The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-11-12
RAIL WAYS AIDING
THE OIL TRUST
Special: Rates Accorded
-: the Standard.
COMMERCE LAWS DEFIED
Independent Companies Driven Out
Of Business by Being Forced
to Pay Exorbitant
Tariffs.
COMMERCE LAWS DEFIED
Special Dispatch to The Call.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11.-George Rice
Of Marietta, Ohio who described him
self as moderate producer of oil, was
before the Industrial Commission to-day
Mr. Rice had prepared III advance state
ment Of his views. which he had copy
righted. The pamphlet the commission
refused 70 receive as such, but Mr.. Rice
was allowed to proceed under the rules
Of the commission, using the pamphlet
as the basis of his statement.
In his formal statement before the con-
mission, Mr.. Rice accused the railroad
companies generally of conspiring III con
uection with the Standard Oil Company
TO drive independent rehnerleS out OF the
field Of activity. He gave alleged IN
stances Of discrimination by the railroads
iR favor Of the Stanard Oil Company, pre-
Ni0us TO the passage OF the interstate
commerce law. He asserted that IN one
case, many years ago, discrimination OF
l59 per cent had been made for the stand
ard Company, and added that rates on
his products from Marietta were adyancS7
ed in 1885 TO the extent Of from IS TO 100
per cent; whereas, he said, no advance
was made in the rates OF the Standard
Replying to the statement of John D.
Archibald Of the Standard OIL company
that his. company had made no dlscrlml-
natorX freight rates since the interSIJ43te
commerce law went into effect, Mr.. Rlce
gave numerous instances Of what ne
characterized as determinations mace IN
since that date. He made charges OF
such flVOritiSm against the southern I d
CitiC. the Union Pacific, the Missouri! a
Ci1C and other railroads saying ll5t nc
charges had been proved by MIN peLofe
the Interstate Commerce Commission.
Mr.. Rice said ne had become Satislteu
Of the efficiency of The Interstate Com
nerce Commission and had Instituted no
proceedings before IL since 1889.
Mr. Rice said he had nor particle OF
confidence in the truth Of the letters from
numerous railroad managers, saying
there was no discrimination in favor OF
the Standard Company. which were read
n the commission bv Mr.. Archibald
Speaking of his personal experience, Mr..
Rice said that his refinery at Marietta
had been closed for the past three years
as a result o. these Determinations.
Il have lie said, been driven from
pillar to post, from one railway line to
another. for twenty years in the abso-
freight rates with the Standard oil trust,
so as to. be able 70 run my refinery at
anything approaching 8 profit, but this l
have been utterly unable TO do"
He asserted that the Standard Company
was represented In the dictatorship Of
railroads controlling One-1fth Of the rail-
road mileage Of the country. Mr.. Rice
stated his conclusion TO be that Our Gov
eminent is a failure, because Of nOn-en-
forcement Of our laws against this pirat-
zeal crew who infeSt cur inland com
nerce under the secret cover of unlawful
rebates and combinations and thus rob
the people Of hundreds Of millions of dol
He thought the laws sufficient for the
protection Of the people. but the difficulty
was found II the failure Of the officials
10 enforce the law. The responsibility. he
said. lay with the Attorney General He
thought the Government should own the
railroads, and that the protective tariff
should be removed from the articles used
by the trusts. In case of Government
ownership. he would have the railroad
employees disfrauChised in order to take
the roads out Of politics. He thought that
the money recently spent in conducting
a useless foreign war could have been
much more proftably used in the pur-
chase of the railroads.