Arizona republican., 1906-05-05

question is whether we have at any point violated the law or the propri- cities.
 ''The present inquiry grew out of a resolution adopted by congress a year ago on motion of Mir. Campbell of Kansas, instructing that the secretary of commerce and labor investigate the oil business as carried on in this coun- try. We welcomed the investigation. When Commissioner Garfield. in the discharge of his duties. visited our of fees, he and his experts were given free access to our books and the fullest Op- pOrtunity to ascertain the manner in which our business was conducted. was made, and every criticism offered by him was met. with a candid and painstaking answer.
 ''So conscious were we of our recti- tude that we repeatedly impOrtuned Mir. Garfield to make public the condi-
 ions of our standing in Kansas. but he refused. We proposed ourselves to answer some of the unfair criticism upon the subject but refrained on Mr. Garfield's advice and or his assurance that his report would present the case fairly. IL turned out that so far as Kansas was concerned the state au- thorities abandoned their attack.
 We say hatly that any assertion that the Standard oil company has been or is now knowingly engaged in practices which are unlawful is alike untruthful and unjust.
 'The commissioners report upon which the presidents message is based, opens with the statement that the man. ufacture of refined oil in this country is about 26,OOO.OOO barrels annually. It is unimpOrtant. but it would nevertheless been fair for him to have stated that over 15.OO0.00O barrels of this annual manufacture is exported, and with it's manufacture or the price the American public is not concerned.
 e He next calls attentionsft the fact that the Standard oil -refiHeries are To- cated at centers of distribution, while the independent refineries are usually in the crude oil fields This fact. if borne steadily in mind. will answer very many of the criticisms which he later indulges in. He charges that this location of refineries and the natural advantages following it were obtained by means of unfair competitive meth ods, but beyond this mere assertion does not go into a history or explana- tiOn of these alleged unfair methods at eAAa- 4At SdyS liIe ueNelOpIleIlI or the pipe line system of the Standard Oil company was the result of special agreement with the railway companies What he can mean is past our compre- hension. As a matter of fact the de- velopment of the pipe line system by the Standard Oil company was in the face of violent hOstilities on the part of the railroads, which naturally were opposed to the introduction of such d means of transportation.
 "It is charged that we enjoy a mon opOly in certain parts of New England because some of the railways there refuse to prorate. The man who could be deceived by such a statement must be pretty dense.
 Obviously, we have an advantage by the use of our own pipe lines from the western oil fields to the coast and the use of water transportation from western points. But this advantage is one which it is not possible to correct by any rate legislation, unless it is proposed to bankrupt the railroads in order to meet water competition
 "The commissioner says the Stand ard Oil company has habitually re- ceived from the railroads, and is now receiving, secret rebates and other