The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-01-04
WASHINGTON LETTER.

Rumor has it again that the De
partment of Commerce and Labor
IS going after the Standard Oil
Company. Ithas been understood
for some time that Mr.. Garfield,
the Commission of Corporations,
was engaged in an inquiry that
would ultimately land the Stand
ard as a defendant in an action for
rebates, unjust discrimination and
a combination in restraint of trade.
This talk has been revised by
visit to Washington by J. D. Keal-
ing, United States District Attor-
ney for Indiana, who spent two
days at the Department OF Justice
and had several meetings with Mr..
Garfield. There have been sever
al other district attorneys from the
middle west in Washington recent
ly, and it is said that all these
visits have bearing on the prose
cutions that will shortly be inau-
gurated. The Interstate Com
merce Commission has been after
the Standard recently on the sub
jeCt of discrimination in favor of
Standard Oil. 1t must be under
stood that nearly all Of the drilled
and refined in the north is the pro-
duct of the Standard, while the
southern oil is largely from indie
pendent refneries. For some
time past the rate on the northern
oil going south has been about
balf that on southern oil coming
north. The Interstate Commerce
Commission orders this discrimina-
ton stopped. But there are other
matters Of tauk-Cars and money re-
bates which it is understood have
been closely investigated by the
Commissioner of Corporations and
it is on these that the prospective
actions are said to be bssed. The
Bureau of Corporations naturally
will not say anything on the sub
ject in advance, But it is believed
that the cases are already practi-
cally made out and will be an
nounced some time after the
Christmas holidays.
The Bureau Of Chemistry of the
Agricultural Department has dis
covered a new dodge of the foreign
houses importing food stuffs into
this country to evade the law. The
Bureau has been able to control
foreign adulterated foods better
than those of home manufacture as
it had a chance at the original
packages at the port of the entry,
whereas there is as yet no federal
pure food law under which it can
operate. One of the favorite prac-
tees of the French exporters was
to send scraps and stalks or mush-
rooms to this country as best
French mushrooms" The Depart
ment of Agriculture forced the
importers to liable them in large
letters as "pieces and stems" under
the penalty of false branding. But
recently the French canneries have
taken to sending the scraps with
out brand or liable of any sort and
as they were not branded. they
could not be said to have evaded
the law II. 10 = } course
were pasted on after they arrived
ana there was no action possible
except in such states as have pure
food laws. DR.. Wiley, chief of the
Bureau Of Chemistry, thinks, how
ever, that he will be able to catch
the shippers under their customs
declaration and force them to de-
clare the contents of the cans in
plain language.
The long expected appointment
of minister to Norway has been
announced, and as forecasted in
these letters some time ago, it is
Mr.. Herbert Pierce, the present
Third Assistant Secretary of State.
There are number of other diplo-
matte changes and appointments.
Lloyd c. Griscom is to 60 as
Ambassador to Brazil, and contrary
to general expectation, the late
Brazilian Ambassador, David
Thompson. will be appointed Am
bassador to Mexico, a post that he
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