The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-05-29
Commission will PrepareR Report for
Presentation to Congress
Hearing Lasted Three Days, During
Which Thirty five Witnesses Were
Examined-An Intellectual Attempt
to Sell Lubricating Oil to Railroad
Newspaper Men Examined i'm Effort
to Show That the Standard Oil Conn
pany Had Newspapers Subsidized.


spent in taking testimony concerning
the affairs of the Standard Oil Com
pany the interstate commerce COM
missioners Prouty and Clements ad-
journed this afternoon and shortly
thereafter started for Washington
where they are expected to soon begin
the preparation of their report on the
testimony taken here and in Chicago
for presentation to congress.
The report, however, will not be
closed until the Standard Oil companys
attorneys have been given ample op-
portunity to reply to the many state
ments and charges put in evidence
Attorney Virgil P Kline, for the Stand
ard Oil Company, gave a notice just
before adjournment, that he desired to
answer some of the testimony produced
and requested the commissioners to
name suitable time and place for the
re-opening of the case for this purpose.
Mr.. Kline was told that this privilege
would be extended to him and that an
nouncement of the time and place
would be made in the near future.
In the three days hearing just COM
Dleted a total of thirty five witnesses
have been On the stand. About fifty or
sixty were subpoenaed Some of these
were not called. Counsel for the COM
mission however, had five or six on
hand ready to be sworn but the COM
missioners declined to hear them indi-
eating that the things expected to be
proven were not important.
Today's developments were regarded
as important and were in keeping with
the general line Of inquiry made during
the two previous days. The first wit
ness was w. E. MacEwen formerly
chief clerk in the car department Of the
Lake Shore and Michigan Southern
Railroad company in this city. He
said he was in a position to know much
of the inner workings of the car de-
partment and he proceeded to tell what
he knew of the handling of tank cars.
He said the cars of the Union Tank
Line (Standard Oil cars) were given a
great advantage over rival cars in COM
putting mileage and freight bills. The
bills Of one would be computed accord
ing to one standard of distance and
those of the other according to another
standard. The result was that the
Standard was enabled to save a con-
siderable sum over the charges made
to competing companies. MacEwen said
he was with the Lake Shore road for
several years and when he left it he
started to work with the Peerless
Transit company small rival tank
line. Knowing how mileage and
charges were being computed he went
to the proper Lake Shore officials and
asked for the same advantages as was
extended to the Union Tank Line. The
officials, he testified, made light of his
request, ridiculed him and said he was
showing great ignorance of things.
Not discouraged, however, he obtained
copies of the compilations of car re-
ports which were duly forwarded to the
Cleveland Office of the Standard Oil
Company and taking them to the Off
cials of the Lake Shore finally succeed
ed in accomplishing his object. Several
weeks ago he said he noticed that the
high rate was again being charged
against his company and going once
more to the general Offices was inform
ed that 1t was all a mistake, that the
Peerless Transit company being the
only company to except to the high
charges, except the Union Line, the
matter had been entirely forgotten.
Special. counsel Monnett endeavored
to show by several witnesses during the
day that the Standard Oil Company
maintained a press bureau for the pur-
pose of subsidizing Ohio newspapers
125 of which he said were on the
Standards list.
W. ]. Brickell, for many years the
editor of the Columbus Ohio Evening
Dispatch was one of the witnesse called
with this end in view. Mr.. BrlckeIi
was asked whether his paper did not
accent Standard Oil literature and pub
lish it at news space rates. He said
that he had no positive knowledge on
the subject and the business manager