The Chanute times., 1905-04-07
TooThin, Too Thin.

The Standard Oh Company, through
los rsprese u tatives, Is Cow trying to
play the injured Innocence game on
the people Of Kansas.
These representatives now claim
that they have made almost super.
human Efforts to do good TO the oil
producers OF Kansas, that they have
built tanks to store millions Of barrels
of oil which they have not had the
capacity to refine as fast as 1t was Of
fered; that they havebuilt a great re-
finery at Kansas City, just to accom'
mOdate the oil producers; that they
nave starte5 TO extend a pipe line T."
Whitikg, Ind, just out OF their
abundant kindness to I'll E Kansas prt-
ducers; that they have Set up nIgnC.
thinking how they might shower
some new blessings on the oil produc-
ers of Kansas and now these migrate
full people OF Kansas, with fatuous
blindness turn against their benefac-
tor and want to do 1t up.
We sort of think that we would
hesitate about taking employment
with tue Standard. 1t seems to re
quire OF It's employees that when they
enter its service they kiss Truth a
long farewell and put their con-
sciences in cold storage.
When these men stand up and Look
US calmly IN the eye without a blink
of tho optic and tell us these things,
what dU they take US for?
Here are The facts of such recent
date that the person of shortest men,
ory ought to recall them.
a nII pn1ld n
courage the production OF oil. Tue
Standard representatives told the
producers, assuring them again and
again, that ample communications
would be provided for taking care oil
all the oil produced.
The Standard employed every means
to make it Impossible for producers to
reach an other market except Gh,t
furnished by the Standard. At the
time that its pipe line wss com pleted
to Kansas City, the Standard Induced
or compelled the railroad companies
to double the freight rates Oh ali
shipped 10 tank cars so as to make IT
impossible to ship the crude oil aud
sell 1t at profit.
fla rival refinery however small
started to do business the Standard
immediately proceeded to boycott and
bulldoze every merchant who dared
to patronize the independent concern.
Wherever the independent tried to
establish market the STANDARD Oil
Company would go in and reduce the
price of oil to a point that was below
the cost of production aud freight.
Now II it is true that it was anxious
to help the oil producers of Kansas
when it found that the oil was COM
ing faster than it could possibly take
care Of 1t. why did it not allow other
concerns to come in and help bear the
burden?
Why was it when 1t found that it
could not take care of the oil that II
compelled the railroad companies tn
raise the freight rates so that 1t would
be impossible for the producer to get
his oil to another market?
The answer tn these questions are
plain enough. The Standard meant
to place the producer completely
within it's power and then squeeze the
life out of him.
This claim Of the Standard that 1t
was doing everything in it's power to
Ll6lU pCOplC VI hdhSoS 10 ah iheo' "
to the Intelligence OF the Inhabitants
of this bully state.
The Standard on Company is Dr..
serving of no consideration or syn
pathy.
Its rapacity makes the gaunt tim
ber wolf seem by comparison like a
sucking lamb.
The blood 10 its veins is so cold
that by comparison much ice would
seem like liquid fire and IL its corp =
rate conscience were placed In the
heart of a followed mustard seed 1t
would seem to be lost in an infinitude
OF space.
With it greed has become mania.
It strives with equal avidity for the
POSSESSIONS Of princes and the pence
OF the beggar.-Mail and Breeze.