Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-03-11
COMMISSION DID IT.
That is, Gets Cotton Seed
Oil Mill For Us.
HOW 1T PROMOTES INDUSTRY.
Interesting History of the Cotton Seed
Trust and the Fort Worth
Oil Mill in
1884.

THE GAZETTE man fell in with Mr.. E.
Van Wrinkle of Atlanta, Ca, yesterday, and
obtained particulars of the establishment
of a big cotton seed oil mill, which is re-
ported elsewhere. While talking about this
new industry, politics, Of course, was
brought in by some of the party present,
and the merits of Hogg and Clark came uD.
~ am no politician, % said Mr. Van Win
kle, Il am business man. 1 live in Geor-
gia, and don't know much about Texas
politics, Hogg or Clark, but Let me say this
1t will be the saddest day for Texas that
ever dawued when you let the politicians
abolish the railroad commission or emas-
culate it.
"You are a pretty strong commission
man, thenP' ventured the reporter.
Eyes; am a commission man. I have
seen its workings in Georgia, and it has
been the salvation of the local industries of
that state. To bring the matter home,
young man, will say that this cotton seed
oil mill that am going to put in is ali on
account Of the railroad commission. It can
protect me, and l am not afrald to put my
money in Texas industries-but not a cent
would l have put here if there had been nd
commission
'Now am going to tell you a piece of
history. A cottonseed oil mill was built in
Fort Worth in 1884. had an interest in it,
and number of Fort Worth men put their
That mill was crushed out by the Cotton
ussed oil trust, like all the other mills IN
Texas that were not in the trust, and it was
by means of the railroads that the trust
was able to do this. The trust represented
that it owned all the mills in Texas ad
would handle all the cottouseed, and
made special rates with the roads To IL
lustrate: The trust, by virtue of blanket
rates and other railroad devices, shipped
seed from Denison through Fort Worth to
Galveston for the same price that the seed
could be laid down for in Fort Worth.
Then. when we had made the oil, we had to
pay additional freight on it and the oil cake
to Galveston for reshipment to Europe,
where most of the product went. Thus
paying double freight, we could not COM
pete with the trust and had to close. That
was the history of every independent mill
in Texas.
Within two years from the time of the
establishment of the railroad commission in
Georgia there were twenty or more off
mills in operation. which could not other
wise have existed. The mileage rates su-
perBeding blanket rates, built these mills.
1t put all mills on an equal footing, and
that busted the trust
. In fact, sir it is not alone the cotton seed
oil mills that thrive under the commission,
but all local industries. Cotton seed oil mills
are springing up all over Texas, and where
properly managed they are profitable. XIII
your railroad commission, or render it use
less, and you kill these industries.
THAT is why I am for commission
said Mr.. Van Wrinkle.
This gentleman is large manufacturer
Of cotton ginning and other machinery in
Atlanta, Ca, and is interested in number
of cotton seed oil mills throughout the
South. His words have q meaning that
cannot be misunderstood.