The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-02-18
SIGNS
STANDARD BILL
Fight in Kansas on Oil MONOPOLY
Fairly Begun.
HocH'S RINGING MESSAGE
SAYS PEOPLE OF STATE MUST
HAVE FAIR PLAY.

OPEhA, Kan, Feb. 17.-Governor
Koch at noon today signed the
bill passed Wednesday appropri-
aling 100000 for the erection and
mum enance by the state Of an oil
refinery with a capacity of 2 600 bar
rels a day. The signing of this meas
ure viii make it possible for Kansas
10 begin In earnest the fight started in
MS state recently against the Stand
aFu Oh company In signing the bill
governor Hoch sent a lengthy message
10 the legislature reviewing the fight
winch has ended in the present legis-
iation. and giving his reasons for sign
ing the refinery bill
Governor Hoch, in his message, OBJ
IJeCted 10 the size of the approximation
made for the purpose of carrying the
Jaw INTO effect He said that he diff
Tered from the majority of the legis-
azure only IN regard 10 the method
4 OF nghting the Standard OIL ~con1panv
The message also urged the legislature
10 supplement the refinery bill with
railroad legislation which will prevent
ne trust from defeating the purpose
of the act.
Governor Hoch said in part mo one
denies the right of the Standard Oil
company to own oil property or to
deal IN oils. This company has invest
ed vast sums of money in Kansas, and
certainly no one has objected to these
Investments 1t is not the possession
and exercise of these property rights
but the abuse of them, to which OBJ
lection is made. This is not an at
tempt to drive the Standard Oil COM
pany out of Kansas; to deprive il of
legitimate profits, or to dc it any in
jury OF any kind. 1t is an attempt TO
compel 1t to treat the people of this
state fairly and to give every man a
square deal. IF this state refinery sue
ceeds It will not attempt to monopolize
4 the oil business of this state. 1t has
no such purpose in view
Monopoly Must Be Decent.
TT Is not an attempt to establish
monopoly. but il is an attempt 10
q compel a monopoly already existing 70
be decent 1t viii not discourage, but
B encourage, private investments in rhis
+ line OF industry. II will welcome all
rsuch investments. 1t is an attempt TO
make competition possible. and not to
destroy competition, as socialism does,
and when its purpose is achieved, when
private capital can come to Kansas
and find investment in oil refineries
with fair chance of success, when
normal conditions have been restored,
when individual competition shall
again be possible, when the good con-
ditions have been made permanent,
then the state viii not only be will
f ing. but viii be glad to retire from the
refining OF oil. and leave the business,
as well as other lines OF industry, n
the hands Of private competitors, where
+ IL legitimately belongs, but where it
Is now impossible on account of the
greatest sociaIistic corporation now do
ing business on earth, the Standard
E OIL company.
NO greater question eonfronts the
+ American people than the control of
these great aggregations of capital, an
of them socialistic in their character.
tRnd which are antagonistic to the es
nEential element Of all national pro-
gress. the competitive system. A time
s ~ aud significant Illustration of the
tr0erciVe character of these modern
4 mbinations of capital and of their
znenace to private and public veal
was furnished in the recent telegram
of the manager of the Standard oil
.company. petulanty and arbitrarily
Withdrawing its patronage from the
Eproducers in the oil fields. Were that
#Order maintained thousands of good
people would soon be bankrupt and
1hOneless. Ar economic condition which
4 makes il possible for one man with
a stroke of his pen to bankrupt thou
sands of his fellow citizens is inner
Hently wrong and VIII not be perma-
#nently tolerated by a free and patri-
oiic people, and it illustrates more for
chilly than any recent event has done
E the necessity Of a wise solution of this
whole trust problem
Seek Solution of Problem.
PLAYFUL resolutions have been intro
#duced into this Legislature for the COR
#trol of the other trusts, but the ques-
zion is q serious one, and I have the
*UtmOst faith that the intelligent, pa
1riOtic and coura geous American peo-
pie VIII find a solution for ali these
problems. We are all cropping I'm the
dark, but we viii get out into the light
8after q while. This kansas cntribu-
ton TO the solving of this great prob
lem may or may not be a wise one,
but il SIS at least an honest and couF-
ageouS one. a free people had better
fail in an attempt to defend their rights
than TO make no effort in this direc-