Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-03-01
THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE
What the Citizens of Santa Fe Think
About the Standard Oil Monopoly,
and the Proposition for Tax
ing This Corporation.
The OIL FURNISHED NOT FIT FOR USE
The Sentiment Here May Be Taken As
a Sample of Opinion on This Matter
Throughout All Parts of the
Territory of New Mexico.

very brief Introduction we'll be suffi-
Gent for the purposes of this article
which is Published to show the status of
public sentiment concerning the Stand
ard Oil monopoly.
AS stated some time since in these
columns, this great corporation, by alb
sorbing several other western corpora
tions dealing in oil, placed the territory
of New Mexico entirely at its mercy
Having accomplished this, it Immediately
proceeded to raise the price of this prod
uet to an exorbitaLt figure, and at the
same time the quality of oil furnished
was put at such low standard as tc
render it unfit for use.
Appeals 70 the territorial inspector il
this matter, have not had the slightest
effect, and so the company has continued
to furnish rotten oil at prices unheard Of
before, In the territory or anywhere else
Recently there has been introduced in the
legislature a measure imposing tax OIL
20 per cent upon the gross earnings Of
the company in New Mexico, the same tc
be ascertained by sworn returns from
company officials, by counties. 1t is the
opinion of many-entirely conversan
with the situation - that should this
measure become law, the tax imposed
would come from consumers by an in
crease in the present rates, and that NJ
material change in the status of affair!
would follow an enactment of the law a!
proposed.
| Others think that some provision should
be made whereby the company would b,
compelled to furnish better quality o
oil at a price much lower than tina
charged at the present time.
Following will be found the opinion o
a number of people who we're interviewer
yesterday on this subject:
Mr.. Fl. B. Hersey, of the Weather bureau
concerning the product furnished to con
sumers of this territory by the STANDARD
Oil monopoly, said yesterday. "The OF
is not fit for use. That's all. 1t is
burning shame that the people are force'
to submit to the dictation of this grea
corporation. While we were served b,
the Rocky Mountain Coal Oil compan,
and the company which preceded it, al
OAOoliCAu VI Oii WOO iuA ph'
this at reasonable rate. | have pur
chased good oil of these companies as 10,
as five cents per gallon in SO gallon tanks
We have coal oil inspector who is sup
posed to stand between the people ant
their robbers in this matter, but it is clea
enough that he neglects the DUTY for whicl
he was appointed. What it Is that in
duces this neglect, am not prepared t.
say. I am IN favor of taxing this cor
poration according to the business the
transact in the territory. Why not? Othe
corporations are taxed"
Rev. R. M. Craig when asked as to hi
opinion concerning the Standard Goa
Oil company and the measure now befor
the legislature for imposing a tax upo
this corporation said: "The oil furnishe
by this company is simply unfit for us'
but the people are required to pay ez
orbitant prices just the same. 1t seem
to me that something is wrong with tn
ms peotor. If he were to attend to tn
duty for which he Is appointed, such
condition of affairs could not exist. A
to the tax bill introduced, the measur
as it stands now, would put an add
tional burden upon the people. The
will pay this 20 per cent tax levied b.
Mr.. Sandoval's bill and not the company
Why not compel this company to furnis
better quality of oil and at the sam
time see to it that an inspector is ap
pointed who will do his duty"
Mr.. W. B. Slaughter, the barber, said
II have been using this oil for som
time, because l have been compelle,
to. The price is simply outrageou
and the oil is not tit for anything
We used to get good oil at Is and q
cents per gallon. 1t is clear enougl
that the operation of this Stand
ard company is barefaced robbery. No
only should it be taxed, but provision
should be made for forcing the com pan,
to furnish better oil.
Judge A. B. Fall: "The oil sold b,
this company is simply rotten, and unfi
for use."
A. G. Ireland: "The oil we get from
the Standard Coal Oil company is of
very poor quality and the price we ar
forced to pay is exorbitant."
Seligman Bros: "Ooal oil should b.
subject to the closest inspection as
safeguard to life and property. A new
law should be passed and rigidly en-
forced, bearing upon this matter of in
spection.''