANDARD OIL CON-
PANY.
Progress of the Fight Against
the Great MOnOpOly-Lively
State Of Feelings i'm the Oil Pro
ducing Centers and Shipping
Markets..

HARRISBURG, Pa, March 27.-The
schemes of the Standard Oil Company,
of Cleveland, o., have aroused the
liveliest excitement among the pro-
ducers, individual retiners, and shippers
in the petroleum region, and at the
seabOard'marketing centers. John ID.
Rockefeller, Preaident Of the Standard
Company, is now IN New York City, en-
deavoring, with the younger mem
bers OF the corporation, Warden,
Frew d Co., to secure the cooperation
OF the refners generally OF the
country in the organization and estab-
lfshment of O colossal and powerful oil
refining combination. Many of the oil
men who fear that the power of the
Standard Company will eventually
work them out of existence, rather favor
the scheme, but the parties who are
members of the American Petroleum
Company, corporation formed in con-
junction with the Petroleum Producers
Grand Council to fight the Standard
monopoly, are opposed to the monopoly,
and state that John ID. Rockefeller and
his agents, perceiying that the oil
men have a strong case against
the monopoly, and one which
would be successful in the end,
have adopted this ruse to entrap the un-
wary oil men, secure their business, and
then throw them overheard. The mem.
bers of the American Petroleum Com
pany claim TO have sufficient stocks
above ground-l0,000,000 TO 100000
barrels-to Illustrate any attempt that
may be made by the Standard Company
to CONTROL the market, and all that is
now necessary for their successful COM
petition with the corporation is equal
transportation facilities TO the seaboard.
1t is expected that the latter trouble will
be fully overcome when the freight
discrimination trouble is settled. On
the other hand, the Standard Oil Com
pany's managers say that the quantity
of crude and manufactured petroleum
held by the company is large enough to
meet the general demand; the company
have the market and control it; the pipe
lines are owned by the corporation.
The railroad companies can not with
draw from the contracts made with the
Standard Oil Company, and its means
are sufficiently ample to purchase any
legislative or other influence to break
down opposition.
Immense sums Of money are being
spent by both the Standard OIL Com
pany and the individual operation to
gain supremacy in the trade, and much
OF this gold has been spent in buying
legislative influence. The Legislators
Of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and
Ohio have all had a finger in this pie,
but it is generally admitted that the
emissaries OF the Standard Company
who visited the Ohio State capital in
the interest OF the corporation were
squeezed the most. The particular
object OF these agents was To buy the
entire Legislature if it could bc done"
There were So many loud calls made
upon the treasury OF the Standard that
its President, John ID. Rockefeller, took
his family and fled from his Office in
STANDARD Block Cleveland, Ohio, To
escape the inccssant calls made upon
him for monoy to help along the iniquit-
Gus scheme at Columbus. The emis-
saries oi the company are still at their
questionable work in the State Lcgisla-
lures, while the executive head OF the
corporation and his henchmen are
Matching another conspiracy in the com
pany's office in New York, so that the
interest that ranks third in the COM
merce Of America NAV be gobblcd by
few shrewd and unscrupulous capital
iStg