Omaha daily bee., 1886-12-11
our country, the Standard OIL company,

our country, the Standard Oll company,
which monopoly would have been impoS
sible without help from the railroads.
90 to the railroads aud ask
them the rate from the east
to Omaha on oil i'm barrels where
the road freighting them own the cars.
Then ask the rate from the east to Omaha
in tank cars, the shipper furnishing his
own car and tank, and they say you must
pay fifteen dollars more than tho barrel
rate. You then ask can | get any rebate?
They says no. Anything for my car ser.
yice2 They say no. Do all pay this price?
Yes. Then we are to understand that the
Standard Oil Company and their branches
owning thousands of tank cars must pre-.
fer to put millions of dollars in tank cars,
and loose fifteen dollars a trip, and mil.
lions OF dollars in outfit to accommodate
the public We have no means of seeing
their books, but we know from the cir.
cumstantial evidence how TO measure
this gun. Then there are forty or fifty
more lines, White line Blue line and so
on that are run on the same plan. What
could be the object but TO absorb the
earnings so the public may not know
what is being done. As the railroads
have been before the courts more often
in regard TO their connection with the
Standard OIL Company than with any
other, more is known of these than any
obHtlS NillN tN anu llt htpuU-
lie devotes whole chapter to this subject
and we make some extracts. He
says For seven years since
the establishment of its absolute empire,
the Standard Oil company as n Journal
ist puts it, has bullicd the trade of the
country wholesale and retail alike.
With its power to control the retail trade,
at one time checking shipments and gut-
ting the market with crude Oil, at an.
nj bnr tnL inu pN1ptlN thp nnnnSItp
accompanied by ITS almost unlimited re-
sources for manipulating the speculative
exchanges, and by the constant rebates
which at one time amounted TO 0,U0j,-
600 in sixteen months-the accumulation
OF wealth by the Standard has been un-
checked. Its resources, which in 1873
were 81 900, 900, and in 1873 had grown
to $50, 100000, are now rated ut the enor-
nous sum of 100000 600. 1t has been
claimed that this vast aggregation of
wealth has been created by superior bus
iness ability. One writer says: "ln one
sense the Standard is entitled to all it
has. Its energy, toreshight, sharpness
and calculating precision OF probabili-
ties have brought it with exceptional
luck its vast accumulation of wealth
and power and property. This
Is an erroneous view. 1T is true that the
Standard has been managed with ability.
The greatest foresight and audacity We're
required to conceive the monopoly and
to obtain from the railways the favors
which established 1t. If highway rob-
Der should gain vast plumber by bribing
the railways and the courts to let him,rob
trains with impunity, his remarkable
boldness of conception and soundness of
Judgment in selecting his tools, would
be acknowledged But he would own
his wealth not 10 his ability, but to nefa-
rious corruption and violation of duty on
part of those whose business it is to pro-
tect the public. In like manner the abil-
ity and energy of the managers of the
Standard Oil company would never have
given them more than local Importance
if they had not been favored by the rail
ways with rebates and privileges that
enabled them to crush competition. Nor
could that monopoly have been main
tanned without the corruption of legisla-
tors and the bribery of public officers.
The railroad determinations were plainly
shown in the suit of Scotield, Shurmer
q Teagle against the Lake Shore road,
which was tried in Cleveland. The pres
ident and general manager testified that
his road ever since his connection with
it, had given better rates to the Standard
than to other relineries. The general
freight agents testimony showed the
character of that discrimination in the
| fact that the Standard at one time en-
| ioyed rate to Chicago of 35 cents per
barrel, and 2S cents in tank cars, while
the tariff rate was so cents per barrel.
| Upon It's average shipments. therefore.
the Standard bad a margin of profit of
100000 annually, enabling it on this
branch of its business to defy competi-
ton" This is great wrong for the peo-
| pie to endure. But what of the stock
holders who have been wronged out of
| 81 ,G00,00 If road is operated under
n charter il must do business within
the meaning of that charter Why can
not any stockholder maintain a suit at
law and regain all rebate money paid by
the road? Simply because n man is an
officer of a road does not mean he can
pocket what earnings he pleases. "Think
ihnSn fhinOS - Ii DnnnNI. NJ