Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-08-20
An Awkward story on Garfield.
NV Norl, SIN,

one evening IN tho fall Of 1873. sew
cml gentlemen were sitting III one of
the purlors of the kennard house The
conversation happened " have refer
pnce to the Standard Oil company'S
monopoly The home office of that
company Is here, and all Of the gentle
men connected With ii We're known
with greater or less intimacy by each
person in the party now referred to- 1t
was told how this corporation had
grown in less than ten wears from \
local business corporation, DONG a fair
business ut good profit. to the most
gigantic private corporation in the
United states. II was narrated how
tile officials. whom even Young men in
Cleveland remembered is clerks and
booll-kcepers, had, through this mo-
noply that they had built up, become
mllionaircS, some of them worth as
much rs S5,00O,000. A gentleman in
the party spoke Of the means by which
this Standard Oil company had ac-
quired its wealth and power; how il
had completed the Erie railroad, the
PENNSYLVANIA Central, and other roads
to carry oil for it mt its own price; how
it had contracted with these to pay it
exclusive rebates that were so enor-
nous that no rival production could
possibly live; how il had, by means Of
these rebates. crushed out all opposi-
ton; how mercilcssly it set to work to
ruin an honest and legitimate rivalry;
how il had the oil producers Of western
PENNSYLVANIA absolutely Mt its feet The
story was told i'll great detail in the
columns of the SIM about that time,
and subsequently WAS revealed by I'M
willing witnesses who we're under oath
To the Hepburn committee, So called,
that investigated the subject Of rail
way traffic III New York in 1879, the
legislature having been largely i'll
fluenced To the appointment Of the
committee by the facts first made pub
lie III the Sun,
At the time Of the informal meeting
in the parlors of the Kcnnard house
just referred 70, the Pennsylvania oil
producers were making strenuous efforts
to break this monopoly, They were
fighting it in the PENNSYLVANIA legisa-
turc. in the courts Of that state, and
y
congress III the shape Of i law That
would make such discrimination illegal.
The Reagan INSTRUMENTATION hill
had boon introduced in congress and
Vas then before Il committee sad
one of the gentlcmen suppose
that Gen. Garfield will help u. il the
passage 81 this bill He ought To- He
claims to be tho friend Of the people;
to be- opposed y nonopolleS and to
love fairness,
Al this remark another gentleman.
who had mp 10 this time said but little,
got up in al excited manner and spoke.
with every appearance # Indignation
Garfield Gentlemen, that man ~
one Of tie most -mooth-tongucd, oily
hypoclitcs in congress / believe all
that ever heard Of him in regard u
tic Credit Mobiier charge. and De.
Golycr, bride. H is an arrant
fraud
The excitement of the gentleman Wa
- patent that he vas asked for All eN-
PLANTATION
Well, YOU shall have il, he said
You know that j u. Rockafellar the
president III tie Standard Oil company.
and Frank Rockefeller, his brother,
ARE not IN good term. Frank j. con-
nectcd with 4 riyal concern that il trv-
ing II pull through against thi- stand
ard oil company. Frank was one II
the committee appointed 70 - %
Washington and appear before The fon-
gres-i0nal committee that has till
Reagan bill before it. The secretary u
this local committee had written 70
Garfield asking Iii. aid. Garfield wrote
back that III VA aith them; that the
Reagan bill was ii it, main features
right; thai i ought e. pa-- and that he