Evening journal., 1896-02-01
THE BIG OIL MONOPOLY
Rumors That the Standard Viii
BE Reorganized.
THE CAPITAL TO BE s2oo,ooO,ooo.

rhe Purpose said to BE to Weld the Links
Together and Prevent the Disintegra-
tion OF the Famous Trust-The Rookie
feiIcrs Arc silent.
NEW York, Feb. l.--All signs point to
ihe reorganization Of the Standard Oil
lrust into great stock cOrporation with
capitalization two or more times that Of
.he old concern This would mean per-
haps 100000, 600.
Tho so called trust professed to have dis.
solved itself 3 = years ago, and each Of the
Joint owners pafceled out AMONG thoin-
selves porportionate amount Of the stock
n each OF the subordinate companies, 50
that IN practice, though not in theory, the
rust still exists just as It did before tho
shange was made.
Attention was first called to the fact
hat something unusual was going on by
he sudden rise in the stock. Only few
lays ago it was quoted below 200, but 10
lay the bid is 225, and none is to DO had
20 that price. There has been talk about
,xtra dividends, but the reports have been
ienled.
Rockefeller Did Not Deny II.
When John D. Rockefeller was asked
ibout the reported reorganization into a
Dig stock corporation, he declined TO affirm
,r dcny it, saying that he was not in po-
iti0n 10 speak about the mattor Solicitor
). G.. n. Dodd Of the Standard OIL conf
oany also declined to talk, but no did not
ieny t. ns is bis usual custom with re-
ports that have nothing in them.
A prominent oil man. who keeps track
lf most OF the developments In this par
icular line, said that he was convinced
hat plans were on foot for the roorganiza-
ion of the trust, and probably the idea
was that more permanent organization
should be formed for Welding tho various
properties together so that the great trust
viii not disintegrate when the master
hands are no longer at the helm.
There Is always danger Of legislation
which may prove a serious monaco 10 the
present organization and it is believed
hat way has been found for merging
.hem permanently into one property.
What this is docs not yet appear. Tho
Standard Oil company now pays 10 per
sent dividends on its old certificates. Six
per cent on 5000, 000 600 would still prove
A good Investment so long as they retain a
practical monopoly Of the oil business.
No Fear OF Rivals.
There are several outside oil companies
which are making considerable headway
toward bringing an independent pipe line
10 tidcwater They have already been able
to raise upward of $4,000, 600 and have
q large number Of Independent producers
back Of them. IL has been suggested that
the Standard magnntes fear the outsiders
may break their monopoly. There are no
present indications, however, that the
Standard people are much disturbed by
the competition.
A dispatch from Cleveland quotes Vice
President Frank Rockefeller as saying:
"This is the first that ! have heard of such
a thing, and It Is from the beginning TO
the end news to me. IN the first place.
the Standard OIL company Is not a trust
and has not been for three years.
"Wo were a trust until three years ago,
when the state legislature legislated us
out of existence as a trust. and we have
since been a corporation. OF course there
are few odds and ends of the concern
which we have not yet picked up and
which we are taking in as fast as we can.
These we are realizing ON all the time,
and I'm those respects, and these respects
only, are we in any way trust or CON
noctod with a trust. To my knowledge
there Is absolutely nothing On which such
story could be based. and, in fact, there
is no fousdntion for the story