The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1906-06-29
BILL WAS FIXED
BY OIL COMBINE
Is Charge Of TiIlman in a State
ment Before Senat..
EXPLAINS HIS ATTITUDE
Tells Exactly Why He Refused to Sign
the Agreement Reached by Con-
ferees on Rate Measure.

A Washington special says Imme-
diately after the senate met Monday
the clerk Of the house of representa-
tives announced the action of that
body on the railroad rate bill, but il
was allowed to lie on the vice pres
ident's desk until 2:30 p. M, when 1t
was called up by Senator Tillman.
After the conference report was
read, Mr. Tillman called attention 10
the fact that his name was not at
tached. He presented and defended it
at the request Of the republican SCI.
ate conferees, but he said he was OPP
posed to the agreement regarding ono
amendment, to which he would later
move that the senate disagree. He
had reference to the McLaurin amend
ment divorcing the carrying and pro-
ducing business, which was amend
ed SO that it does not apply to pipe
lines.
The change in this amendment, in
plain English" he said, meant thai
STANDARD Oil had got in its work.
The agreement in reference to this
amendment he said, relieved the
Standard Oil company from control
and regulation by the interstate com
mission
When the bill was sent to confer
ence the second time, Senator Till
man said he found an entirely differ
ent atmosphere from that Of the first
conference, as the house committee
insisted on opening up the whole sub
ject, including all matters on which
an agreement had been reached.
"Then l began to smell mouse, or
something" he said.
"Or something, probably" Mr.. Elk
FMS remarked.
Continuing, Mr.. Tillman said he be
came more Or less skeptical as to mo-
ttves, etc, as one is likely to do af-
ter service in the senate" He said
the change would simply destroy the
effect Of making the pipe lines COM
mon carriers.
There you see the result Of this
additional deliberation, he added.
THE house had us up a tree and
insisted upon taking the senate pipe
line amendment as it was originally
inserted, thus changing the commod-
ity amendment.
by this change the enforcement Of
transportation from production would
be confined to railroads, thus leaving
the Standard Oil company from the
operation requiring that transporta-
ton companies shall not carry arti-
cIes produced by themselves"
So firmly was he convinced Of the
instrumentality OF the Standard Oil
company in securing this change, that
in his estimation every senator who
voted for the conference would have
IS. o. branded on his forehead" He
did not mean to vote for it because
he did not want anybody saying,
you've got S. o. branded ON your
forehead, Ben Tillman"
lie COuSlU6IGu liG luSt'S0NSAI SSAAA
panies whose interests are supposed
TO be involved to be myths.
Senator Bailey took the position
that the change made by the confer
ence committee in the commodity pro-
vision would nullify the pipe line po-
sition 1t was equivalent to making
the Standard Oh company the one
exception to the requirement that pro-
ducers shall not transport their own
articles. He did not "large the Stan
dard Oil company with direct effort
to influence legislation, but to fright
en- independent companies, who, It
had transpired, sell their oil to the
Standard.