Evening journal., 1905-04-29

Tribute TO the People Fighting the
Great CorpOration--Says the stand
ard Is Not Overlooked and Needs
Kansas Oil.
Miss Ida NJ. Tarbell, the writer,
whose stories Of Standard Oil have at |
tracted much attention, passed through |
kansas City, Mo, the other evening |
on the way from the Kansas oil fields |
10 her home in New York, says the |
Kansas City Times. At the depot she
paid the following tribute to Kansas -,
and its people:
II have found in Kansas a people
with a spirit I have met people who
create their theories and, having Gre
ated them, act upon them. have met
people who Intervene their ideas Of
Justice with their business principles
And l have met a people whom the
Standard OIL a railway company or
any combination Of capital cannot con-
troll. The Kansans have that spirit Of
fight and bitter fight In them that
makes them turn when oppression
seeks to harm them. And In Kansas
That great commonwealth in ITSELF
Lave learned Of the western spirit in
fomitable.
Il came to Kansas feeling that there
might be a story for me to write, but
small one. I started with the Idea
that there was a burst Of indignation or
agitation there that would amount to
little But | found a story deep in
Itself l believe that nowhere could I
have gone and learned more than /
learned in Kansas. expected to make
brief visit there and 90 home But
[ STAYED and stayed. and even now
nm reluctant to return to the east
VIII I come back? Well, most assured
lyI will come back. Just as soon as l
can clear my duties at home I will
come.
"There is moral. ethical spirit
among those Kansans which is rising
above and beyond their wish for fnan-
hial gain. The Kansans are not fight
Ing now for the money they can make.
They are not lighting because their oil
roesn't market well. They're fighting
hecause a monopoly, a trust, has
ought to come into their state and die
ute to them where their products
IAN go and what shall be paid for
4 tc products. It's the fight for jus
juC nd right they are making.
hese Kansans are q peculiar peO-
! pie They believe in themselves, and
] they will win II for no other reason
than that they believe in themselves.
For instance, they say that If the laws
regulating oil now passed are not con-
btitutional they can make laws that
are constitutional. Right there is the
Kansas spirit: If we're not right, Wen
get right Wen play fair. Wen give
Justice, but you can't walk upon us.
You've got to meet MS halfway So
much for the Kansas spirit
'The Standard Oil company says 1t
cannot take all the oil produced in
kansas; says it does not want it. At
the same time It has been fighting its
way to get a pipe line constructed so
Il could take the oil. 1t has built stor-
age tanks, and It has hauled the oil
away in cars. It has taken every drop,
every gallon, every barrel, It could
take, and yet it says; We're over
tocked now. We don't want too much
rl.'
THE Standard Oil company is not
the only company that buys oil. Other
concerns, other companies. want II, and
say to Kansans; Build your own
pipe line ( Build IL to the seas. Build
It anywhere for ships to haul 1t away
Then you'll see whether the Standard
wants It or not The Standard Oil
company cries about overproduction
and right now 1t is leasing oil lands in
Roumania and Gallcia, on the other
side of the seas. If It has an overpro
4 duction. why does it go beyond these
n waters to get more oil2 I don't believe
8 Kansas Will ever bow 70 the Standard
Oil company. That kind OF people
don't live there. That company will
find that It has run into a free and
easy, good humored yet powerful EN-
plre that don't know what defeat
means
Il hope that the next session Of con
gress viii enact law making all pipe
lines common carriers, placing them II
the hands Of the Interstate cOmmere'
commissions. l believe 1t will take uI
the bill, and I believe the bill will b'
passed Such a bill. Of course. woulC
be a blow to the Standard OIL com
pany. but 1t would be the making o
Kansas. / do not know Of the legalit.
OF the Kansas law Of this nature, but
do believe II It is not constitutional on
will be passed that will be constitu
tlonal and will accomplish the desires
results.
''There Is going TO be another inter
esting story In the Indian Territor.
when the Indian leases come up 70
final disposition The Standard, yol
know, has great part Of the oil well
down there leased The governmen
agents for the Indians are handlin
these leases as best they can. but
IS look for fight l expect to take up tn
Indian Territory story when l com
back. like Kansas. ike her people
j think today it is ONE of the greatest
g. not the greatest state in the Union"
< Quest of n Substitute For Leather.
81 The desire to better the lot Of tn
working classes has caused Count Mf