The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-06-22
STARTLING CHARGES
How the Standard Oil Company Cars
Crushed and Consumers Swindled.

| r1es ON Business-COmpetitOr Arc
| Crushed and Consumers Swindled.
trial commission resumed it's investi-
cation of trusts, the Standard Oil Com
pany receiving especial attention.
| Mr.. w. H. Clark, of Ohio, who, until
last February was in the employ of the
Standard Oil Company in various towns,
testified that while employed at Ma
rietta. the Standard had ousted other
| companies from the business by compe-
tition and then put up the price of oil.
He said that eight nominal grades of oil
were sold out of only two tanks, the
| faucet being turned in different direc-
tions for different grades. This was
done, he said, under instructions from
the managers of the Standard Oil Com
pany, Messrs. Matthews and Hollings-
worth. Mr.. Clark also said that the
company bought and sold turpentine,
but before selling it would put six or
seven gallons of gasoline in each barrel
of turpentine.
At Columbus Mr.. Clark was cashier Of
the Standard company. At that point.
he said, much oil was adulterated. For
instance, miners oil was made by mix
ing in little cotton seed oil. Here the
Standard company started what was
called the Shoemaker Oil Company. This
was purely Standard establishment, he
testified, it's men being paid by the
Standard company, but it was made to
| appear to be an independent concern.
| and was used as blind.
At Springfield Mr.. Clark said, he was
a wagon salesman, and the instructions
there were to get trade regardless Of
price. Some refined oil was sold as
low as cents, and here, also, as many
as four nominal grades of oil were taken
from one tank. Rebates were made
when necessary. When he had spoken
to the management of the dishonesty OF
these practices, he had been told that it
was not for him to say about such mat
ters, but to do what he was told.
At Urbania, he said, he was managel
for the Standard Company. Here COM
petitor was driven out by threat to
force the price down to 1 cent per gall
Ion. The competitor afterward went to
the poor house. Witness for a time
was manager at Newark. Here the work
was very hard because of the great
range of prices. There were 25 differ
ent figures used there. One man would
get oil for cents, while his next door
neighbor would pay 91a cents. Rebates
were also given to especially favored
patrons. These were made under the
instructions of Mr.. A. B. Matthews, as
were all changes in price or terms.
The witness testified that at Newark
the company bought a building from
over a leasor's head, who was doing
competitive business, and Mr.. Clark.
went into the building in the absence
of the competitor, loading the building
on carts and carried it away. For this
he (Mr. Clark was complimented and
was to have been rewarded with two
weeks vacation, while the competitor
was so frightened that he went out of
the business. This was not accomplish
ed, however, until all his customers had
been located by boy hired to follow
his wagon on a bicycle.
At Newark customer wanted oil
from Cleveland. He was satisfied by
supplying him out of barrel painted
rlyo
He received the same oil, however, that
| other people got.
The witness said that laborers for the
Standard company were generally paid
Is cents per day, and that they worked
on an average IL hours a day.
There was, he said, often difference
of cents gallon in the price OF oil
in places where there was competition.
and places where there was none.
"Why did not the Republican tell its
readers that it met as fusion contin-
gent of the Peoples party of Pennsyl-
vania, and instructed it's delegates to the
national convention to vote for Bryan?
It was simply a Democratic convention
in disguise The man who acts like an
honest Populist, for Populist principles,
is characterized by traitors such as
Hotchkiss as being in the pay Of the
gold-bug oligarchy, but it is done to
cover up the tracks of those who, like
him. have befouled their nest in betray-
ing the Peoples party into the Demo-