The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-02-09

l trust you will grant me space to say q
few words in reply to what the STATE Jour
nal calls much ado about nothing" in its
last issue, In the year 1865 the Standard
Oil Company OF Cleveland, Ohio, was In
corporated with capital Of 100000; in
1875 its assets were S22,O0OOOO, In the
wear last named Mr.. Camden became q
member Of the company, and took an &C.
tive part from that time forward in It's
operations. The aim Of the company was
to secure monopoly OF the refining buai'
ness, which would place both the pro-
Queer OF crude and the consumes Of re-
hned at lis mercy in the matter Of prices.
Mr.. Camden by an arrangement win
Chess, Carley 4 Co., Of Louisville, and
the Waters Pierce Co., OF st, Lous, under.
took to Sivethe two firms exclusive control
OF the market In those sections oil the
South and West which had been supplied
from this point, by protecting them
against the competition OF Plrkersburg
Tehners, In order TO carry out this agree.
ment It was necessary for him to control
the entire oil business OF West Virginia,
In the summer OF 1875 the Standard Com
pany was able TO corner the markets Of
the world, and in the course Of few
months added many millions to ita capt.
tai, taking from every consumer from
three 10 tour dollars per barrel over and
shove the rehner's leitimRte profit, and
epdsngering the lives Of its customers by
running the behzine into the oil. This
corner held about six months, and yielded
such satisfactory results that no effort was
sparad to iasten the monopoly upon the
people as a permanent thing,
Under an arrangement with ionr
lines OF railway, made In October, 1877,
the Standard Company received In eigh-
teen months $1,000, 900 In rebates alone,
which kept down profitable competition for
the export trade. During these eighteen
months Mr.. Camden succeeded In obtain
ing possession Of all the Parkersburg re-
fnefieg, with the exception OF one small
concern, and not q barrel Of oil went from
here 10 interfere with the exceedingly
profitable success Of Messre. Chess, Carley
& %. and the Waters Pierce OIL Company,
In the South and West. II was consid.
cred advisable by Mr.. Camden to persuade
the producers 10 limit themselves to one
purchaser for their product. This wag
done by assuring them that II they would
all agree to sell their oil to the Camden
Company, and not to sell 1t to any one
else, the Standard Company would be able
10 hold up the price Of refined go that the
producer would not realize less than six
cents per gallon here for the crude. About
So per cent Of heproducera signed con.
tract Of this kind. Mr.. Camden and Mr..
Church, Of the West Virginia Trans.
portation Company, then undertook
to force the remaining producers to
sell to the Camden Company by compel.
ing them to pay double transportation
charges. So successful were these meas.
ures In destroying competition that Mr..
Camden was able to repudiate his con.
tract with the producers and buy their oil
for q cents per gallon instead OF 9. In the
course OF these operations, planned and
executed for the purpose OF enrlching him.
self and his fellow members OF tho Stand
ard Company Ia a manner that is dis.
grace to the commercial honor OF our age
and country, Mr.. Camden has violated
his contracts, made statements that can be
proven false beyond all possibility Of 90.
cape, and has also ruined the most i'm.
portant manufacturing industry OF Par.
kersburg. When questioned concerning
the propriety oil taking two or three dol.
lars per barrel from the consumer, over
and above the reAner's legitimate profit,
he said that such matters were governed
by the laws OF business that any one who
would not take advantage OF making
money by such methods when he had
an opportunity was monomaniac,
and that he did not propose 10 play the
role Of reiormer. These facts, ,none OF
which can be successfully disputed, GER
tainly were good ground Tor objection to
Mr.. Oamden's holding the highest legisla-
tive office within the gift Of the people,
The editor Of the Journal says that they
are ''soft;" that they are "nothing;" TINT
the STANDARD OIL Company is a"hug. bear"
that he will "denounCe" Senator Camden
ihe ventures 10 legislAte in favor OF mon.
opolies. viii he please favor us with his
idea Of the probable effect his denunCia.
ton will have upon Senator CnmdenP
Will 1t cause him 10 resign2 During the
contest the Journal steadily evRded the
real issue and undertook to raise q false
issue. Forgetting his own recent attack
upon Governor Jacob Jackson, the editor
regretted my inability to rise above more
personalities" said the opposition to Mr..
Camden was confined 10 his competitors
In business who were "Boured BY
the success Of their rivals" even informed
US that "the world moved" but left US In
a bewilderlng state Of uncertainty as to
whether It was Mr. Camden or the editor
10 whom we. were expected to give credit
from Its motion, twill be remembered by
those who are familiar with Dickens, that
Mr.. "Podsnap" had a very convenient way
Of removing from the face OF the earth,
with flourish Of the arm more expires.
sive than any words, all facts and argu.
nents that were diBagreeable to himself.
AT the risk Of again being accused Of
speaking In "patronizing way" / will
venture to say, as fneekly as possible, that
the EDITORS method OF dealing with facts
bears very striking resemblance 10 that
Of Mr.. "Podsnap."
Every one, Republican or Democrat,
who believes that 1t is' the true end and
aim oil government to protect the laborer
In the right and power 10 enjoy the fruits
oil his labor, should have resisted the cleo.
ton 10 the United States Senate OF d man
who believes in organizing and Consolidat.
ing the different branches Of business into
close monopolles, whose powers Of extor.
ton are only limited by the exhaustion OF
their victims, who thinks that railway
companies and pipe line companies, char.
tered by the public for the public good,
are 10 be used as tools for the purpose oil
building up and sustaining such mono.
poles, and considers such methods legiti.
tliately included among those methods
that are governed "by the laws Of bust.
ness,' in Che correction Of which he does