The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-09-27
RIPLEY'S REPLY.
Santa Fe President Says Miss
Tarbell's Charges Are Absurd.
There Is No Collision Between
Railroad and Standard Oil.
RATES WEREADVANCED
But 1t Really Makes No Differ.
ence What They Are
AS There Is Little Oil to Be
Carried Because of Pipe Line.

Congressman w. A. Calderhead, who
asked for information concerning the
relations existing between the Santa Fe
and the Standard Oil company. Mr..
Calderhead addressed his question in a
letter to former Judge William r.
Smith, chief attorney for the Santa Fe
in Kansas. Mr.. Smith referred the
query to President Ripley and the latter
has written as follows:
wv. A. CaIderhead, Marysville, Kan.
Dear Sir: Your letter of the 2Sth in
slant to Judge W. R. Smith has been
referred to me and it gives me great
pleasure to have the opportunity of
giving you all the facts in connection
with the onslaught made by Miss Ida
NJ Tarbel on the Santa Fe Railway
company in the current issue of one of
the ma gazines. Miss Tarbeli is a writer
of sensational fiction so far as the San
ia Fe company is concerned and appar-
emily has no other object than to Gre
ate prejudice against that company and
the Standard Oil company. Miss Tar
bell so far as / am advised, has made
no effort whatever to ascertain the
facts so far as the railway company is
| concerned. Had she made any such
efforts there would have been no dis
position on our part to hold back any
thing. Miss Tarbe1l's charges are:
''First-That the railway companies
advanced the weight of crude oil in
May, 1902, from ga pounds to. IA
pounds per gallon. while making no
change in the weight of refined oil.
| This is true and the plain and simple
reason is that crude oil weighs rs
\ pounds per gallon while refined oil
weighs ga pounds. When Mr.. knapp's
oil business first started the only oil
which we had been carrying was re-
fined and naturally the agents having
instructions as to oil in general, billed
it at ga pounds per gallon, not know
| ing that there was difference IN
weight between the refined and the
crude oil. There existed an organiZa-
ton among the railroads known as
/ the weighing and inspection bureau,
/ the duty of which was to check
/ weights and description of merchan-
disc, this being necessary from the
| fact that innumerable frauds are con-
stantly attempted both as to weights
| and description of property. This bu-
reau made tests of the weight of Kan
| sas crude oil which resulted in mott
| fication to us that the correct weight
/ was IA pounds per gallon. Mr.. Knapp,
feeling aRgrieVed at our action IN
| changing this weight, transferred his
| shipments to another line, since which
time I think he has made no ship
ments via the Santa Fe. l have no
apology to offer for changing the
weight on this oil. Our rates are all
made in cents per 100 pounds and we
| aim to ascertain the correct weights
and to charge accordingly. Whether
or not any Kansas agent objected to
or protested against this change in
| weight, am unable to say. Miss
TarbeIl says that they did and were
told by their superior officers that
they were tired of the correspond
ence that the rate was fixed and it
was unnecessary to discuss the mat
ter. Very likely this was true. There
was no good reason why 1t should be
changed. I notice, however, that ac-
| To r. ST
Mr.. Knapp continued to ship his oil
from May, 1902, at which time the
change was made, until May, 1913,
when he is said to have turned his oil
over to the Standard Oil company. II
the Standard Oil company had any
thing to do with this change in weight
I do not know it. We acted as we al
ways act and as we would act again
under similar circumstances and it Is
characteristic of Miss TarbellS meth
DDS and general attitude that this
most obvious and necessary reason for
the change seems never to nave oc-
| Cured to her.
miss TarbelPs second charge is that
in August, 1904, the rates on crude oil
and all it's producers were raised from
10 cents per 100 pounds to II cents. FMS
statement is correct; but so far as the
Santa F'e Railway company is concern
| ed has little or no bearing. The facts
are that there exists, by custom, hxeo
difference between the rate from Kan
rate to ST. Louis which difference is
cents per 100 pounds. 1t was though
desirable by the lines reaching st
| Louis to advance the rate from Kansas
the Kansas City rate naturally advanc-
ed with it. So far as the Santa Fe Is
concerned, and / believe so Tar as tne
other roads also were concerned, the
advance was consented to Tor the SIM
ple reason that no oil was being car
/ ried to the Missouri river by rail. ano
it made no difference whatever whal
rate was quoted, because the pipe me
which had then been built, was consld-
cred to be an institution with Wnlcn
the roads could not compete Our peo-
/ ME felt that it was quite immaterIal sc
far as actual business was concerneo
| whether the rate was 10 cents or 81
cents No business could be done on
either rate and to maintain 20-cens
| rate would be simply to set preced-
ent for a demand for similar rates IN
other states for similar distances, WIN
| out resulting in any good so FAR as con-
| cerned our revenue. Tt is worthy o.
notice, moreover, that the only party
| shipping to ST. Louis at that time, ant
as 1 am informed, the only party nov
| shining to ST. Louis is the StandaFc
| Oil company. So far as anyone was IN
jured by the advance in rates, 1t wouio
/ seem to be the Standard Oil company
This advance in rates was unfortunate
| because it was made at time when az
| effort was being made to work up al
anti-railroad sentiment, and particular
| ly so. as it was made at a time wher
the producers in Kansas were less pros
nerons than they had previously been
and if any of us had had the slightest
idea that it would make any differences
| what rate was quoted the advance
| would probably not have been made
AS before stated, however, it was MOI
considered possible for the railroads t
compete with the pipe line.
This. Rebate Charge.
THE implied charge made by Miss
TarbeH that the Santa Fe company
| gets from the Standard Oil company
any revenue whatever on oil carried
| through the latter company's pipe line
| is absurd. Miss TarbeIf quotes ar
! anonymous letter making a charge o