Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1899-06-19
OIL TRUST ATTACKED.
Pennsylvania Oil Producer Bitter
Against the Standard.
RAILROADS AS BAD, HE SAYS
Lockwood Declares They Control
POlitics-He Also Brings a Grave
Charge Against Judge Albert
Haight of New York.

| Churse A4ulhht <AAUuAs
Haight of New York.
| Washington, June 10. L. M. Lock
wood, an oil producer of Zelenople, Pa.
made statement before the industrial
| commission in which he characterized the
Standard Oil company and the railroads
as highwaymen and brigands. He de-
clared that the trust had driven the indie.
| pendent refners into bankruptcy and
servitude. holding the railroads especially
| responsible for this condition Of affairs.
Further on in his testimony he said
| Judge Haight Of the New York court of
appeals had been elevated through cor
rupt means.
Going back to 1872, Mr.. Lockwood re
ferred at length to a contract made by
the trunk lines of Pennsylvania with the
South Improvement company Under
this contract, he said the freight rates
en- oil were doubled, and one-half the
amount collected was paid back as re-
bate. Not only this, but the contract
company received a like rebate on the
shipments of all other companies. This
contract, he declared, had been secretly
continued by the railroads with the
SteHQdfQ VII COlllpHHy.
He Quotes Cnssatt.
He quoted A. j. Cassatt, the new pres
ident Of the Pennsylvania Railroad COM
pany, as testfyng before the interstate
commerce commission to the effect that
while the open rate to the public was
$50 barrel, the rate to the Standard
company was 80 cents. Further investi.
cation, said Mr.. Lockwood, had devel'
oped the fact that the railroad COMPARES
actually received only 35 certs. This
condition Of affair." Lad resulted for
time, according to the witness, in giving
tne Standard company profit of 400 per
cent, while the independent refncrs
were being driven rapidly into bank
ruptcy.
"If you have got to be robbed" Mr..
Lockwood exclaimed, "it does not matter
much whether you are held up by Dick
Turpin with a pistol or by John Rookie
felcf with a railroad-it is robbery, all
the same"
Had Paid In s11.OOo.OOO.
He said that men who had carefully
analysed the testimony taken before the
Hepburn committee estimated that In 1G
months time the five trunk lines Of Penn
sylvania bad paid the Standard company
100000 in rebates. The railroad
companies, he said completely ignored
the orders of the interstate commission
to cease their discrimination in favor OF
the Standard company. resortng then to
the system of false billing.
Speaking of the remedy for the evil,
Mr. Lockwood said it was in public own.
crship Of the railroads, and it was not
found in the courts. The courts were too
slow and expensive.
"The railroads and the oil company can
razoo n man up and down in the courts
for ten years" he said. until he Is ruin.
ed financially. and then go on with Their
work. leaving their victim stranded. AS
n reward the combines elevate their in.
struments to higher places politically. |
Thus it is that the thought of the com
mon people is gradually becoming fixed |
to the effect that the great railway com |
hines are gradually packing the supreme |
courts with men In sympathy with Their
tendencies and who will |
do their bidding. Thus the interstate
commerce law is rendered Ineffective"
"If the railroad companies could con.
troll the appointment of the attorney gen
eral and of justices of the supreme court,
what did they care for the hw" the
witness asked.
He considered all the railroads of the
as practically one gigantic trust,
and asserted that they were in control OF
politics. contributing millions to elect
legislators senators and judges and to
punish those not willing to do their bid
ding. With absolute equality over the
roads, the independent companies would
drive the Standard company into a sec.
ondary place in short time. There
would then, he asserted be no more
shooting down of striking miners, for
he miner could send his product to mar
iet as cheaply as the mine monopolist.
If the government did not control the
the railways would control the
Charge Against Judge.
The afternoon session of the commits.
lion was characterized by the develop.
nent of differences among the members
# the commission as to the character of
estinlony that should be admitted. Mr..
lockwood made the statement that
Judge Albert Haight of the New York
ourt of appeals had been elevated to his
present position by the corporations
through the use of corruption fund be.
he Matthews case-a proceeding of the
abroad combination against the indie
endent refners. He said afterward that
While convinced the facts were as he had
tated, he had not actually seen the fund,
nd, therefore, the statement was an in
erence only.
At this point Mr.. Farquhar of the com
Mission rose to protest against the char
n o1yip ho+ To-
laight was his next door neighbor and {
ne of the purest men he had ever
nown. He had never before heard an c
nputation upon his character He ap- /
called to Mr. Lockwood to have the '
,atcment stricken from his testimony +
1.-The statement" he said. "was not tes \
mony. 1t was pure libel" c
After few general remarks by other r
embers of the commission as to the ad. b
stability of striking out the entire state.
ent, Congressman Bell rose and made l
vigorous protest against the demand to n
inmate any Of the testimony. He said
, had noticed that some members of the
We're extremely sensitive
hen something was said which did not j
ltrely fall in with their predictions. +,
Former Congressman Philips. presid W
&, held that the testimony was compe Ii
mt. W
Deny LOcl<wOOd's Charges. ~
Saratoga, June 19.-The sensational ~
cusation made by l.. NJ. Lockwood of '"
Pa, before the industrial
mmittec at Washington against Judge
bert Haight of the court of appeals, n,
w in Saratoga. is denounced as abso r.
tely false by the many friends of the v
dge here. While Judge Haight will say n,
thing at this time, his friends author n,
, Il lnl Ill ..fA H. ".