The times., 1899-06-18
CONCLUSION OF THE
TRUST INVESTIGATION
NJ. L. Lockwood Before the In
dustrial Commission.
Representative Bells Remarks on
the Rights of Witnesses.
He Threatens to submit n Minority
Report Under Certain
Conditions.

Representative Bell, of Colorado, q mem
Der of the Industrial Commission. admin
istered stinging rebuke to that body yes
terday, on what he termed its tendency to
make witnesses testify to suit the indi-
vidual opinions of some Commissioners.
Mr.. Bell threatened to make minority
report at the conclusion of the work OF
the Commission, charging that the inves-
tigation had not been non-partisan, and
that witnesses had been restrained from
stating facts.
The trouble grew out of a statement
made by NJ. L. Lockwood, an independent
oil producer of Pennsylvania, who was on
the witness stand at the time, and who had
Just made the charge that Judge Albert
Haight. of New York had received his ju-
dicial position through the influence OF
railroad corruption fund. Commissioner
Farquhar, who said he was personally ac-
quainted with Judge Haight, asked the wit
ness 10 either modify or withdraw the
statement Mr.. Bell Immediately took the
floor and said he had noticed throughout
the proceedings of the past few days that
there was a tendency on the part of some
OF the Commissioners to take exceptions TO
testimony when it did not exactly SUIT
their individual views, or differed from
their political beliefs.
This is supposed TO be non-partisan
Commission continued Mr.. Bell and |
am considering ii so, but l notice that
when we strike new question we are
liable to get a little sensitive. II we are
going to make any discrimination because
man may be known by one member OF this
Commission, or because he may belong 10
my political party or yours, let us call II
a partisan Commission, and have witnesses
! testify to what we want them TO and not
to facts. 1t is very pertinent for this
I gentleman to give his opinion of men,
( whether they are in the judiciary. in the
: Senate, in the House of Representatives,
/ or anywhere else Men are not sacred
( because of the place they occupy in this
1 land. That is not the test of humanity
I Men are sacred because they are flesh and
blood and reasonable beings 1t is not
( our business to screen anyone. 1t is our
/ business to know the facts We ought not
! to criticise a witness and say, You shall
! strike cut certain parts of your testimony,
} because it does not suit me or suit you.
( The witness says these combinations have
! controlled the offices, and that he has evi-
denee of that fact. He believes, from GER
! tain things, that a certain man OF the
2 judiciary III NeW 1OTR WIS eicNdleu 10 MS
place through corrupt means. He has a
right to that belief, and right to express
it here, and We have no right to criticise
him or tell him what he shall state.
II am willing that we should start in
/ now and revise our rules and say just what
a witness may testify to, and treat them
all that way. But if this continues, I pro-
pose when we make our final report. to say
that this was not a non-partisan Commits
hot xasit nI1n
state what they believed to be facts unless
it corresponded with the opinions of a
majority of the Commission
Mr.. Kennedy stated at the conclusion OF
Mr.. Bells criticism that the matter stood
corrected by the witness, that he had mod
flied his positive statement TO one of be-
| lief Mr.. Ratchford, however, further in
sisted that the chair should rule on his
point of order that witnesses should not
impeach anyone's character unless that
person were given a chance to defend
himself The chair ruled that the ques-
tioD had been settled by the witness.
Mr.. Lockwood's testimony yesterday con
cluded the trust investigation for the
present month. Tomorrow the Commission
will take up the question OF agriculture IL
the South.
Mr.. Lockwood mas been an oil producer
and refiner for the past thirty five years
and has also served several terms in th
Pennsylvania Legislature. He was thor
oughly familiar with the situation, anI
his testimony covered the history OF tn
oil industry in this country. together witt
the formation. growth, and methods of tn
Standard Oil Company. The following
statement which had been carefully pre-
pared by him, covers these points fully:
Mr.. Lockwoods Statement.
Before the blighting curse OF rail
way discrimination was turned against tn
oil refnerymen of the oil regions me-
! prospered and grew rich in the refinin
business. They doubled the capacity G
their refineries, adopted new and bette
processes, and were going forward. in
business that promised much for them
S selves and their descendants.
But when the conspiracy between tn
S Standard Oil Company people and the rail
q ways was consummated, all men not in
cluded within the favored few were com
demned to financial obscurity or financia
ruin. No business ability, however grea
no better process, however superior, coui
S triumph when the highways over whic
you must go to market were closed agains
e you and manipulated in the interest of you
: competitors.
: "As long as there was open and equi
rates over the highways of the countr!
r many growing and prosperous relinerie
). were builded at every favorable point A
G Franklin, Reno, Oil City, Rouseyille, Pc
d troleum Centre, Pioneer, Titusville, an
- Warren, at Pittsburg, Cleveland, and Corr,
d the competitive contest in the bushes
IS forced hundreds of the best minds to Ii
8 study of better and more economic proc
s esses in refining, and the most rapi
# strides were made in perfecting and cheaI
o ening cost.
n Many refnerymen made many BUYERS {
crude oil, and the producer selling his o
Al in the competitive market was enabled
e obtain fair share of the profit in Il
,e business and the consumer. buying his q
" from competitive sellers, was enabled
,e receive the benefit of each and every ecoI
omy in the process of producing and r.
fining petroleum.
In 1872 the men who had been iateres
ed with the management of the highway
the railway Of the country, understood
imperfectly their duty as common ca
riers to the public that they entered in
ir contract with the men who afterwa
Of created the Standard Oil Company Th
,e contract was known as the South Improv
=, ment Company contract, and was betwe,
% corporation of that name and the fl
lie trunk railways, all of the railways IN
lie entered the oil regions of Pennsylvani
a And this contract provided that the raj
/ ways should increase the freight to abo
u. double what they had. been charging
r all oil shipped; that the railways shou
Il, pay back in rebate to the South Improv
4. ment Company an amount about equal
the said increase OF freight rates; that t
IS railways should pay to the South Improv
le ment Company like rebate on
TO of the oil that anybody and ever
l. body else shipped; that the ra
ed ways should make any other chan
ie in freight rates necessary to insure t
Mt South Improvement Company's succe