Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1892-11-04

Shut Down in 1887.
The Iabcring men should know some
thing about the record of Thomas W.
Phillips, the Republican candidate Tor
Congress.
In September of 1857 the oil produ-
| GERS wished to stop the production OF OIL
for long peroid of time in hope that the
price of oil would advance materially g.
| Such a shut down meant a great loss 70
| the workingman who put down the wells
| and operated them.
| Thos. ". Phillips was then the Presi-
dent of the Oil Producers Association, and
| be absolutely refused TO go into that shut
| down scheme until the workingman was
| incorporated into the plan, and 1,OOO,OOO
barrels of oil was set aside as their part OF
AS 4 result, $500, 900 was netted to the
laborinr men employed BY the different
| members of The association.
The letters here published speak for
themselves and should be read by every
workingman. ,.oo
THE NEWS
Deuuiston. ESQ. Secretary Butler Assem-
DIV. P. P. A.. Dear Sir:-Your favor of the
7th inst. to hand You ask if | will make
an official statement on the position
Thomas " Phillips took on the labor queS-
| ton when our labor organization was about
to 90 into the shutdown movement. l knew
that the contract as between the producers
themselves was being prepared IN the
First General Assembly. held September
| 1887, Mr. Phillips insisted that the prohts
on one million barrels of the nTe mllllons,
which we were to receive from the otanu
ard Oil Co, should be set aside Tor the
profit of the labor element OF the Whole
Ill country, and that We would require the
standard Oil Co. to be liberal as We pro
posed to be and to subscribe another mil.
| lion barrels, the profits TO be distributed
| by our organization to the labor element,
/ the same AS the profits would be on the
million set aside by the P. p. A. Thus,
through the efforts of Mr.. Phillips, as
against the sentiment OF the majority OF
the Board. the profits on two million bar
reIs Of oil, amounting to two hundred and
ninety thousand dollars, in round figures,
was distributed by our organization to the
labor element Of the country. Mr.. Philips
gave the above as his ultimatum, and that
unless such clause was inserted IN the con-
tract, he must decline to 60 into the move
ment The force Of Mr.. Phillips position
was such, be being the President OF the
Il Association. tNut tue ucuNlGl A9oSAIDif
agreed with him, and he carried the day.
| The fact is the 1000, 900 barrels were sold
| first, and therefore brought greater prof
| it, viz; 1920, 900, while the 1000, 600 bar
| rels sold for the benefit of the producers
gave a profit Of only $2s7 900 showing that
the labor oil yielded $1,000 in excess OF
what double the amount of oil held by the
| producers brought.
| trust this statement * i'll answer your
| question satisfactorily.
Very truly yours,
j. IL. GOLDsBoRoUGH,
Secretary p. p. A.
BUTLER, Pa, Oct 16, 1890.
"Having been shown the letter written
| by J r. Godsborough, Secretary of the
| Producers Protective Association, and
| bearing date Of Oct. 8, 1890, in reply to
A. F. Denniston, Secretary Of the Butler
Assembly of the Producers Protective As
| sociation, we, as officers of The Well Drill
| ers' Union of Butler county, certify that
| it il correct, and that we received and dis
bursed our proportinate share of the 500,
| 900. We further state that The Well Drll-
| lers Union before the close of the "Shut in
movement" had fixed the amount to be
paid for drilling IN the various oil fields at
a certain price per ioot and that Mr.. T..
w. Phillips, believing the consideration
too low in the Butler field where he was
and now is operating, voluntarily ad-
vanced the price on all wells he was drill
| ling, by contract. ten cents per foot above
| the price we had fixed.
[Signedl W. A. HANLoN,
President OF the Butler Well Drillers'
Union.
p i. BETcH,
Secretary of the Butler Well Drillers'
Union.