People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1899-08-03
HIGHWAYS OF THE REPUBLIC.
National Ownership Would Solve the
Problem of Railroad Monopoly.

25th, 1888, the railroads made known 10
these independent refners that they
would not be allowed to send any more !
through shipments to New England.
These facts were brought forth in the
testimony of the Titusville and Oil City
Independent cases, pages 2S3 and 1884,
Again the highways Of the republic were
closed to everybody except the Standard
Oil company. The independent oil re-
hners were shut out Of all the principal
cities Of New England. The man who
controls the highways, over which you
must 60 to market, can make you his
slave, This great corporate, monopolistic
railroad combination defes the courts,
and refuses to answer when questioned,
shielding itself behind that provision of
the law that provides that you cannot
make man convict himself of a crime
by his own evidence.
The men who control the highways of |
the republic treat the Interstate Com
merce Commission with contempt. In
1888, the independent refners petitioned |
the Interstate Commerce Commission to
prohibit unjust discrimination between
tank, car and barrel shipments. After an
expensive litigation, they proved the
facts OF these determinations before the
commission, and for two long years the
commission failed to issve an order pro-
hibiting the wrong, and when finally the
commission issued an order prohibiting
said discrimination, the Pennsylvania
Ia'lroad ignored the order, and when the
commission ordered them to reduce the
rates, they showed their contempt for the
commission by increasing the rates.
These facts will be found set forth in
the testimony before the Interstate
Commerce Commission, page I3T, Vol
ume 4, and in the testimony of the Titus
vile and Oil City Independent Gases,
pages ISS, 1913, 446, 666 and 497.]
Again, in the case of Rice, Robinson |
& Winthrop, before the Interstate Com
merce Commission, in 1890, the case was /
dragged out before the commission year
after year. During all this time, Rice,
Robinson & Winthrop were unable to
ship their oil over the HIGHWAYS Of the |
republic. And all this time the business
of the petitioners was being ruined and
destroyed, and five years had passed
away i'll their vain effort to abtain a pas
sage over the highways of the republic
Facts in this matter can be found i'll the
Report of the Interstate Commerce Com
mission, page 1851 Yes, five years had
passed away, and no justice. Yes, twen-
ty years have passed away since the In
ter-State Commerce bill was introduced
into congress, and yet no justice.
The most heroic fight that man ever
made for the right to do business in this
free land, has been made by Mr.. George
Rice, of Marietta, o. The history of this
struggle is history Of the highways Of
the republic being used in the interests
of the Standard Oil company, and to the
detriment of all the people. The railways
continually raised the rate of freight to
Rice, until he could make no mon
ey, and sometimes absolutely refused tC
{ ship for him at all. These facts can bt
found in the Report of the Interstate
, Commerce Commission, pages 57-I47.]
Why are these efforts of the highway.
of the republic to destroy every shippe
except the Standard Oil company? Be
, cause the men who control the highway
e are in league with the Standard Oil com
pany; because they are ir the conspirac,
= to take from the producers the wealtl
/ which they produce, for the benefit o
S the Standard Oil company, and from III
Standard Oil company, through Standar
= Trust Stock, they get their reward in tn
Y dividends thus wrung from the people
4 Hundreds of millions have been take
: from the men who have produced thi
= wealth, and transferred to the pockets {
b. these great consrirators. And the 60,
= ernment, under Wm. Mckinley, is O.
i ganized to force the people to submit
Y this robbery.
y The Sugar Trust, by raising the priC
Of sugar one-half cent per pound are alb
4 to tax the American people S5o,ooo,oc
# annually. Within the last three wear
/. they have gradually increased the pril
= of sugar by about two cents per poun,
s and by this move they have been enable
to take from the people 500, ,ooo, 900
h year of illegitimate profit, absorbing Il
n wealth produced by the people, and Il
/ government is organized to force the PEI
At pie to submit.
.r Today, the producer of petroleum
,e forced to take sixty-fve cents barrel f
his production. The producer is beii
impoverished, crushed, pauperized ar
rs bankrupted, in order that forty rer ce
in dividend may be declared oh this Stan
ard Trlst Stock. that the wealth beir