Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1906-05-17
DECLARES governor governor
PROTECTED OIL MAN
D-NEEN CHARGED WITH BALK.
ING PROSECUTION IN AL.
LEGGED PERJURY CASE.
ExTRADITION is DENIED
BY ILLINOIS EXECUTIVE.
Hearing Before Interstate Commerce
Commission at Chicago Continued
Admission of Evidence Contested
by Standard Attorney.


Gov. Deneen a year ago baked prose-
cution of a Standard Oil official in
Illinois by refusing to request his ex-
tradition from Ohio on a charge of
subornation Of perjury, were made
Saturday at the hearing before the
interstate commerce commission. =
c. P. Collinge, vice president of the
Standard Oil company of Kentucky,
was indicted by the grand jury of
Tazewell county at Pekin, accused Of
inducing Charles Kercher, an employee,
to swear falsely that property which
the Standard was seeking to recover
on writ Of replevin belonged to Col
hinge. ~
Concealment Tried by Trust.
The Standard, it is said, did not
wish to appear in the case, so had
Collinge appear as the plaintiff But
Kercher told the story to the grand
jury. Collinge and G. P. Taylor, an
other Standard Oil official, were in
dicted. Attorney General Stead, how
ever, rendered an opinion that Col
hinge was not in Illinois when the al
legged crime was committed, so he
0ould not be prosecuted here and Gov
Deneen on this ground refused to ask
for his extradition.
Fights Admission of Evidence.
In an effort to prevent any further
exposures by former employees of the
Standard Oil company, Attorney John
S. Miller, counsel for the Standard
Oil company in the rebate inquiry in
progress before the interstate COM
merce commission, is contesting the
admissibility of such evidence on the
ground that it is unpleasant, useless
and beyond the jurisdiction of the in
terstate commerce commission" His
argument is that the evidence relates
to local conditions in Illinois and can
not be construed as in any way bear
ing upon the question Of railway dis
examinations in interstate rates.
Counsel for Standard Oil interposed
their objection when F. S. Monnett,
former attorney general of Ohio, who
is conducting the examination, called
S. L. Hibbs to the stand. Mr.. Hibbs.
it was explained. had been an expert
in the employ of the Standard in the
Peoria district to take away business
from independent dealers, and Attor-
ney Monnett proposed to show by
him the methods he used to carry out
his instructions.
Grave Conditions Revealed.
The chief points elected by Attor-
ney Monnett:s examination were:
That station agents for the Missouri
Pacific and Iron Mountain railroads
in every town in southeastern
Missouri had been paid by the Stand.
ard to harass the trusts competitors;
that there had been collision between
the Great Western and the Standard
to raise the rates on oil shipments be-
tween Whiting and St. Paul from IL
to 20 cents, the railroad paying from
100000 to 100000 year for oil; that
independent oil shippers who have no
pipe line across the Mississippi at St.
Louis have been Disseminated
against; that the Standard employees
saved thousands of dollars each 20
in transportation under the Union
Tank Line pass system; that the
Central Freight association fixed
freight rates; that prepaid rates were
made on all shipments in Missouri
and that no records available for pur.
poses of investigation could be OBJ
tanned.
Independent Shippers Held Up.
H. J. Cohn, formerly general
salesman for the Waters-Pierce com
pany, a branch of the Standard, testi
fed that station agents of the Mis-
souri, Pacific and Iron Mountain roads
acted as Standard agents, and by
holding up Independent shipments
gave the Waters-Pierce company a dis
tinct advantage in selling oil.
j. Bartles, for % years an EN-
ploye of the Standard, testified tina
through it's subsidiary company, thu
Galena Oil company, the trust sole
about 100000 worth of lubricating OF
a year to the railroads, and at prices
away above the market price, and il
this way obtained what amounted tt
rebates on shipments of oil.