The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1905-08-04
WHOlT BENEFITS
One of the Many Benefits Accru-
ing from the Last LeoisIa-
ture of Kansas

amount Uf money that has been saveu
by the citizens OF Kansas through
the wise laws enacted at the last
legislature and how much they owe
our patriotic Governor and represent
atives for the prompt and heroic act
ion they took to suppress the grasping
exactions of the Standard Oil Com
pany, that giant modern finance with
It's new school of business methods,
special privileges with the railroads,
rebates, spys, and coercion and sup
preston Of its competitors by the
power of wealth, making every state
in the Union bow to Is will, and every
consumer Of oil pay it tribute. Kan.
sas true to her history enacted laws
that brought this giant power to d
halt In it's rampage OF destruction
| within the state Of Kansas. The
most important Of these laws was the
Maximum Freight bill that enables
the small retiner to ship u barrel Of
Oil across the state al One-fourth the
former rates thereby saving the con-
sumers of oil hundreds Of thousands
OF dollars. For example the Webster
Refining company, the only indie
pendent refinery In the state now In
actual operation. could reach only b
limited number OF customers on
account OF the exactions OF the rail-
roads and, where they sold their oil,
the Standard at once met their price
saving their consumers from five to
eight cents q gallon and furnished d
better grade of oil to their customers.
The last legislaturefurther to protect
and keep in business this the only
refinery outside of the Standard In
In the state and encourage more to
enter the refining business, enacted
the Anti Discrimination bill, law
that compelled severy one to sell at
the same price all over the state
thereby taking from the Standard Oil
company the weapon they have used
so successfully 10 other states, l. e I,
selling oil at loss, In the limited
territory that the small refinery
could reach, thereby driving them to
wall or forcing them to sell out to
them. Since this law has become
operative the Standard has had to
reduce the price of oil all over the
state to the same price they were
where they were in competition with
the Webster Refining company. This
reduction In the past four months
since the law became operative has
saved to the consumers 0f Oil in
Kansas probably half million oil
dollars and this too In the dullesu
month In the year when very little
illuminating Gil is being used, What
it will save thiswinter 1t Is hard to
estimate. Before there was any
competition in the state he Standard
was shipping into Kansas the poor
sulphurous oils Of central Ohio that
they cannot export or sell 10 the east
In competition with the Independent
retiners, thereby compelling Kans
with the best crude Oil ia the wOriu
10 take this poor refined oil that nc
other state would have or do without
Where the refined oil made from
Kansas crude is sold the Standard has
had to furnish better oil or lose
their trade. When the STANDARD
found this little competitor backed
by the laws OF the Great State OF
Kansas and the sentiments Of its loya
citizens tremendous pressure was
brought to bear on Z. d. Webster the
principal owner Of the Webster Re
lining company, to sell out but Mr,
| WeOSCer, WHO udS Uteu III JUG Ichuiue
business for the past twenty sever
years and during all that time has
remained independent absolutely re.
fused to sell at any price, as he has
done 50 many times in the past. Thu:
. failing, the company has been attack
ed on every side principally through
some OF Its creditors that seemed mo-
80 much TO want their money as II
deliver the refinery into the hands o.
It's enemy. Despite all OF this the.
have reduced their Indebtedness owe
Que half the past four months ant
made at the rate OF two per cent
month on their capital stock OF on'
hundred thousand dollars. Since tn
State Refinery is not to be built ant
To supply their growing demand 70
WebsteI's best lamp oil from all owe
the state, G. ID. Webster has decides
To sell 200 shares Of the capital stool
at par slO0, per share and double th'
capacity Of the plant. he would pre-
r, to sell only one share TO eacl
p-rssn,s he wishes TO scatter tn
stock as much a. possible over TO-
state OF Kansas. 10 order that tn
stockholders may know the superio
quality OF Weoster's Best Lamp Oh