The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1905-07-15
FIGHT ON
OIL RIVALS
SECRETS OF STANDARD
ARE MADE
PUBLIC
COMPETITION IS STIFLED
No Salesman Dared Cross
Fixed Dead Line.

Kansas City, Mo-, July 15--The hear
ing Of the testimony obtained by the
state attorney general, II. S. Hadley
70 prove a combination Of the Stand
ard, the waters-Pierce and the Repub-
lie Oil companies. In restraint Of trade
in Missouri. was resumed yesterday
afternoon at the Coates house. Only
four witnesses were examined at one
time or another by one of the respon.
dent companies There testimony. al
though given through crossfre Of
objections and tiresome arguments.
was interesting in showing some Of the
schemes resorted to by the oil com.
panies to obtain trade and crush com
petition.
George w. Musser OF Kansas City.
a travelling salesman for the Interstate
Oil company. was a witness. He be-
gan in the oil business with the l.. p.
Nix Oil company in 1889 and continued
with it until 1882, when the Standard
Oil company absorbed it, and, said
Mr.. Musser, 1T took me. too The
witness remained with the Standard
until 1887. when he went to the Inter
state Oil company. While he was
with the Standard he and all sales
men were given maps of Missouri
showing where they might sell oil and
which territory they were to avoid.
Ia case Of shipments by competitors
he had Instructions TO see the buyers
and get the business. sometimes by re
ducing prices, sometimes by making
presents Of tanks Mr. Musser said
that while ne was travelling aeles-
man he always knew when coEpeti.
tors made shipments and to whom
they were made Once he was repri.
manded by the head Office at Kansas
City fo9 bsving sold oil at Jerico. in
the Waters-Pierce on company's ter.
ritory
MT Musser then ted how he had
once sold carload Of candles to
man at Mexico, Mo, which, he found
later was WatersPierce territory.
There was row about It, he said be-
cause the waters-Pierce company
claimed the profits on the sale and.
furthermore. received those profits
An interesting disclosure came out
in Mr. Musser's testimony. He had
charge OF a specially" department.
The candles he sold we're sent from
Cleveland to Kansas City and then re-
shipped East. TO within forty miles OF
st. Louis who paid the freight on
that return trip?" inquired Mr.. Hadley
The consumer" replied the witness;
lit was charged up against him"
Mr.. Musser said that since he had
quit the Standard he never had found
that company and the Waters-Pierce
company in the same territory They
did not interfere with each other
Mr.. Musser said, on cross-examina.
tion by Attorney Hagerman, that once
he had stopped" an order for harness
oil given to comRetitor by giving
the customer fftyhve gallon tank
did you do that always?" inquired
Hagerman.
Yes, if necessary; those were my
ft,e nh r1ff ~
Standard, was the reply.
"Do you do It now"
III I'm after customer OF the
STANDARD do"
Don't YOU do that with other com.
pettors"
mo; they treat me fairly use
them honorably"
And you use any methods nsces-
sary to get the Standards customers?"
Yes"
"whygr
Because the STANDARD has tried to
drive me on the face Of the earth aud
put me out OF business"
Mr. Musser said brilliant oil be-
came Perfection" when 1t crossed
the dead line" in other words the
Waters-Pierce company sold an illum-
mat ng oil in its territory under one
nama and the Standard sold the same
oil in It's territory under an other name.
Attorney johnson put Mr.. Musser
through an examination as TO specific