The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-05-26

ling. According to his testimony, Lane
was for about fourteen months, in 1901
and 1902, employed by the STANDARD
Oil company for the particular purpose
Of driving all independent oil peddlers
in dozen or more Of the principal
cities and towns Of northern Ohio out
of business.
He said he was employed by 9. M.
Lyons Of the Cleveland office Of the
Standard Oil company to 20 to certain
| designated places and use every means,
| fair or foul, to force the Independents
to quit. . ~. n
He Was to Kill Them.
| "My instructions" he said, "were
to kill them, and was told that if I
could not do the Job somebody else
would be sent to take my place. I
worked in Youngstown and surround
ing small towns Canton, Girard, War
rem, Rayenna, Massillon, Mansfield,
all of the towns, with the exception of
Youngstown, the independent ped
! dlers were forced to abandon their bust
ness:
"1n. Youngstown man named Viii
liam n. Valley was encountered, and
despite everything we could do, he held
his trade. We gave oil away by the
barrel and tankload, but it did no
good. Vahey's customers threw it
Lane said that for fourteen months
he pursued the independents and sue
ceeded in clearing all northern Ohio
towns of them except Youngstown.
The peddlers were Threatened, ca
joled and coerced, offers of en-
ployment were made to. them,
their customers were supplied free
with as much oil as they would
accept, their wagons were followed
by boys on bicycles to ascertain the
homes of their customers, and minis
ters and labor leaders were bribed with
oil to circulate testimonials among con-
gregations.
Miss Elizabeth Protzman, a. stenop-
rapher and bookkeeper in the Dayton,
Ohio, office of the Standard Oil com
pany, testified that information con
corning the oil shipments of rivals was
brought into the office by draymen, and
that she made careful record Of them
and gave them to her superior.
| Standard Has Telegraph System.
John O'Brien, general superintend
ent Of the Lima division Of the Buck:
concern, was asked particularly Il v" ABOUT
the Standards telegraph system, espe.
cially that part connected with the
J. pipe line company. ~, -
The inquiries succeeded in establish.
ing the general fact that the STANDARD
has an immense telegraph system of its
own, extending to nearly every part
on lts great volume Of trade, it does
, not often require. the use Of the regu
lar lines Of the, two big telegraph com
panies. The company has it's own wires
Leased or otherwise operators, Offices
regulations, Blanks and other station
cry, and sometimes sends messages fo1
persons not connected with the com
pany.
The witness denied that the com
. pany exchanged business with thu
, Western Union Telegraph company a
points where one had an office ani
q the other had not. %.
Damaged by Canards.
81 D. E. Byles, secretary and treasure
n of the Independent Refining company
limited, Of Oil City, Pa, offered testi
4 mony concerning railroad rate discrim
nation against his company, and sail
/ Indiana, the Standard agents .circu
lated reports that the Oil City com
|, pany was in reality a Standard OF
concern. He testified as to increases Il
freight rates on various roads durin
the last twelve or fifteen years. Ii
o the Indiana territory, he said, tn
Q Standard agents, as one method Of get
! tinually circulated reports that tn
L Independent Oil Refining company wa
J. in reality controlled by the Standar
Z Oil company. This, he said, was don
o systematically for a long period.
d Roads as Trust Allies.
: The railroads, he declared, had begu
q, % increasing the rates to New Englan
a a in the early eighties and had bee
i nearly all points and substituting a
o arbitrary rate which was almost pre
hibitive. This excessive and unjust rat,
y which was levied principally by tn
a Lake Shore and Pennsylvania road
y. had practically driven his company on
\ Of the entire New England field. I
trying to reach southern territory q
20 far as New Plains similar ,obstac]
"a was met. All kinds Of other diffcultie
the witness said, were continual
thrown in their way by the railroad
particularly the Pennsylvania compan,
~ which, as an illustration, compelled h:
x company to build tank cars on spec
-, tications much more stringent tina
K Lo those required for their own cars. Thi
O1O VACAOoo OO1AOVOu, was uOu0 DY Gn
W Pennsylvania company for the purpos
-, Of giving the independent companit
40 as much trouble as possible and b.
= cause 1t wanted to drive them out
~ business. .>.>
m The Trusts Big Stick.
40 George L. Lewis, a lubricating o
e. salesman of Chicago, told how he lol
e. q contract with the Dayton & Tro
Traction company because the Standal
~ agents promised enough freight to mo-
than pay for the OIL
at G. B. Duffy, purchasing agent of IL
n Hooking Valley railroad, asked if
he had not said recently that his roe
would lose $4,000 to 5000, 600 We,
ng in freightage if he bought lubricatir
at oils from any other company than I'll
n, Standard or Galena, replied that ]
ny might have made such remark, but
ag had no positive recollection of it. T
to said he had no instructions from
he superiors to buy these oils from Il
re Standard or Galena companies.
Other witnesses Of the day were i
dependent oil dealers who testified
detail regarding the coercive tactics
as the Standard and allied companies.
lie In a Pinch, Use
n, =, Anonse Feet E..