The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-04-01
THE STANDARD OIL SUIT.
HASIS OF THE OHIO CHARGES
AGAINST THE GREAT Trust.
Ohio Company Ordered TO >ePar
ate Itself From the Conhine-one
Of the severest Legal Fights ON
a~~ora-&~s.ou In other states

TRANSFORMATION facilities or czaSI~ ne ~
laFgaGs firm. was known as Clark payne
! co. Tn.s soon was transformer sh.o :.
CORPORATION 10 which the title sSan1ard
OH COMPANY was given IL was the policy
Of this CORPORATION 10 absorb other refining
] concerns as rapidly as possible. AaoUs
this time the South Improvement tosa-
/ Tsany was organized. The South improve
rrent Company has been forgotten ~ the
I public for years. osst there was time
/ when its name indicated an immense and
| highly mysterious power. II was Gem
| posed OF thirteen men, not one q whom
! lived IN the Gil rexion or was an owner
| % oil wells or oil lands amt il sough,
/ 70 further the objects % its members ~
/ controlling the transportation OF OIL To
| this end. il was charged then. i made
| contracts in Is-. with virtually all the
| railroads IN the oil regions as follows;
| u To double freight rates on oil; - not
/ 10 charge the company The increase ~
10 give IL the Increase collected from al
| competitors; IA II make any other change
/ Of rates necessary 10 guarantee its sue
| cess in business. 10 III destroy It's CON-
! pe1itors oy high freight rates: 50 ~ fur
nksa details OF It's competitors business
/ 70 the Scuta Improvement Company No
| one save the uaeubsrs - the company
| ard the railroad managers knew Of this
contract until * WAS put IN force on
February "a
Then TIE producers termed an opposition
combine" with a capital OF s.esasa %
! fight the company. says an Eastern ex-
/ change. Ne OIL Ras sold % It's members
/ By producers to- a month Great meetings
/ were held There was even talk q civil
| war Ia the Oil regions. Within fo-ty-esgst
hours after the contract went ir1o effect
TIE entire business of the OH region was
Tssralyzs>.. OH went down 70 a paint 3
cents below the cost o production. The
/ aorsng Of new wells was stepped. existing
/ wells were shut down Tf}onSza Rsis %
/ Men were thrown cut OF work X began
/ 20 look as IL the producers might wifi.
/ when one % their nuale-s- sas Induced
| 10 sell 81 a big advance. He supposed
| his oil would 5e taken away quietly. 5n;
! il was shipped with q flourish % truEnpets-
! The producers combine then went I'd
pieces. Il was n principle as strong rs
/ the South improvement. Company, bat Il
! had 10 leader OF John D. Rocseselier's
! ezli5er.
On March Is. iS-a. congress ordered an
/ investigation of the company. and on
| March IS the railroad contracts were de-
! ctared Cancelled. and the representativ OF
! the Eve oil roads-PennsyivanIa, New York
| Central. Erie, Lake Shore and Atlantic
and Great Westerly pledged themselves
| not 10 discriminate auy more
Rockefeller said IL 7>s3. There was
. never the slightest connection between
I the Standard Oil Company and the South
/ Improvement Company, which died in en-
bryo. without doing any business This
statement has not been accepted with en-
thusiastic readiness everywaera
The Standard Oh! trust was formed after
this. though the Standard OIL Company
already was in existence Tae STANDARD
Oil trust included the Standard Qs. Com
pany. just as Il did many other com
panies. The opponents g the trust de-
/ clare thai the methods 90 The trust were
( a continuation - those attempted by the
South Improvement Company. that these
methods included discrimination - all
sorts agaiyasr competitors By the railroads
| ard tbs actual payment Of specific trih.
/ Ute ~ the trust for every barrel o. os,
carried for com et:1ors- Il was sworn %
/ before a congressional investigation Sous-
| us3ttee that at one time th, AVERAGE
freight per barrel paid BY outsiders was
/ 80, thai the rebate % The s-ust made
! is rate S>ba csrts-a difference OF 5ite
/ c%nts--arl2 that the difference was paid
| - he trust by me railroads on ai} oil
/ carried ~ the trusts competitors without
/ expense % itself Testimony II sh1S pur-
] Tor, has been given before several state
! ard national invests Satirg committees ard
| Hefers. ras interstate commerce commits
| stem. ths. amount es rebate varying from
/ i3-se - time N q general way ihe sr,lsf
/ nas denied TIE truth - IRE testimony
! though admitting tAat Z always got what
| ever advantage < esaIie 81 The fern ~
! low fTs3ga; rates due - he ssct tha:
is business was larger thar that u any
sa-u reyi:or In other words say It's De-
| Tenders IRE Standard simply hs,axhi
| freight az wholesale, While others Soagh,
AT retail
Tac strongest card ever paved ~ the
| cyr0sstlar was re laying - a -spe lire
/ to re Sesi FROM ;he osl regions Much
| u1eney Mas sveut n This nav ard X See-ra
| esi Rs = ts4 5s}'si Iers Aad 81 least Trhs-
/ inE chance hut ere Ssaziars wisH re
greater cap!tai played stronger cards sra
! soon at<@zraed tie pipes II ncw psp<s
| rsast * 49, e-us.e OF &13 TIE railroads
! carry i1,t1e
| I've tr7-st'~ three mos. determined emo
! 1assts have beer CSeo~xs RICE Samuel Kan
Syckel ard Csss.ss = Matthews George
EsSe told Nj Rockefeller az the resh}Sc
/ inquiry As18 ny oEsso eeSclAls here last
/ ,at3 tAat re- Standard aad rsi5ae3 h.-a He
Flsa uss3e pGassc tAe statement Published
! l1st suEsaY that az attempt na3 been
! made ~ Sta~5ay3 rep- sentative a.
! Erfse At, erney General Monnstt O. 9hfe
/ cser5rr hir7 s&ssass9 20 s-o-> Cfso+s T,-ss#-,e
! eetf1-S sr5jrs; tAe Sss~tsarf .an7 So Sab
( sdiarr'' corporations Bioe's Sight IS an
independent -v1ne~ tasted twenty years
samuel Van Sycks1 VITO Agfs- ~ 81,
/ sFe A0e IT 80 snY~ 5Aar ia c7-r.ssfs-z-
/ tsa- wired oac aoth h3s psv-s 1sne a-ss r.
/ 11eTy worth $50 80 >ssete KS Ae-~~
.hat ~ tmw%rts8 2 rew 17ssNssz - s.sssr.s---
( per< Oscillation vhsch wcssfss lover 80.
/ Trso@ - s<EoSe7a Vastly and Improve sts
/ aws&tr- So sT1stTe1 - @aa's IN his axr.
/ aaaE in 1e-sev C,y IN rs Ness was s~-
( connected wgfN - S5a@a&-,s - Az3ts sna
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