New-York tribune., 1905-02-21
STANDARD OIL INQUIRY.
President Confers scith Garfield and
Campbell
IFRom THE TRIBUNE BuREAu.I

Washington Feb 20-President Roosevelt had q
conference this afternoon with Commissioner Gar
field the investigation of the Standard OIL
Company's operations and methods in Kansas. 1t
the Presidents second conference of the day
with the Standard Oil Company as the theme Of
discussion, for in tie forenoon Representative
Campbell of Kansas. the author of the House
resolution, which directed the investigation, at
the White House. and went carefully over the
conditions which have aroused the people in his
State. Just what his bureau is now doing Mr..
Garfield would not say, but it is understood that
agents from his office already in the Kansas
field collecting data. and the commissioner may de-
eide to make trip to the State to superntend the
work IN person.
The Standard Oil Company is preparing to fight
the government with all the resources at its COM
mand." said Representative Campbell. after his
talk with the President. As soon they learned
that the House had ordered investigation of
their methods. the managers of the big concern
called off their boycott Kansas oil and began to
buy again. 1 suppose that they found or borrowed
some money somewhere. Anyway, they got hold of
enough to resume the purchase of the commodity.
When they shut down buying a week or before
that they did so, they said because they were
short of money. The Standard Oil Company
always find enough money when they need it, They
found enough out at Humboldt to crush a little re-
fnery started by local capital there. AS soon
the small concern had got its feet and was
reaching out for a little of the trade adjacent to
its refinery the Standard shipped oil in there and
proceeded to undersell They finally got the price
down to cents q gallon throughout the territory
of the Humboldt concern. Outside of that terri
tory, however, the price II u cents, it
had been before the began. That is Illus
tration of the way the Standard Oil Company
crushes out competition. l do not believe that the
public at large really has any complaint to make
against the monopoly. Oil is a great deal cheaper
than it was before the Standard Oil Company
seized the petroleum business of the country. But
the small reflners and well owners the
who have suffered from the merciless tactics of
the octopus The people of Kansas do not wish to
njure the Standard Oil Company. and neither do 1.
All that 1 trying to do and all that the people
of Kansas are trying to accomplish is to secure
square deaI from the Standard Oil Company If
they had received that kind of treatment the agi-
tation for State rehneries would never have been
started and would have introduced that
resolution in the House. If you could see the hun
dreds of letters and kilograms receiving daily
from all parts of the country, you would readily
believe that this investigation is of the most
popular moves made. People from everywhere
are writing me theories and suggestions without
end One lawyer in New-York wrote day be-
Standard Oil Companys pipe lines, after declar9
ing them to be public necessities, and 1 am of the
opinion that 1t might have been good plan If the
boycott had not been removed. Last night got a
4IedegraIn fron the Speaker of the Texas House of
to follow the example set by Kansas in pro
ask the President to send Mr. Carried down % to the @
beaumont district to do some investigating there
Ot course, a great many of the letters 1 have re-
ceyed were written by. visionary men with pet
SCieiIleS 4Or octopus Killing. Inc tremendous
Der however, no matter what the result, proves the
widespread interest that is being taken in the mat
ter believe that If the President succeeds in com
pelng the Standard Oil to give every a square
deal, he will retire at the end of his term the
most popular man that ever held the Presidential
H v Foster. president of the Indian Territory
Illuminating Oil Company which owns what is
known as the Foster blanket lease OF oil lands in
the Usage Indian Reservation, made the following
statement yesterday:
The Standard Oil Company does not own or con-
trol single share of stock in the Indian Territory
Illuminating Oil Company The controlling inter
est In this company is owned by the original
!essees, and there is no agreement or understand
ing between the Standard and this company as
to its policy management.