Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1905-02-22
STATE REFINERY
. Is NOW ASSURED
GOV. HoCH OF KANSAS SIGNS
BILL APPRoPR1AT1NG MONEY
FOR AN OIL PLANT.
FIGHT ON ROCKEFELLER
CONCERN ON IN EARNEST
Executive Urges Further Legislation
Along Same Line-Two Bills Still
Before Lawmakers - Statement of
Standard Company Manager.

Topeka, Kan, Feb. 18.-Gov- HOch
at noon Friday signed the bill passed
Oh Wednesday. appropriaing $2D,WN
for the erection and maintenance by
the state Of an Oil refinery, with a ca
pacity of 1000 barrels a day. The
signing OF this measure will make il
possible for Kansas to begin in earn
est the fight started in this state re-
Gently against the Standard Oil COM
pany. In signing the bill, Gov. Hocb
sent lengthy message to the legisla-
ture, reviewing the fight which has
ended in the present legislation, and
giving his reasons for signing the reg
finery bill.
Gov. Hoch in his message objectedtC
the size of the appropriation made 70,
the purpose of carrying the law into
effect. He said that he differed
from the majority OF the legislature
only in regard TO the method of fight
ing the Standard Oil company. The
message also urged the legislature &c
supplement the refinery bill with rail
road legislation which will prevent the
trust from defeating the purpose of the
act
Further legislation directed against
the Standard Oil company came up iI
the house Friday. A bill making Oh
pipe lines common carriers, and re
ported by Chairman Beekman, OF the
house oil and gas committee, was
made special order for the afternoon
session. This is one of two remain
ing oil bills still up. The other is the
anti-discrimiration bill. designed r6
prevent the Standard Oil compan.
from underselling the state. 1t has
been made a special order for next
Monday.
Statement Regarding Trouble
Kansas City, Mo. Feb. 1S.-Johr
O'Brien, assistant general manager OF
the Nrairie Oil & Gas company, which
handles the bulk of the crude Oil pro
duced in the Kansas and Indian terri
tory oil fields, was in Kansas City
Friday and discussed conditions in the
Kansas field, where an agitation
against the Standard Oil company has
been carried to such an extent that
it is being made a matter OF national
interest. Mr.. O'Brien said:
THE Prairie Oil & Gas company's
determination to suspend further con-
struction operations in the Kansas and
territory fields follows as natural
result of hostile agitation, which
was designed and carried out mostly
by stock jobbers, 10 injure the Prairie
Oil & Gas company (or the Standard
Oil company, as they term it,. The
only way in which these stock job
bers could ward off the consequence
of an exposure of their operations lay
which to allay the clamor of stock
holders.
Work of Stock Jobbers.
Few people realize the extent to
which this stock jobbing business has
been carried on in Kansas. Here I
might say that the Hand Book CON-
piled by Matthews & Mcmahon. of
Chanute, Kan, shows 81 companies.
each capitalized at 100000 and over,
or an aggregate of about $4,000, 900.
with an aggregate production of 1858
barrels per day, or about p barrels
production per day to each million dol
lars of capital. 1t will be readily seen
that the wonderful promises made to
stockholders have never been carried
out and the only salvation for the
promoters lay in the possibility OF
placing the blame on somebody. and
the Standard Oil company was select
ed as the target. This agitation gives
most" of them their only excuse for
failure to comply with their promises
to stockholders. Reports to the effect
that we have posted notices declining
to buy any Kansas Oil are incorrect.
and there is not one word of truth in
them. as we'll as number of other
reports and statements that have been
published in the papers. designed, pre-
sumably. to keep up excitement at To-
pela. by flooding the state with all
kinds of sensational reports