The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-04-18
Commissioner Garfield Finds
Them Smooth BOOkkeepers.
Records Show No Rebates by, or
TO the Various Roads.
MEYER VIOLATED LAWS
Company Denies Every Charge
Made Against 1t.
VIII Be Shown That Only $500
Assessment Was Returned.

Independence, Kas.. April 1S.-Mr.
Garfield had the officials of the
Prairie Oil and Gas company, the
Kansas end of the Standard company,
"on the rack nearly all of Monday.
All the evidence he secured was of
negative character. It was denial
rather than affirmative. The Standard
is denying everything. It denies the
boycott in February and says if there
was any oil refused the refusal was
due to the ignorance of subordinates
and not to any orders issued from
headquarters. It denies that it has
Disseminated against Kansas oil or
the Humboldt refinery. It denies that
it has ever violated the laws of the
state. It denies that any rebates have
ever been paid in Kansas.
The Standard denies that it is try
ing to buy up all the oil property in
Kansas and in order to control the
production has put the price of some
grades of oil below the cost of getting
the oil to the top of the ground. It
denies separately each OF the charges
against it and alleges that the mis-
takes made last winter, when the
price of oil was reduced on the eve
of the assembling of the legislature,
were the work of employees and not
the expression of a definite policy.
Standard Offers Its Books.
Mr.. Garfield goes to Neodesha to-
day to examine the refinery there and,
incidentally, to look at the books of
the Standard which have been kept
there for II years. In answer to the
charge that it was in collision with
railroads the Standard offers its books
in evidence. One of the experts here
with the commissioner said the books
of the Standard were the prettfest ex-
amples of bookkeeping he had ever
seen. There are no rebates shown on
the pages. There is nothing in the
books to indicate that the Santa Ee
railroad pays the Standard 50 a gallon
for lubricating oil that any citizen
could buy for a quarter a gallon in the
open market There is nothing to
show that the Standard ever encour-
aged the development of the oil fields
of Kansas and the territory.
One of the claims of the Standard
is that the production of oil IN Kan
sas far exceeded its expectations and
/ increased more rapidly than the COM
pany's ability to take care of it. It
/ asserts, however, that it has done its
/ best and has paid the highest price it
could. The officials insist that the
completion of the pipe line to Whiting,
Ind, will relieve the Kansas situation
/ to q great extent They say the ag1ta-
ton against the Standard is carried on
by stock jobbers in Chanute.
| Property for Assessment.
The commissioner will have given
to him today a statement of the prop
erty of the Standard in Kansas as
/ given for assessment this year. The
statement will show that the Stand
ard returned less than $500 worth of
property for assessment in the state.
He will go to Kansas City Wednes-
day night and expects to leave in a
/ few days for California. On the re-
: turn from the coast he will investi-
j gate conditions in Texas and cOrnDIafe
| east and investigate eastern fields. He
| stated last night the work here was
growing larger than he had expected
1t had been his intention to spend
Wednesday in the Indian Territory
but he finds it impossible to complete
his work here and to do so. His as
sistants will remain here and work on
the details. His work was only pre-
/ liminary.