The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-04-20
GARFIELD GOES.
Commissioner of Corporations
Quits the Kansas Field.
His Agents Still at Work in the
Oil Regions.
"a az GEV FEIHTEFK on nTHFE1HH-
ARE SIXTEEN OF THEM.
Both Sides of the Controversy
Given Fair Hearing.
MOre Embarrassing Questions
Are Asked the Standard.

tuiA from BarLIeSVllle, /. T., ne confer
red with all the officers of the Kansas
Oil Producers association and State
Senator Fitzpatrick of Chautauaua
county.
Whatever may be the report the com
missioner makes, it cannot be said that
he did not give both sides of the oil
controversy a hearing. He gave the
producers the first and last show at it
and the Standard all the time it want
ed Mr. Garfield wishes it understood
that he does not personally take testi-
mony and that he personally merely ex-
arnlnes the surface of things. He leaves
the taking of testimony and that sort
OF thing to the assistants. There are
now in the field more than sixteen
agents Of the department and they are
all busy. They are scattered around
al through the oil field.
Mr.. Conant did not go to Kansas City
with Mr.. Garfield. He will remain here
Ror day or two days longer Mr.. Gar
field said he had been very much sur
prised at the extent of the Kansas oil
helds, and the amount OF work required
in this investigation. He said he had
good general idea now of both sides
Of the controversy and would leave the
matter Of the details in the hands of
his assistants
Denied by the Prairie.
One query came up which is likely to
be added to the list of unanswered
Standard. The National Transit com
Pany is the corporate name for all the
Standard pipelines east of the Missis-
gippi river. The National Transit com
pany is the owner Of all except six
shares of the stock of the Prairie Oil
and Gas company. The Prairie Oil and
Gas company through its president,
w. J. Young, denies that the Standard
controls or owns the Prairie company.
The president Of the National Transit
company is Daniel O'Day, one of the
directors and one of the organizers of
the Standard Oil company of Ohio,
Pennsylvania and New Jersey The
query which Commissioner Garfield
asked is this: did Daniel O'Day, as
president Of the National Transit com
pany, inform Daniel O'Day the direc-
tor Of the Standard Oil company, of the
purchase of the Prairie Oil and Gas
company by the National Transit COM
pany, and did he inform the other di-
rectors Of the Standard that one of the
tentacles owned the Prairie Oil and Gas
company
Just as a parting shot Mr. Garfield
asked just a few more questions which
the Standard people are still thinking
over. They ran something like this:
who makes the difference between the
market price OF crude oil and the mar
4Eet price of refined oils2 Who gets the
profits between Sc cents a barrel and 81
a barrel? What makes the market and
what controls the price of both refined
and crude oils? Why does the Stand
ard run 26 degree oil from the Dorring-
ton lease at Humboldt, and refuse to
run lower than so degree oil in Kan
sas? Does the fact that Darlington
protested against the passage of all
protective legislation have anything to
do with the fact that his oil is being
run through the pipeline, while all 9TH
er oil of similar grade in the state is
being Tefused2 Why does the Standard
accept all oil produced in Indian Terri
tory as rapidly as produced, and then
Kansas"
Clerks Are to Blame.
Mr.. Garfield was interested in the
story at Emporia Of the continued de-
lance of the provisions of the anti
discrimination law BY the Standard Tt
was supposed the Standard was obey
ing the provisions of the law The
Standard has talked much to Mr. Car
3leld about its obedience to all statutes
The commissioner mildly and gently
once the Standard officials became &C
tive. 1t was the old story of orders
issued and the disObedience of some
clerk. All the WickednesS of the trust
has been laid on the shoulders of the
8fty dollar-a-month clerks This
caused one of the government agents
TO remark that he wondered what the
officers of the Standard did to earn
Their salaries if the clerks made all the
mistakes.
Hears the Producers.
Last night the producers had a con-
ference with Mr.. Garfield. The at
torneys for the Standard were around
on the edges of the crowd watching
every move. The producers told Mr..
Garfield their side of the case They
Informed him officially of the reduc-
dOn in the price Of oil made yesterday
Rnd then they made an inquiry which
may be asked the Standard. Yester-
nays reduction was more than per
cent Inc standards justification of
present prices is overproduction. Did
the production increase 6 per cent in
the month just paste How Is it that
with constantly decreas sing supplies in
the east the Standard keeps cutting
the price Of oil in the west2 How is it
that the same grade Of oil in Ohio was
cut cents a barrel and in Kansas chr
cents a barrel2 Why is it that a.
degree oil in Kansas IS worth less Der.
barrel to the producer than IS degree
Oil in Oh1O2 Why is it the Standard
is building thousands of barrels of
storage tankage in Indian territory
and says it cannot handle the oil pro
duced in Kansas?
Fair Hearing for All.
I'VE have a vast deal of work to do
yet said Mr. Garfield. I'VE have
much more than we anticipated. But
the people can rest assured that we
are going to try and get at the facts.
We want the facts we desire every
person having information relating to
the oil inquiry to send Us the facts
We shall appreciate it if the people
realize the difficulties in getting al
both sides of this question. Any sug-
gestion made to the department will
be appreciated. We ask for suzres-
lions every day. This is a matter in
which every citizen of Kansas ought to
take an interest and help the depart
ment"
OF course nobody knows what the
report of Mr.. Garfield win be. But il
can be said that he has given the
producers every opportunity to make
put their case. The Standard has beer