The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-03-15
STANDARD OIL COMPANY.
A Railroad Presidents Opinion 0f TIL
GREAT MOnOuOly.

/ Vic iihll Va kue SHHss is"Hin AAoAoV -
Representatives Mt Harrisburg, on
Tuesday night, Feb. -, on the Hnlings
Anti-Freight Discrimination bill. lie
urged that there must be discrimination,
and he objected to the proposition to
reward "informers. He then pro-
ceeded to present the situation ~ it
exists between the people and the
Standard Oil Company, and his re-
marks created great sensation. We
quote from report in the Philadelphia
Times.
The Reading Company, he said, had
suffered gross injustice by another
companv's unjust discrimination. If
Legislators had properly cared for the
two great staples of Pennsylvania oil
and coal--this would have placed her
on a pinnacle Of greatness that could
not be reached by any other State.
The greatest railroad Of the State had
closed its doors against transportation
Of these great staples. except to few
favored friends. OF the %, 600, 900 bar
rels Of crude petroleum exported last
year, all were controlled by the Stand
ard Oil Company, except the 1000. 900.
This the Tide Water Pipe Line got.
This monopoly would not exist but for
the fostering Of the Standard Company
by railroads OF this State and one or
two in New York.
The Standard Company was continn-
ing. by unjust discrimination, to work
against the Tidewater Company. The
latter company required the use Of 9th
er railroads beside its own, the Read
ing. to transport its products from the
retineries. To show how it was treated
when it applied for transportation Mr..
Gowen read letters to the Chester Oil
Refining Company from Agent Wilson.
of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and
Baltimore railroad. one Of the lines
controlled by the Pennsylvania railroad.
In one instance the oil company was in
formed that it would be charged 30
cents a barrel for oil from Thurlow. n
short distance below Chester. to Wash
ington. lbs miles, while Mr.. Gowen
said that not more than that was
charged for the $50 miles from Pitts
bnrgh to Washington. by way Of Har-
risburg and Baltimore. Another letter
from Mr.. Wilson told the company that
the railroad would carry oil from Thur
low to Lock Haven for 23 cents per loo
pounds. but would not allow empty cars
to be brought for the OIL
The cars said Mr.. Gowen, cxcit-
ing laughter. must he brought on a
wheelbarrow or on a canal-boat or in II
balloon. Now. if / saw my friend. the
Attorney General of this common
wealth, would like to show him these
letters"
The laugh caused by this quickly
stopped when the speaker. firing up
and looking like lion ready to spring.
added: IF l were Attorney General
and saw these letters, Id see who owned
this commonwealth.
Stamping of feet and clapping of
hands among Democrats and Rcpuh-
leans were excited bv this declaration
THE Standard Oil Company. the
speaker almost Kissed, looks on all
this like yultnre on the battlefield.
waiting for corpse II the Standard
people succeed i'll crippling its little
struggling rival, it will take two wears
before any other competing line can
reach the country, and meanwhile
the Standard Company will grind ont
Of the people an additional 5000
need the aid Of the Attorney General
OF the commonwealth. 4 man
named Patterson in the Gil country
filed bill III equity against rs. repre-
senting that he was stakeholder of the
Tidewater Pipe Line We believe that
the Standard had paid him to do this.
and we forced out Of him confession
that such was the fact. During his pro-
ceedings against the Tidewater Com
pany he SAID he had been employed to
gather testimony for the commonwealth
Company to make it pay its taxes. He
confessed that the Standard Company
had paid him -, 500 to suppress that
testimony. He suppressed it, and with
the 81 800 he bought the stock in our
company. If there's any cause for our
Attorney General TO institute proceed
ings it is this here. | am prepared to
TESTIFY. and now before the Legislature
| Of this commonwealth l charge that
the Standard Oil Company bribed a
witness with $1,000 to suppress testi-
mony"
| Senator's and Representatives were
startled as much by Governs manner OF
! making the accusation as by the charge
itself. They whispered to one another
I that there would soon be music in the
air. Mr.. Gowen said If such hill rs he
now offered had been passed ten years
ago this curse Of the commonwealth.
fostered by railroad companies. could
not have grown. Beside, with reve-
nue. of not more than 30 cents from a
! barrel of oil, the commonwealth would
have been 500, 900, 900 richer to-day.
No country in Europe or Asia in which
such statement should be heard rs Ii
now made would delay to overturn I'll.
strongest dynasty that ever sat on i
throne. But the patience with which
the American people subject themselves
to outrage was proyerhial. He fol
one, however, was not going to try /,
submit to it any longer. Il have frl
oftentimes.' he said. that If / coul,
only leave my other duties would be
gin with all the zeal and determination
i of Peter the Hermit when he undertook
the crusade. and all over this grea
State, from Lake Erie to the Delaware
strive to raise up such a power as wonl,
teach these people that
When once the slumberinv passions wake.
The peaceful are the strong"
Mr.. Gowen i not the only American
citizen who feels like preaching Pete
the Hermit crusade against the aggres
sions of monopolies on public rights
There must he vent to this feeling O
there will come an explosion. Hustle,
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