The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-10-20
Trurs-why The Prejudice Against Them?


your editorial OF October 18TH, emitted
TRUSTS" you seem 10 have departed
from your usual course. You fightiy con-
dcmn the sugar Trust ana its sIc'nous,
anJ you commend one that Is Hi.Sh
Orse and assign as the cause OF the
popular prejudice against trusts. what
- not the cause. You say u SUIT en-
teri rises as the SiaAdaid vi tO.sa.y
ana the American TOBACCO 'vihp"lS
were ordinary mercantile partnerships M
stead OF Incorporated companies, IL
would be the JOY and prlde OF our IN
sttution TO see them prosper ana grow
ae rlcb az they are. and much richer too"
Trusts / believe, are an eNll anu a nish-
acc to our political ana coihhlSISiidi III ?,
and the larg sst and most pIeJudiciai 10
the interests OF our people IS one tEat
voa have held 10 as an example OF what
IL good thing trust Is. F. <.o,.
10 show this, / shall give few facts
from the records. II cOnversant VITA
these facts. ! am at q loss 10 kno" WY
your uaper that usually takes such a no
bic stand for right. has taken such
stand for this enemy OF me pl plc Weai'
This Is the second time that THIS tylan-
meal corporation has been quoted IN Inc
Times as fair sample OF whdt a Diessl y
Trusts are. IL was mentioned Septem-
Der I'd. in the article headed, "FSr'iliZe
refer 10 The Standard oil Company.
IL the official rccOris be true this mo-
nopOly has been guilty or 1ve species OF
crime that is punishable with lmprlsoh-
here, and shall consider them serlatim.
%. DefraIding the state OF taxes. ~ II
legal and wicked manipulation OF rail-
road rates and privileges. 90 raise STATE
mcnt by its members and president on
the witness stand. 90 Foul and dishonest
ueans in suppressing competition. 0)
Bribery, judicial and political. -.
% The Standard Oh Company In tho
State Of Pennsylvania, according to the
testimony OF one OF It's members owns
between Si00OJOp0 and SO,0ovO. The
Auditor General Of that state wrote that
they failed TO pay Que cent into the pun
lie treasury. Doing business IN the state
and within the grasp OF the taxing pow
or as decided by the courts, II FAILED TO
pay taxes or to make a report OF its tax
able assets FOR eight years, says Au-
dltor- General Schell. 1T has been dong
business IN this Commonwealth, and had
failed IN all that time 20 file single re-
port" The law required these reports,
but In spite OF the efforts or me ofhcers.
this company evaded the law. The Au-
ditcr-General calculated their taxes due
the State at $31i5.54lG. suit was brought
tho State employed an expert lie pro-
ceeded to try 10 bring these men 10 JUS
tice, the company's trustee bribed the
expert at $3.50, made the first pay,
ment OF $500. and cast him aside, and
paid the State instead Of &S,li5,oil6i, the
paltry sum Of $3.50 TO- IT was the
greatest violation Of law" said Mr.. Cow
en- before the Pennsylvania Legislative
COMMITTEES ever committed IN the Com
monweaith," Proceedings OF Joint Com
mittee Pennsylvania Legislature on stan
dard oil Company, and It's taxes, losS.
p2 $3.50. $40, 52l. 7l3, &c)
90 Illegal and wicked manipulation OF
railroad rates au1 privileges. TO gain
advantage over other rehners, this com
pany had a special low rate, While 1t fore
ed the railroad company TO charge others
two or three times as much. tRailroad
Freights Ohio House Of Representatives,
1879, D. Is, Il, AZ. &C. All others being cut
off "A
from SOC. 10 81 90 per Dbl cheaper. The
railroads brought oil 10 Marietta for the
Standard Oil Company at 1oc. Dbl.
and charged Geo. Rice Csc. and out OF
every 25c. paid by Rice, these companies
paid the Standard oil Co DC. TRUSTS.
Congress- 1888, PIP. 50-7S) Under the In
terctate Commerce Law since 1881 tSec.
iO). giving rebates is a crime punishable
with Imprisonment in the peniteniary.
The Interstate Commerce Commission de-
stribes the preference given the OIL Com
bination IN these terms: great difference
in rates" unjust discrimination" IN
territorial disregard Of rights" 'unexcus-
ed "en0rous." illegal" obnoxious"
forbidden by the act TO regulate COM
ncrce," long practiced." obnoxious
(R!ve VS.. l.. q y. Railroad. ct al, IN
terstate Com Commission Reports, vol.
Nor is this all, forcing the railroads 10
refuse cars TO other Shippers, TO delay
their oil, and 10 deny them an outlet
to The sea, are among the acts Of TINS
ID President on the witness stand In
New York an Investigation was started
in 1855 that revealed the fact that these
hundreds of millions Were controlled by
trustees" "These eight trustees control
an these ninety millions OF property scat
tered over the United States?" the Pres
ident was asked. They have as trustees.
and they have as individual owners
both" In cOrrObOration OF this testim0-
ny the trust furnished the New York
Senate Committee Of 1855 a list Of cor
porations the stocks Of which are Who'll
Standard OIL Trust" In this list, under
the head OF "New YORK State" appears
this. Capital stock, 100000, Standard
OH Company Of New York, manufacture
Trust ownership, entire TRUSTS, New
York Senate, lSSS PIP. COS &c) But
when the company Was threatened with
the perfection of its charter by the pro-
May. 1894. its President made oath as
follows: "rho Standard OIL Company Of
New York never permitted its stock to
be transferred 70. trustees" (Ahidayit
The perjury OF members and agents OF
this Company in civil and criminal suits,
want Of space prevents me from quot
ing the facts concerning.
.4) Foul and Dishonest means in sup
pressing competition. / have alre adv
spoken Of the use Of the railroads to
prevent this Al Columbus Miss. this
company attempted TO wreck the COM
mel cial interests, and ruin the grocers
because they refused 10 be .monOpolizad
by them. They established a store and
tried 10 wreck the others by underscn-)
ing them. The people OF Columbus COM
bined and stood by their merchants. Ii
was disgrace for a man TO enter the
OH Cos store BY united effort the mo-
nopoly was defeated. Their disgraceful
proceedings TO thwart the will of the
people of Toledo by falsehOOd bribery
ana perjury, is given In Rep1 TT of Cit
liens Committee on City Of Toledo and
its Natural Gas Bonds.
As to the wrecking by fraud OF the
oil business of widow. OF the cOnfis-
cation OF her property. and that OF her
orphan chliren BY this company, see Al
fidaVt. October u. 1850. case of Standard
Oil Co. VS.. w. G. Scofield. ct al. Cleve-
land. 1891
As to the bribery OF Albert TO blow up
ana set fire TO the oil works OF Mat
thews, an independent reflner, and his
tory Of the dlsgraceful trial, see Trusts,
Congress. 1883. PIP 69O-S26
1t would prolong this article 100 much
10 tell Of the wicked methods employed
by this trust 10 wreck Geo Rice and hun
dreds OF oil dealers in Pennsylvania, New
York, Ohio. and In the West.
90 Bribery. When arraigned for blow
ing I'D works In Rochester, the Oil Com
pany's trustee was convicted, the Judge
took the case from the first jury. A new
again. Six jurors made affidavits asking
trial was granted, they were convicted
for mercy and recanting their verdict.
The District Attorney said In Court:
These Jurors received money for max
ing these afiidavits. II required TO do
so. l will prove the statement" He was
not asked 10 do so.
/ have already spoken Of the bribery OF
the Pennsylvania State Official Henry
u. Payne. the OIL Company's Senator.