Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1905-08-05
VINO n BHHHs.
One Of the Mary Beaefls Acershe Frem
Tie Last LEGISLATURE Of Kansas.

Die OF fhc Many bcoofkS Accrung From
Tie Last Legislature Of Kansas.
Very few people realize the vast
OF money that has been saved
by the citizens of Kansas through the
wise laws enacted at the last legisla-
ture and how much they owe our
governor and representatives
for the prompt and heroic action they
took to suppress the grasping exac-
tions of the Standard Oil Company,
that giant of modern finance with its
new school OF business methods, spec
ial privileges with the railroads, re-
bates, spys, and coercion and suppress
sion OF its competitors by the power
OF wealth, making every state in the
UNION bow to its will, and every
consumer of oil pay it tribute. KAN
SAS true to her history enacted laws
that brought this giant power to
halt in its rampage OF destruction
within the state OF KANSAS. The
most important of these laws was
the MAXIMUM FREIGHT BILL
that enables the small refiner to ship
a barrel Of oil across the state at one
fourth the former rates thereby saw
ing the consumers OF oil hundreds Of
thousands OF dollars. For example
the WEBSTER REFINING COMPANY, the
only INDEPENDENT REFINERY in the
state now. in actual operation, could
reach only limited number of custo-
mers on account of the exactions of
the railroads and, when they sold
their oil, the STANDARD at once
met their price saving the consumers
from five to eight cents a gallon and
furnished better grade Of oil to their
customers. The last legislature fur
Their to protect and keep in business
this the only refinery outside OF the
Standard in the state and TO encour-
age more to enter the refining BUSH
ness, enacted the ANTI-DISCRIAINA-
TON BILL, a law that compelled every
one to sell at the same price all over
the state thereby taking from the
Standard Oil Company the weapon
they have used so successfully'in other
states, i. e., selling oil at loss, in the
limited territory that the small refin-
cry could reach, thereby driving them
to the wall or forcing them to sell
out TO them. Since this. law has be-
come operative the Standard has had
to reduce the price of oil all over the
state to the same price they were SELL
ing where they were in competition
with the MfBSTER RfFNR6 COMPANY. This
reduction in the past four months
since the law became operative has
saved to the consumers Of oil in ham
sas probably half a million Of dollars
and this too in the dullest month in
the year when very little illuminat-
ing oil is being used. What it will
save this winter it is hard to estimate.
Before there was any competition In
the state the STANDARD was shipping
into Kansas the poor sulphurous oils
of central Ohio that they cannot ex-
port or sell in the east in competition
with the hdependeat refiners, thereby
compelling Kansas with the best
crude oil in the world to take this
poor refined oil that no other state
would have or do without. Where the
refined oil made from Kansas crude oil
is sold the Standard has had to fur
nish better oil or lose their trade.
When the Standard found this little
backed by the laws of the
GREAT STATE OF KANSAS and
the sentiments Of its loyal citizens a
tremendous pressure was brought to
bear on G. d. Webster, the principal
owner of the Webster Refining Com
panv to sell out, but Mr.. Webster,
who has been in the refining business
for the past twenty-seven years and
during all that time has remained
adepeadeat absolutely refused to sell at
any price, as he has done 20 many
times in the past. Thus failing, the
company has been attached on every
side principally through some of its
that seemed not so much to
want their money as to deliver the
refinery into the hands of its enemy.
Despite all of this they have reduced
their indebtedness over one-half the
past four months and made at the
rate OF two per cent a month on their
capital stock of one hundred thousand
dollars. Since the State Refinery is
not to be built and to supply their
demand for Webster's Rest
Lamp Oil from all over the state, C.
D. Webster has decided to sell 200
shares Of the capital stock at par 800
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