The record-union., 1899-06-18
|. N. Lockwood, an Oil Producer
Of zslienople, Pa,
Makes a Statement in Opposition to the
Standard Oil Trust.
Declares That This Company Has
Driven the Independent Refn-
cries Into Bankruptcy and
Servitude, Denouncing tho

cries Into Bankruptcy and
Servitude, Denouncing tho
| Course Pursued in Severe Terms.
WASHINGTON, June 1.-THE In
dustrial Commission to-day heard a
statement from L. M. Lockwood, an Oil
producer of Zelienople, in opposition to
| the Standard oil trust. Mr.. Lockwood
declared that this company had driven
| the independent refineries into bank
ruptcy and servitude. and he denounced
| the course pursued in severe terms. He
| held the railroads especially responsible
| for this condition of affairs. Going
| back to 1872 he referred at length to a.
contract made by the trunk lines OF
Pennsylvania with the South Improves
ment Company. Under this contract,
he said, the freight rates on oil were
doubled and half thhe amount collected
was paid back as rebate-not only this,
but the contract company received al
like rebate of the shipments of all other
companies. The contract, he declared.
was secretly continued by the railroads
and by the Standard Oil Company.
He quoted A. j. Cassatt. the new
President of the Pennsylvania Railroad,
as testifying before the Interstate Rail-
way Commission to the effect that
while the open rate to the public was
! S1.9O per barrel, the rate to the Stand
ard Company was so cents. Further
investigation, said Mr.. Lockwood. had
developed the fact that the general
companies only received 35 cents. This
condition of affairs had resulted for q.
time, according to the witness, in giving
the Standard Company a profit of 400
per cent, while the independent refiner-
les were being driven rapidly into bank
ruptcy.
Mr.. Lockwood was free in the use OF
epithets, characterizing both the oil
company and railroad officials as high
waymen and brigands.
IF you have got to be robbed" he
exclaimed, ''it does not matter much
whether you are held up by Dick Tur-
pin with. pistol or by John Rookie
feller with a railroad: 1T is robbery ain
the same"
s He said that men who had carefully
analysed the testimony taken before the
Hepburn committee estimated that i'm
1856 months time the five trunk lines
of Pennsylvania had paid the Standard
Company S11 100000 in rebates. The
railroad companies here, he said. COM
pletely ignored the order of the Indus
trial State Commission to stop their
discrimination in favor of the Standard
Company, resorting then to the system
of false billing.
Speaking of the remedy for the evil,
Mr.. Lockwood said it was in particular
ownership of the railroads, and not to
be found in courts-the courts were too
slow and, expensive.
The railroads and the oil company
can razoo a man up and down in the
courts for ten years" he said, until
he is, ruined, and then go ON with their
work, leaving their victim stranded AS
a reward. the combines elevate their
instruments to higher places politically.
Thus it was that the thoughts of the
common people were gradually becorn-
ing fixed to the effect that the great
railroad combines were gradually pack
ing the Supreme Courts with men i'm
sympathy with their monopoaistic ten-
denotes, and would do their bidding.
Thus the interstate commerce law was
rendered ineffective.
IF the railroad companies can con-
troll the appointment of the Attorney
General and of Justices of THE Supreme
Court, what do they care for the faw?''
the witness asked
The only safe plan. said Mr. Lock-
wood. was to take the railroads out
of the hands of the corporations and
place them under control of the Gov
ernment, so that every man could go to
market as cheaply as every other man.
He considered all the railroads of the
country "a specially gigantic trust, and
asserted that they were in control of
cur politics, contributing millions to
elect legislators, Senators and Judges,
and to punish those not willing to do
their bidding With absolute equality
over the roads. the Independent compa-
nies would drive the Standard Company
into a secondary place in a short time.
The afternoon session Of the commis-
sion was characterized by the develop
ment Of difficulties among the members
of the commission as to the character
of testimony that should be admitted.
Mr.. Lockwood made the statement that
Judge Albert Haight of the New York
Court Of Appeals had been elevated to
his position by the corporations through
the use of a, corruption fund, because OF
his action i'm what was known as the
Matthews case-a proceeding of a rail-
road com binaltion against the independ-
ent refineries. He afterward said that
while convinced the facts were as he
had stated, he had not actually seen
the fund, and therefore the statement
was an inference only
At this point Mr.. Farquhar of the
commission rose to protest against the
character of the testimony, saying that
Judge Haight was his next door neigh
Dor, and one of the purest men he ever
knew. He had never heard before an
imputation upon his character. He ap-
pealed to Mr.. Lockwood to have the
statement stricken out of his testimony.
s"The statement he said. "wasi not tes-
timony, but it was pure libel"
Former Congressman Phillips, presid-
ing. held that the testimony was COM
petent.
In his statement before the commits
sion yesterday President DOVE Of the
Commercial Travellers submitted figures
to show that the organization of the
trusts had resulted in throwing 5000
statesmen out of employment and In re-
ducing the salaries of $4,000 more He
estimated that the annual loss to the
statesmen on account of loss of employ
ment and reductions aggregated $6O,-
COO, 900. to the hotels $2S 100000 and to
the railroads S27 600. because OF tho
ioss Of patronage.