New-York tribune., 1906-05-05
OIL MEMS DEFENCE. ISENATE HITS STANDARD
Rogers and ArchboId Sag Standard
Has Done No Wrong.

Henry II. Rogers and John D. ArchbOld. Of the
Standard Oil Company. last night stoutly de-
Tended the honesty and business methods OF the
trust In long reply to President ROOsevelts
message and the report of Commissioner Gar
field. The statement in full follows:
In the Presidents effort to secure the passage
Of bill enlarging the powers Of the Interstate
Commerce Commission and just and equitable
railway rates. we have precisely the same inter-
est that any good citizen has. No more and
no less, Regarding his criticisms upon the man
agement of the railways, his structures upon
any acts Of the Interstate Commerce COmTniS-
sion. we have neither responsibility nor concern.
When, however, he or Commissioner Garfeld at-
tacls the Standard Oil Company and uses its
methods OF doing business as an object lesson
for the purpose OF promoting his VIEWS we
protest. II may be frankly stated at the outset
that the Standard Oil Company has at all times
within the limits of fairness and with due re-
gard for the law, sought to secure the most ad-
vantageOus freight rates and routes possible.
There will be no denial Of this fact on our part
The question is whether we have at any point
violated the law or the prOprieties.
The present inquiry grew out OF resolution
adopted by Congress year ago upon motion
OF Mr. Campbell of Kansas instructing the Sec
retary OF Commerce and Labor to investigate
the OIL business as carried on In this country.
We welcomed the investigation. When COmmis-
sioner Garfield in the discharge of his duty, vts-
tied Office he and his experts We're given
free access to our books and the fullest OpPor-
tunity to ascertain the manner in which our
business was conducted Frank disclosures OK
all Of our methods were made and every crtti-
cism offered by him was met with candid and
paiustalxing answer.
we repeatedly impOrtuned Mr. Garfield to make
public the conditions existing in Kansas, put
some Of the unfair criticism upon the subject.
but refrained on Mr.. Garflelds advice ana on
his assurance that his report would present the
case fairly. II turned out that so far as kansas
was concerned the state authorities abandoned
their attack
one does not care 70 handy words with the
rBs.ara a1aVaS 90 &FA TIgR}No Ro@n L
10 differentfate between Mr.. Roosevelt the PTest-
dent and Mr.. Roosevelt the individual He has
every subject from the size Of our families 20
the mistakes Of the federal judges. and some
error is inevitable now and then to the most
conservative man under such circumstance
STANDARD ADMITS NO CRIME.
We say fatty that any assertion that the
Standard Oil Company has been or is now know know
is alike untruthful and unjust
The Commissioners report. upon Which tne
Presidents message is based. opens with the
this country Is about 26.OOO.OOO barrels annual
ly. It is unimpOrtant, but II would neVeTthe-
less have been fair for him to have stated that
over 15,OO0.000 barrels Of this annual manu-
facture is exported and with it's manufacture or
the price the American public IS not interestSo, go
He next calls attention 70 the fact that Une
Standard Oil reflneries are located at centres OF
distribution while the Independent refnertes are
usually in the crude oil fields This facC, II
horne steadily in mind will answer very many
OF the criticisms which he later lndulges In. He
charges that this location Of refineries and the
natural advantages following II We're ootalneo
nv means Of unfair competitive methods. but
bevond this mere assertion does not go into
history or explanation Of these alleged unfair
roetnods at all He says the development OF the
nine line system by the Standard OIL Company
was the result of special agreement with the
railroad companies. what tAlS can lleaH - PeSS
ON q matter of fact the development OF the
,,na line system by the Standard OIL Company
- 5o jr 4be face OF violent hostility on the part
,oF the railroads, which naturally were opposed
20 the introduction Of such means OF transpOr-
4a+ion At enormous cost and IN the race OF
steadfast railway oppOsltloh at an 10y IT, I1
the Standard Oil Company adopted the pipe line
,,oo4,o6 For handling crude petroleum. The nrSt
line was extended from the Western Pennsyt-
1-aDia oil fields TO Bergen Point, on the At4antlo
of freight from the railway companies, Whlch
fact they did not view with compiacencE.
ALLEGED FAvORITIsM DENIED.
Passing from this point. Commissioner Gar
0aI6 fakes up the question Of favOritism, which
he alleges has been shown by various rall9slu ,s
al enecihc case OF alleged discrimination TO
Ivhich he directs attention Is In the New England
territory It Is charged that we enjoy mOnOp-
oIIv an certain parts of that section because some
Of che railroads there refuse to pro-rate. The
man who could be deceived by such a statement
m1,st he pretty dense First. II the New England
loads ought 20 prO-Tate but refuse to do so. IL
T0V,sf occur TO some one somewhere that perhaps
4he New England roads and not the Standard
OF Company are blameable. Second. a very
coe,1al inquiry would show that the New Eng
land roads are simply doing what they are
forced to do by natural conditions. and that Mr..
Continued second page
potaNo spstNc s,MwER sFAsON