The Washington times., 1906-06-26
NO BRAND Of OIL
ON TILLNAN'S BROW
Senator Says Trust Used
Undue Influence on
Rate Bill.

Senator TnIman took the Senate and
the country into his confidence about
the second rate bin conference. with an
explanation which sounded much like
a confession Of having been buncoed.
The Senator vas able to locate the in
fluence that had induced the conferees
10 leave pipelines out of the operations
of the commodity section. 1t was Stan
dard OIL, he said. that had got in its
work with the conferees
But the influence that had orietlv
fixed the anti-pass amendment so that
IL would probably not stand the test Of
the courts, the Senator said. he couldn't
locate. For himself. he had not realized
the defect in the provision till it was
adopted. He hoped the Senate would
disagree. and Insist that 1t be corrected.
Interstate Provision Omitted.
This defect in the anti-pass amend
ment was that it forbade all free passes
for certain classes of people-Federal,
State. and county officers 1t should
have said Interstate passes. because
Congress has no power TO prohibit in+ra-
state passes. The original Senate amend
ment used the word Interstate Sena-
tor Tillman couldn't tell just at what
point the word Interstate" was lost
but he was sure It ought not to have
been lost. and fearful that its disap-
pearance might render the whole pro
vision nuEatory.
But IL was when he discussed the al
legged surrender to Standard Oil on the
pipeline amendment. that the South
Carolinian was more vehement.
Il Will say" he declared. that n the
Senate shall yield to the House in re-
gard to this provision and agree TO
adopt this report without sending il
back and insisting on the restoration
Of the words common carrier for rail-
road. in my estimation every man who
votes that way will be branded on his
forehead with the letters S. o. /.
l would not sign the report I do not
want anybody TO say. You have IS. O."
on your brow, Ben TiIlman. y
Recounts Efforts to Influence.
Senator TiHman recounted the efforts
that had been made 10 influence the
conferees IN favor of the omission of
pipe lines from the application of the
commodity section. This section orig
iHally provided that no common carrier
should transport commodities of its
own production Pipe lines were made
by another section, common carriers
So the Standard OIL pipe lines could not
transport their own oil. At once there
was a flood of kilograms and letters
from alleged independent Gil producers
OF the country protesting that IL this
became law II would work irreparable
injury on the oil business-iadepend
and Standard alike. II was the protest
of the Independents that was made ex-
cuse for changing the provision, so that.
instead of prohibiting all common car
riers from handling commodities of their
own production, it prevented only rail-
roads from doing this.
No Independent Oil Concerns.
Senator Tfllman told the Senate he
did not believe there were any real in
dependents in the oil business: and II
there were any. he did not believe they
were playing the Standards game in
this way. He was sure ii was simply
a surrender to Standard Oil and he
demanded that the Senate reject the
conference report.
Senator's Bailey. Lodge, and others
took the same position, urging that the
law ought to apply alike TO pipe lines
and other common carriers. Senator
Foraker and Senator Cullom insisted
that there were real Independents in