Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-11-12

WASHINGTON, November 11.-Mr.
George Rice, of Marietta, o., who de-
scribed himself as "a moderate pro-
ducer.of oil" was before the industrial
commission to-day. Mr.. Rice had pre-
pared in advance a statement setting
forth his views, which he had copy
weighted. This copyrighted pamphlet
the commission refused to receive as
such, but Mr. Rice was allowed to pro-
coed under the rules of the commits
sion, using the pamphlet as the basis
of his statement In his formal state
ment before the commission, Mr.. Rice
accused the railroad companies gem
orally with conspiring in connection
with the Standard Oil Company to drive
independent refineries out of the field
of activity. He gave alleged instances
of discrimination by the railroads in
favor of the Standard Oil company
previous to the passage of the inter
state commerce law. and asserted that
rebates were still given. Mr.. Rice as
serted that in one case many years ago,
a discrimination of 1900 per cent. had
been made for the Standard Company,
and added that rates on his productS
from Marietta were advanced in 1890
to the extent of from 43 to $50 per cent,
whereas he said no advance was made
in the rates of the Standard Company.
Replying to the statement of Mr.. John
D. Archibald, of the Standard on
Company, that his company has receiv-
ed no discriminatory freight rates
since she interstate commerce law
went into effect, Mr.. Rice gave numsr-
Gus instances of what he charseter.zed
as determinations made in the inter-
est of the Standard company since that
date. He made charges of such favor
itism against the Southern Pacific, the
Union Pacific, the Cincinnati. Washing
ton and Baltimore. the Cincinnati,
New Orleans & Texas Paicfic. the
Louisville & Nashville, the Iron
Mountain, the Missouri Pacific and 9TH
er railroads, saying that these charges
had been proven by him before the
Interstate commerce commission. Mr.
Rice said he had become satisfied OF
the inefficiency Of the interstate COM
meree commission and had Instituted
no proceed .ngs before it since 1889. He
said he had not particle OF commence
in the truth Of the letters from numer-
Gus railroad managers saying there
was no discrimination in favr CT the
Standard company, which Were -~aa 10
the commission by Mr.. AI.Aoald.
Speaking of his experience ar. Rice
said that his refinery at Marietta had
been closed the past three years as a
result of the Determinations.
II have" he said. been DRIVEN from
pillar to post, from one railway line
to another, for twenty years in the abb
solutely vain endeayor to get equal
and just freight rates with the Stan
dard oil trust so as to be able to run
my refinery at anything approaching a
profit, but this / have been utterly I'M
able to do"
He asserted that the Standard COM
pany was represented in the director
ship of railroads controlling one-fifth
of the railroad mileage of the coun-
try. Mr.. Rice stated his conclusion to
be that "our government is a failure
because of non-enforcement of our
laws against this Diratical crew who
x4est our inland commerce under the
secret cover of unlawful rebates and
commissions, and thus rob the people
of hundreds of millions of dollars"
He thought the laws sufficient for the
protection of the people, but the diff
Guilty was found in the failure of the
officials to enforce the law. The re-
sponsibility, he said, lay with the at
tornev general