Sistersville oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1896-1901, 1898-11-23
An Attorney General Awakening Up


Ohio, has come to the conclusion
that the Standard Oil company
pays no taxes on property paying
dividends of $24, 200, 900 in that
state. He was in Lima several
DAYS last week and is this week in
Cleveland securing further evidence
for use in his suit against the
Standard monopoly. Mr.. Monnett
states that he has learned in spite
of the antagonistic efforts of the
attorneys and officers of the trust
that the same men are directors OF
a bank in New York city, of the
pipe line company and of all the
constituent companies of the great
oil trust; that the company, con-
trary to the conditions of its char
ter, keeps its books and papers and,
in short, has its principal office in
Oil City, Pa, instead of Lima, Ohio,
as is provided in the company's
charter; also that the company
without any such privilege granted
in its charter, owns and is operat-
ing telegraph line from New York
to Chicago, passing through its oil
centers; that it also handles COM
mercial business on this line for the
general public and that it conducts
a telephone business. Not only is
the Standard doing this common
carrier business without warrant,
but is and has been concealing the
fact from the auditor of the state of
Ohio, thus evading the state excise
law tax. Really, Mr.. Monnett has
at this late day learned much that
he could have easily become &C
quainted with by an hours visit
to Bradford at any time within the
past few years. What he now tells
the Ohioans is old stuff to any
Pennsylvania oil producer. How
ever, it is better late than never,
and Mr.. Monnett further says that he
proposes to make these facts the
basis of a supplemental petition
against the Standard Oil In Ohio
and bring it to time for the new (0
violation oflaw which he has found.
Mr.. Monnett has also found out
that "the Standards sends out from
Oil City each morning the market
quotations on OIL" This is won.
derful; almost any Bradford man
could have told Mr.. Monnett all
this a year ago, in fact they could
give him more information in ten
minutes than he could gather in
Ohio in ten years. Mr.. Monnett
says further: "The Ohio directors
could not tell US when they were
elected or when they acquired own
ership of one share of stock that
each "", O. lem owns. They did
not know WI were the stockhold-
ers and state on the stand that
man named Hall came out from
New York t. attend the stockhold-
ers meeting With majority Of the
stock to be voted. They defy US
to make them surrender the stock
for cancellation and defy the state
to prosecute them for holding the
certificates ii VIZ lion Of the order
of the courts Thy hold them in
violation ct re s..:s's orders and
refuse to ! st them for taxation be-
cause il. say they are illegal
entities. These certificates repre-
sent property which in one year
paid in cash dividends to the
amount of $24, 900, 900 and it pays
not one cent of taxes" Mr.. Mon
nett although slow in gathering all
this knowledge may yet accomplish
all that he has set out to do; dis
solve the charter of the Standard in
Ohio and compel it to "ante"
heavily for its past misdeeds. He
has the best wishes of all the oil
producing sections of the various
states for an early success.-Brad-