The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-09-27

this kind. and has the grace to say
that no testimony was presented to
show how much or how little truth
there was in this charge. She goes on.
however, to intimate that because of
past history in Pennsylvania, it is prob
ably true. The fact is that it is abso-
lutely false, of course Miss Tarbell
further charges that the Standard OIL
crowd was at that time interested in
the Santa Fe road. 1t is probaA ly true
that at that time some of the Standard
Oil people were stockholders, but this
fact was not known to those who had
charge of the making of the rates. nor
had there been any instructions given
to them to favor the Standard Oil COM
pany. It is true that since that time Mr..
H. H. Rogers, who is, I believe, con-
nected with the Standard Oil company,
has been made one of our directors, but
the relations between the Standard Oil
company and the railway company
have never been discussed at directors
meetings, nor have l ever exchanged
word on the subject with Mr.. Rogers. I
am endeavoring to operate the property
1t will never be made subservient to
the Standard Oil company so long as 1
remain in my present position.
mis- Tarbell further says that a por-
ton of the Standard piep line in Kansas
is on the Santa Fe right of way, and
that its trunk line to Whiting uses our
roadbed for almost the entire distance;
and she says that the railroads do not
allow their rights of way to be used for
a song. 1t is quite true that portions
of our right of way are used by the
Standard Oil company for, it's pipe line.
made the contract for that use myself,
and / am quite willing to show it to any
disinterested party and permit that
party to express an opinion as to
whether the compensation paid is ade-
quate under the circumstances, my be-
lief being that / succeeded in getting
for the railway company all there was
in it
Miss TarbelPs conclusion that all
these things were a part of a scheme
to drive the Independent oil producer
or refiner out of business, is absolutely
without foundation, because there
never was any such understanding
made or implied or even discussed
and there never was a time when 1 or
any other official of the railway COM
pany would have been unwilling to go
on the stand and tell all there was in
the whole transaction. / think that
the agents of the department of COM
merce and labor, who have recently in
Investigated this whole subject, will GER
tify to the fact that they have found
US with nothing to conceal; that they
have been furnished with every paper
in our possession bearing on this case
and have been fully and frankly adj
vfsed of everything. we have done and
| our reasons for doing it.
Miss Tarbell states certain rates
were furnished her at the freight depot
at Chanute. i. E., $50 car. Chanute to
Kansas City, on fruit; $50 car on
! wheat, $40 for corn, $26 for cattle, $66
for machinery and $94.35 for oil. 1
doubt if any agent quoted her these
rates in the form in which she has put
them. Our rates are all quoted in
cents per hundred pounds and not in
dollars per car, and in view of Miss
TarbelPs other statements it is not at
all unfair to assume that she has in
tentionally misstated these rates. An
average car OF oil would contain about
three times as much weight as a car
load of fruit, more than three times
as much as carload of cattle. more
| than twice as much as a carload of
machinery, and so per cent more than
| a carload of wheat or corn. More
over, it occupies a car which must be
returned empty, while all the other
| commodities, with the possible excep-
ton of cattle, are loaded in cars which
4 can be used for other railroad pur-
poses.
Defends 7PatfF Norton. @--
Miss TarbeH's reflections upon Mr.
! Paul Morton, formerly vice president
/ of this company, are on a par with heI
4 other statements and conclusions. Mr.
/ Morton was not connected with the
company at the time the rates were
advanced, and he had nothing to dc
with the advance in weights; and prob
ably was not cognizant of it. The
Colorado Fuel & Ion company case
4 which Miss TarbelI cites, is now in the
# courts, and it will be improper for me
to anticipate what decision the cour
may reach: but her statement that the
/ Colorado Fuel & Iron company case
i largely owned and managed by the
Standard Oil crowd at the time of the
alleged transactions between that com.
pany and Mr.. Morton, is as untrue a!
her other statements; and finally. al
having bearing on the whole transac
ton, / beg to inclose herewith a state
ment of crude oil shipments from al
points in Kansas to all other point
from February /, 1904, to Februar.
: %, 1906, from which you will see tina
: we did not move during that time
City; that we moved one car from Cha
mute to Chicago and one car from
Humboldt to st. Joseph, while the re
naming ninety-one cars were takel
from various points in Kansas to Neo
desha, and that the total earning
upon all Kansas oil derived by tn
Santa Fe during the thirteen month
| covered by this statement amounted t
| $1660.S7. On this slight foundation
Miss Tarbell has built romance which
has probably been accepted as fact b
: many thousands of her readers. an
: which doubtless will have the effec
she desires of infiaming the publ
ct hold no brief for the Standard OF
company; 1 have no knowledge as t
| the truth or falsity of Miss Tarbell'
charges against it; but if her state
ments regarding that company are a
entirely unreliable as are those con
corning the Santa Fe Railway com
pany, you can form your own judg
ment as to how much to believe.
: "You are at liberty to use this lette
. | or any portion of it in any way yoI
80 - s.E. P. RIPLEY"
AT ru1 0.DcoN.cc