The Washington times., 1905-02-19
KANSAS OIL MEN
CHARGE STANDARD
WITH CONSPIRACY
The Complete Statement
Filed With Secretary
Metcalf.
HITCHCOCK IS INVOLVED
Railroads Accused Of MAX
ing Prohibitive Rates
on Crude Oil.
HITCHCOCK IS INVOLVED

Representative Campbell of Kansas
filed with Secretary Meteaff. OF the De-
partmept of Commerce and Labor yes
terday. charges and specifications
against against the Standard Oil Com
panv, preferred BY the Kansas oil pro-
ducers.
Efforts to secure a monopoly through
Illegal and oppressive means, blacklist
ing, conspiracy with the railroads to
produce a panic. and the exercise of ur-
due and improper influence with seere-
taTy OF the Interior Hitchcock are
among the charges made.
The statement is signed by r. C. Raw
ling and William E. Connolly. members
of the advisory committee OF the KAN
sas Oil Producers Association It is
as follows:
Charges of Conspiracy.
The Kansas oil producers charge the
Standard Oil Company with discrimina-
tions in violation OF the laws OF the
United States regulating interstate COM
merce, ard specify herein a few in.
stances of such violation {
We charge that the Standard CH
Company has endea vored 20 secure
monopoly OF the oil business of this
State from the beginning OF its develop
ment; that 1t has prevented otherseo
panies from entering this field to COM
pete for the Kansas oil trade Also, that
there exists a conspiracy between the
Standard Oil Company ssld the Atctai-
son. Topeka and Santa se Railroad TO
prevent other parties flofn handling oil
or purchasing oil in ransas. In s11s,-
port OF these eharges we submit the
following facts and lsures shown by
the books of 4. n, Knapp. IN MS efIics
at chanllte. kan.
Mr. knapp. when e began talesssr~yS
e5,,atiar, IF e,if il, .-5,sr1te, bought num-
her of ta,,k oars II, which to ship his
oil r., Kansas f-stx- nd other points TO
be used for fuel 1of the hisiiale1e- ..
+,e 80. rrk tars are of the ca
~, , sE,o e-,I1E,s When Dir. Knapp
be<-.,, tho cl,iY,r,,est OF his oil the rate
- ste ~. - =, m Cflanute to Kansas
f,;t,, 7',,is rate was based on the ca
naes+v Of she csr reckoned at 10 cents
r,er ino no,,n5s counting q gallon OF
oiI ar sfx and sour-tenths pounds. The
sa,,,s -, a,f,-,g re- vgas charged to Emporia and
other kansas points the same distance
from Chanufe
Pate Outrageous,
-fIlis rate was outrageous, for the
rate on a ear of stock. cattle or hogs,
was $3.50. and on car OF strawberries,
q very perisfabie product. was but $50.
In June, 1901, notice was given Mr.
Knapp that on August 10, 1901. the rate
on crude oil would be raised Il cents
per 100 pounds in carload lots from
Chanute to Kansas Cfty-an Increase OF
30 per cent. And the Standards pipe
line to Kansas City was completed about
August Is. 1904; please remember that.
The increase made it cost $3.50 TO ship
a carload of oil from Chanute to En-
poria or Kansas City.
.fTile rates on carload mentioned above
were increased by the Santa Fe in
counting the weight of a gallon of oil
seven and fourteenth pounds, thereby
raising the S4S rate TO $3.50 and the
30 rate 10 S94.S5. These rates are
prohibitive and were made to prevent
the shipment of crude oil out of the
Kansas ell fields and to force the pro-
ducers to sell their oil TO the Standard
| Tor any price it might see tit to pay.
These are Ta=*z by the books of
Mr. KNAPP they establish the fact OF
the existence of league between the
| Santa Re and the Standard to crush the
oil producers OF Kansas.
Blacklisting Kansas
I'VE charge the Standard Oil corss-
pany is now blackIisting Kansas oil far
the purpose of preventing the Legisla-s
| ture of Kansas from passing such meas
ures as will gIge the producers relief
and allow honest competition in the oil
business of Kansas, and submit the fol-
| lowing facts:
ION or about Feb 1895, thu
Kansas houS al eS made
/ the said me err for
/ February Il passed
/ the senate Try 8.
! the Standf ox-
/ der TO no
der