The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-09-13
THE INDUSTRIAL
COMMISSION
Senator Lewis Emery, of Bradford,
the Main Witness Yesterday-His-
tory of the Pipe Line Struggles.


Washington, Sept 12-The entire ses-
sion of the industrial commission to-
day was occupied in hearing the cor
clusion of the testimony of former state
Senator Lewis Emery. of Bradford, Pa.
Mr.. Emery is an independent refiner,
and was on the stand. He took as his
text that the general discrimination in
railroad rates was the basis of mon
opOly and charged that it was through
this agency the Standard Oil trust had
been created. Although the old con-
tracts for rebates had been nullified
by the interstate commerce act, he
charged that the same system was sub
stantially in effect today. If the books
of the railroads could. be produced in
court, all he said could be proved. He
gave an interesting account of the
building of the pipe line by the United
States Pipe Line company in lS90-91,
describing in detail the innumerable
obstacles placed in its path by the
standard Oil company and how they
had been overcome. Every point had
heen contested in the courts. Agree
ments with railroads, he charged had
been violated under the pressure of the
Standards influence. In New Jersey
several pitched battles had occurred,
but in spite of all the line finally made
its connection with the Jersey Central
fifty miles from New York. A recent
court decision, he said, would, however.
compel the company to go back to
Philadelphia, so that in the end the
railroads had proved an effective bar
rier to competition. Mr.. Emery said
he was now interested in the Pure Oil
company which, he insisted, was not
a trust. In this connection he said
great injustice had been done to Rep
resentative Phillips, a member of the
commission, who had been represented
by a former witness Mr.. Archbold, as
having attempted, on behalf of the
Pure Oil company, TO effect a combina-
| tiOn with the Standard. Mr.. Phillips
had never favored such combination.
Asked as to his attempt to secure the
enactment of a free pipe line bill
through the New Jersey legislature,
Mr.. Emery stated that his experience
had been so disgraceful in New Jersey
that he was afraid to tell it. Mr..
Emery produced a contract made be-
tween the Pennsylvania railroad and
| an oil company in 1884 which he
claimed proved that the railroad COM
pany kept the rate for oil transporta-
tion up to As cents per barrel in re-
| turn for the business of hauling the by
| products, bezine, gasoline, tar etc,
which could not be pumped to the sea-
| board, thus giving the company the
| power to pipe its petroleum through
| for ten cents per barrel and rendering
1t impossible for independent shippers
to compete by railroad. He said there
was inferential proof that the same
| sort of contracts existed today. Mr..
Emery found the remedy for existing
| state of affairs in government owner
| ship of all transportation facilities,
water as we'll as railroad. Discrim-
| ination in transportation rates to fav-
ored shippers against the general pub
| lie was, he said, the foundation Of many
OF the most burderfsome trusts.
Senator Emery is the last of the trust
witnesses who will be heard this month.
| There will be only two more witnesses
in connection with the Standard OIL
company, They are to be heard next
month. Mr.. John u Rockefeller presi-
| dent of the STANDARD Oil companv Is
one Of them and Mr.. George Rice, whose
! complaint was made the basis Of the
| action Of the Ohio courts against the
Standard Oil company viii be the other.
Mr., Samuel 7. Gompers, president OF
the American Federation Of Labor and
Hon. T. V. Powderly, the commission
er of immigration, are among those
who will be heard this week. They viii
testify on general labor topics and on
| immigration.
Hon. John Wanamaker, of Phiadel-
phia, has been invited to appear this
month on the subject of the relation of
department stores to industry and la.
| Dor.