The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-04-10
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Who Is Paying the Freight on the
Kansas AgitatiOn2
CFrom Beaumont, Texas. Oil Investors
Journal

Kansas Ag4IatlOnE
CFrom Beaumont, Texas, Oil Investors
Journal
After all who is paying the freight
on the agitation in Kansas?
Is it the Standard Oil company or Is Il
the producer?
It strikes US that the gentlemen who
have been so copiously interviewed Of
late in the Kansas papers, those certain
producers who have led the extremists
must be indulging about this time In an
hour or two of quiet reflection after the
excitement of the campaign for higher
prices.
The time to pause and reflect is due.
What has been accomplished?
Oil is no higher And higher oil is
really the only thing that was wanted
Is there really any fight for principles
in the Kansas cyclone, which has gone
past the Neutrality-suspicious. stage and is
now simmering down to a dog trot?
If So why was the Standard allowed
to enter the Kansas field at allR If it
is so bad as it has been painted in ora
tory and printers ink recently why was
/ it ever tolerated?
Or, to tell the truth, were not the
same producers who have been bowling
/ themselves hoarse about Standard Op-
preston, very willing to take the STAN
dard's money for their oil before proouc-
ton got so big that the high prices were
not justified?
If you don't believe that they were
willing, turn back the files Of the KAN
/ sas newspapers and read what nice
things were said about The Prairie oil
! & Gas company in the good old days"
Do the producers who have been cry
! ing "oppressOr" expect any company,
Standard or not Standard, to pay the
same price for oil when the production
in Kansas and Indian Territory is five
or six millions of barrels year as was
| paid when the production was less than
one million a year,
! What happens in Texas and Louisiana
when production becomes twice as great
as consumption?
Why. here's one instance of what
/ happens: When Sour Lake was de-
veloped in the spring Of 1903 the price
at Beaumont fell from SO cents to 20
cents = four weeks. At Sour Lake
the price went down as low as cent
a barrel Just before Sour Lake came
| in big the Santa F'e railway contracted
for q years supply Of fuel oil at 2
figure between 70 and so cents
/ barrel.
Two weeks after the contract had
been closed the oil might have been
bought at less than 80 cents a barrel.
Much of it could have been obtained
at from 10 to 20 cents.
| Did anyone in Texas cry "oppres-
| sor -
/ No; because every producer knew
that the natural result of overproduc-
ton was a low market.
In the last nine months, in this ter
ritory, Jennings and Humble have
/ knocked the oil market into a cooked
hat It has declined nearly SO per
| cent Too bad we haven't the Stand
ard in control down here to cuss out
and blame for the state of things.
Getting back to the original PROPOSE
ton: Who is paying the freight In
! Kansas?
No one but the producer And the
unjust feature of it is the fact that
the producer, with knowledge Of con-
ditions as they exist in other fields and
who takes no part in the agitation,
must bear his part of the burden with
/ the agitators.
Instead of selling all his oil, he now
has an opportunity to run it probably
two days in each week. and he sells
two-sevenths of what he formerly
sold.