Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-04-19

Cleveland, New York and Baltimore.
These lines form q Gordon completely
around the oil producing country, and
give the Standard company an exclusive
right of way in SO many directions, that
it is impossible for any competing
company to get either to the oil
we'll or to build a competing line to the
seaboard.
the meeting was called to order by E.
X. Martin. esq, who introduced to the
meeting State Senator Lee, of Vcnango
county.
LEES SPEEUH.
Answ ering the Objections Of the Standard.
Senator Lee said he was glad to have an
opportunity to meet so many of the peo-
pie Of Lancaster and explain to them the
purpose of the free pipe liEe bill now
before the Legislature. The peculiar
methods of great monopoly, to misrepre-
sent and defeat the measure, must be bis
apology for appearing here, if indeed a
measure providing for free line for con
veying oil from the wells to the seaboard
need an apology. So long as the great
monopoly controlled state Legislatures it
cared not for public opinion but now that
the Legislature has been emancipated
from their control, and there is prospect
of the revival of the industries of the state
which the monOpOlists have crushed out,
for their own selfish purposes, they at
tempt to alarm the people with ground
less fears. For years the people of the
| western portion of the state petitioned for
redress which was denied them ; they now
apply to the enlightened judgment Of the
people. The interests represented by the
speaker commend themselves to all Pom
| sylvaniars, and he expected patient
hearing and an impartial judgment.
What are the facts OF the case? The
| opponents of the free pipe line say that
the farmers would be injured by its con-
strucrion. The law proposes to give to a
chartered corporation the right to trans
port oil through pipes to any port Or
city in the commonwealth. 1t carefully
guards private property. No pipe can be
laid within the limits of any borough or
city until consent to 90 SO has been given
by the proper authorities. Through farm
lands the pipes must be buried at least
two feet below the deepest ploughing,
and the right of way must be paid for,
before the company enters upon tho land,
and tho company must give bonds to pay
for all damages that may subsequently oc-
cur in consequence of the laying of the
pipe. The difference between this law and
the railroad law is: that the pipe line is
made liable for all subsequent damages
done by the breaking Of pipe, &C.,
while the railroads are liable only for
damages done at the time of the construc-
tion of the road, except where the damage
is shown to have occurred through tho
company's carelessness.
| Tho people of Lancaster arc most
| fav off toI fhou ion, ,x,,;,,
eral wealth and have the finest agricultural
county in the world. If it can be shown
that no damage can come to them
through the construction of pipe line,
We ask that the advantages possessed by
Lancaster county shall not be made a
barrier to the development and success OF
less favored localities.
| Reasons For IL.
The speaker held, first that the pipe
limo bill is necessity to protect the inter
ests of the state second, that the Legisla-
ture has full power to grant to a pipe line
the privilege to enter upon lands, CIV
ing the owners thereof full COM
pensation therefore and third, that no
damage can occur to the owners of lands
or others that will not be fully compensat-
ed. The speaker thought that none of
these propositions needed argument, if
they were correctly stated. He then went
on to give brief history of the discovery
and wonderful progress of the oil interests
of this state. He showed that Pennsylva
MIA produced four -fifths of all the oil pro
duced in the country, and that up to 1872,
05 per cont. of the crude oil was refined
in this state that then the
Standard oil company, foreign
corporation, obtained q monopoly of the
business, carried the crude oil beyond the
limits of the state, crushed out our local
refineries and all other individual oil in
dustries, raised the price of oil on con-
sumers and amassed immense wealth in
the hands of a few monopolists. The
monopoly originated under the name of the
South Improvement company, a corpora
tion that was given power to do almost
everything, and they at once proceeded to
do it. They made an arrangement
with the Pennsylvania railroad company
by which they obtained an exclusive re
bate of s1.05 per barrel on all oil shipped
by them, thus crushing out all competi
tion. The Pennsylvania railroad company
agreed to protect them against all orpo.
sition and assist in securing them large
profits. In short time all home trans
porters and refiners were crushed out and
| gave ONcT W OulO tuU lN6W
York the manufacture of this great pro-
duct. Most of the profit of the oil interest
is made in refining, and this is almost ali
done outside the state, the ratio having
fallen in ten years from 95 per cent. to 10
per cent. How was this done? The
monopoly purchased lands, built lines to
Cleveland. Buffalo, from Bradford to New
York. Through these lines they can
pump from the oil regions to Cleveland
30, 600 gallons per day to Buffalo 10000
gallons, and to New York $4,000 gallons,
thus affording other states the vast ad
vantages of refining oil that ought to be
enjoyed by our own.
Tho Reduction OF Product
In 1872 the product of oil was $4,000
barrels per day, and now it is only G5, 600.
This being the case, it is often asked
"What necessity is there for new pipe
lines :" The speaker answered that the
necessity existed because the monopoly
refuse to transport oil on equal and liberal
terms. They carefully avoid Penn
sylvania towns and cities and
carry our own product beyond our
own borders for manufacture by mo-
nopolists in their own foreign 1efineries.
In one year they declared dividend of 1O5
per cent. on their stock besides building
new lines and buying new rights of way
| tO shut off cOmnetitiOn Under this con