Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-17
ALL READY TO FIGHT.
Independents Mean Business in 0p-
posing the Standard.
BOUND TO HAVE THEIR OWN LINES
And Pipe and Refine Their Petroleum on
Their Own Hook.
OIL NOTES FROM SEVERAL FIELDS

Mr.. Thomas Liggett was interviewed yes
terday by THE DISPATCH scout upon the
feeling among the independent producers,
and whether they were ready and willing to
pool their interests against the Standard
monopoly. Following is what he said:
"You are right in supposing that the
producers are ready and willing to combine
against the Standard Oil Company. The
statistics furnished you by Mr.. Kirk in
this mornings DISPATCH represent the
status of the oil business to-day, and shows
how well they can afford to spend money in
crushing opposition. The Independent ele-
ment has never been in quite so good condi-
tion to fight as to-day. The producers have
not been on the Exchange. and are there
fore not so poor as usual. The
railroad companies have been given
to understand that they must give shippers
square deal, and the producing business has
drifted down to the Southwest, until now re-
fineries at PittsDurg and along the ONO can
have an ample supply of crude from Butler,
Allegheny and Washington counties, and on
down the Ohio. In addition to rail facilities
they have the Mississippi and tributaries to
scatter home consumption, and home CON
sumption mean profit. The Standard is selling
reinedin Colorado to-day at 40 cents per gallon
THE SAME CONDITION
exists along the lakes in the Northwest, where
they ship from Cleveland by water. Water
transportation being the cheapest the Ohio
Valley is the best location for independent re-
fineries for home consumption. A pipe line to
the seaboard is advisable for export trade, but
the opponents of the Standard rule must not
depend entirely on either home or export trade
if they intend to stay in the business. For
instance, the stills in the new Globe Refinery
at Philadelphia were hardly heated properly
until refined dropped 2Hc in that city and
stayed at TIC in New YORK.
You will in all likelihood see large part of
the money which the Standard has paid re-
Gently for production 20 right into reineries
and pipe lines; for whilc there were some very
large properties sold, there were very few in
divlduals included, and you will find that in
the three counties-Butler, Allegheny and
Washington-two-thirds of the production is
their oil with independent lines and take stock
in addition. Two millions Of dollars in money
and twothirds of the southwest production
can be gathered together within the next go
days You can safely calculate on nine-tenths
of all the production outside of the Forrest
and South Run Oil companies going to lnde-
pendent lines.
READY TO BACK THE SCHEME.
"You will f1nd all such men as McCalmont OIL
Company, T. W. Phillips, H. w. Christie. Pat
terson & Lockwood, J. NJ. Guffey & Co., John |
NJ. Patterson, Jennings & Son, NJ. E. Gr1ffiths, |
and hundreds of others, will not only put in all |
their oil, but money as well. With such stock |
holders and good organization the beginning |
of the end of the Standard power will be GER /
tain to follow shortly.
History, since the beginning of the world has |
shown a growth in nations or corporations |
(when they used their power and oppression) to
a point where they appeared to be invincible. |
then their downfall started. Such has been the |
growth OF the Standard, ana with the combina-
ton of circumstances, natural and otherwise,
the business to-day, 1t appears to
me that the beginning of the end Of her power
in not great way off"