The times., 1899-10-31
CHARGES OF CONSPIRACY
Accusations Against Members of The
Industrial Commission.
NJ. l.. Lockwood, President of the
Antitrust League, Says HIS Testi-
mony Attacking Combines Has
Been Expurgated-NOvv Preparing
Statement for the President.

Hon NJ. L. Lockwood, a wealthy oil pro-
ducer, of Zelienople, Pa, and President of
the American Antitrust League, is pre-
pairing statement charging several mem
bers of the Industrial Commission with
conspiracy and attempt to interdict and
disguise his sworn testimony delivered be-
fore that body during the enquiry into the
methods employed by the Standard Oil
Trust. Mr.. Lockwood claims that upon
three different occasions he was summoned
to appear before the Commission while in
executive session, and upon each occasion
was threatened and pleaded with to with
draw certain portions or all Of his testi-
mony. He further states that while the
testimony was in type and awaiting pub
lication with other reports of the proceed
ings OF the Commission, he was called be-
fore an executive session of that body and
again an attempt was made to induce him
to allow the matter to be changed. AS
he refused to do anything of the kind, he
states that his testimony was carefully
edited and expurgated by members of the
Commission, without his knowledge, and
while other reports have been published,
he claims that his matter has been with
held for several months and it is his be-
lief that it is the intention of members of
! the Commission to keep it from the public
until after the fall campaign is closed.
The statement, Mr.. Lockwood says, will
be presented to the President and an in
vestigation demanded. The testimony of
Mr.. Lockwood against the Standard Oil
Company created something of a sensation
at the time, and the evidence was widely
quoted but has never appeared among the
published proceedings of the Commission.
Mr. Lockwood has obtained a proof sheet
of the testimony as it was given to the
printers, after being edited he says with
out his knowledge, and as it may appear
in the proceedings of the Commission. The
proof sheet has been compared with the
stenographic report and with the original,
and the result will be offered as evidence.
A comparison shows that nearly all of the
damaging statements in his testimony have
been either cut out or toned down, and this,
Mr.. Lockwood claims, was done by several
members of the Industrial Commission.
The testimony anent the Matthews
case has been cut out entirely. In
many places all reference to the Standard
Oil Company has been taken out and other
words substituted. Figures and dates have
been changed or eliminated and the CEN
sored testimony is but a weak affair, ac-
cording to the witness. Some Of the ex-
purgated paragraphs follow:
What is the remedy? The control Of the pub
! lie highways is the most important duty OF the
| Government Mr.. Chairman, give the control
! OF the highway over which the products OF your
| labor must go to market, and let me fix the
/ charges and | can make you my slave.
Take the railways, the highways of the people,
away from these corporations make them pubic
! property let the Government own and run them,
make them what they should be- public highways
| Tor the people, over which every maa can go to
| market just cheap as any other man. Do this,
and these great trust mORopolies that now oppress
| US will lose their power for evil, as they meet
| the honest competition which will arise upOn
every hand. Make these highways highways in
| deed, declare TO every man that no Standard OIL
J Company, that sugar trust no meat combine,
no coal combine, shall have any advantage that Is
not open to the poorest man in the land. Re
establish the equality OF our people over the high
| WAYS Of the Republic When YOU have done this
( the people viii do the rest
! With absolute equality over the railways OF the
country so that every butcher could ship car OF
| cattle Just as cheap as the Big -Four beef com
| bine; the Big -Four beef combine could not hold
| a monopoly Of the meat business OF America Tor
twenty-fouT hours. Today, under Government
| management, the letter Of an oil producer, a
miner, or a butcher goes to its destination with
the same speed, at the same cost, and with the
| same precision as the letter Of Armour or
| Rockefeller. Send their OIL their coal. their
meat to market upon these same terms Of equality
| and these great trust CofuBlnAllJHS Will soon be
| getting rid Of thehir $4,000 a year lawyers and
! their SO, 600 q year managers, upon the PROPOSE
tion that their business win not stand such high
| priced men.
1t is because these eleven billions OF railway
| capital, together with all Of the men which il
| controls in politics clear up 10 their armpits
! and it is because this capital and these men are
III politics for corrupt and selfish purposes, ire
| spsctive OF the public welfare 1t IS because these
eleven billions Of capital, together with all OF the
| capital OF the trust, COrrupting public af
fairs and debauching our public men, that c0nsti
tutcs the important reason why these railways
! must be taken away from these corporations. The
| record of the last twenty-five years has demon
strated that the Government must own and con
troll the railways. the railways will control and
run the Government
In referring to the matter last night
Mr.. Lockwood stated that he was going tC
fight the thing out and see what rights 9
! witness had before this Commission
DO you call this a 'non-partisan' Com
mission ?" said he. why. it is nothing
more than a shield for the trusts, and ii
has shown il in this case. Senator Hanna
has promised that the Republican party
would see to the trusts if that party wins
in Ohio. Here is one instance of caring
for the combinations
Chairman Philips, of the Industrial
! Commission, ruled on each occasion that my
testimony should remain as it stood and be
printed And then what? Well you see
what my testimony looks like after the cen
sors have gotten through with it.
4 am going to New York tonight, and
will see whether I can get my testimony
printed when I return. I Will first demand
it gracefully, but if 1 am not recognized
there Will be more campaign material IN
what I will say then than there was in my
testimony"
Mr. Lockwood left for New York las
night, and will return on Saturday. Hi
was quartered at the Riggs House during
his stay here
Olympia Sailors Re-enIist.
Fifty members Of the crew of the Olym