Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-02-19
A Great Monopoly.
IL. ID. Lloyd. /


Very few OF the forty million of people In the
United States who burn kerosene know that It's
production, manufacture. and export, its price
at home and abroad have been controlled for
years by single corporation,--the Standard
Oil Company. This company began ia part
nerSh1p, In the early years Of the civil war;
between samuel Andrews and John Rocke.
Teller In Cleveland. Rockefeller had been a
boOkkeeper Ia some Interior town In Ohio AID
had afterwards made few thousand dollars by
Keeping a flour store in Cleveland. Andrews
had been day laborer In 'retineries, and so
poor that his wife took In sewing. He found
a way OF refining by which more kerosene
could be got out OF a barrel OF petroleum than
by any oJner method, and set up for himself
ten-barrel still in Cleveland by which he
cleared $500 in SIX months. Andrews still and
Standard on Company. 1t mas capital nom
1nally s., 500. GOO, but really much more, on
which 1t divides among its stock holders every
year millions OF dollars OF profits. 1t has
YORK. Its own acid works, glue factories
hardware stores. and barrel shops supply
IL with all the accessories IL needs In Its
business 1t has bought land at Indianapolis
The country. 1t has drawn it's check for
1000 600 to suppress rival. 1t buys 10000 TO
$4,000 barrels OF crude oil day, at price fixed
by itself, and makes special contracts with the
railroads for the transportation OF 10 600 600 to
l4,O0o,0 600 barrels OF oil a year. The four quar-
tiers OF the globe are partitioned among the
one has the control of the China trade:
another that OF some country OF Europe;
another that OF the United States. In
New York, you cannot buy oil for East
been given the European trade: reciprocally,
the East Indian house is not allowed to sell r0r
exlolt to Europe. The Standard produces only
one nftieth or stXtieth OF our petroleum. but
dictates the price OF all, and Iefines nine tentns
Circulars al e Issued at Intervals by which the
price C1 Oil Is fixed for all the cities Of the
country, except New York, where a little COM
petition survives. Such is the Indifference OF
tie STANDARD Oil Company to railroad charges
that the price is made the same for points so
lar apart as Terre Raute, Chicago and keokuk
Th hsdsoo is or not today ots., merchant IN
NV England, western or southern states.
dealing III Kerosene, whose prices are not fixed
for him 10y the Standard. In all cases these
city cannot export TO another. Chicago Gin
cinnah OF Cleveland is not allowed to supply
tie tributary towns. That is done by the
standard itself, which runs Oil In its own tank
cars to all the principal points OF distribution.
This corporation has driven into bankruptcy.
or out OF business, or into union With itself, all
me petroleum refineries OF the country except
tive In New York and a few OF little conse.
quence in Western Pennsylvania. Nobody
knows how many millions Rockefeller is worth.
Current gossip among his business acquaintance
In Cleveland puts his income last year at a fig
uIe second only, If second at gil, to that OF
Vanderbilt. His partner, Samuel Andrews, the
poor English day laborer. retired years ago
with millions. just who the Standard Oil Com
pany are exactly what their capital is. and what
2fe their relations 10 the railroads, nobody
knows except In part Their oficsra refused 10
TESTIFY before the Supreme Court OF Pennsyl-
yaDia. the late New York railroad investigating
committee, and committee OF Congress. The
New York committee found there was nothing
TO be learned from them. and was compelled 10
confess Its inability to ascertain as much as 1t
desired to know "OI this mysterious OrgantZa-
ton, whose business and transactions are OF
such a character that its members declined
mony be used to convict them OF crime. n-karch