The Washington herald., 1906-11-16

had control of and monopolized the car
rysng business by pipe lines IN and from
all the oil-producing regions Of the United
States. except Texas, Louisiana, and Cali
fornia; that they are common carriers.
and that they have refused and failed to
perform their duties as common carriers
Of oil: that they have charged excessive
and unreasonable rates. and rates which
were discriminatory in favor Of the Stand
ard OIL Company; that they have refused
to transport oil belonging to others than
the defendants and their associated COM
panies.
Here are given specific instances Of un,
fair treatment against competitors. fore
ing them 20 the wall.
Railroads Hand-in-gIOye.
1t is alleged that one Of the principal
instrumentalities through which the de-
PENDANTS have been enabled to monopolize
the commerce in petroleum and its prod
ucts throughout the United States has
been a system OF preferential rates. and
rates discriminatory against the COM
petitors OF the Standard Oil Com
pany, both In open and pub
| ished tariffs, and by and through
secret and unpublished rates. both inter-
state and intrastate. and by rebates, con
/ tcessions, and preferences granted to the
Standard Oil Company and its subsidiary
corpora tiOns. Il is charged that these
rates were in existence until about the
time Of the investigation of the Depart
ment Of Commerce and Labor in 1865 and
1906, when many Of the determinations
and unlawful rates were discontinued by
the railway companies. Many specific and
/ fiagTant instances are given. Elaborate
tables Of the exact rates and discrimina-
tiOns are given. covering substantially the
entire United States.
| IT, is alleged that the railroads Of the
/ United States have uniformly established
a system Of rates on petroleum and its
products by which the rates from the sew
eral shipping points OF the Standard oil
( Company have been relatively lower. un-
der similar circumstances and conditions,
than the rates from competitive points
Own Interest In Railroads.
It is alleged that the individual defend
ants and other individuals associated with
them. and interested with them in the
Standard oil Trust and the Standard Oil
Company. and its subsidiary corporations,
have purchased and acquired large inter
ests in the stocks of the principal rail
roads Of the United States, and have
/ caused themselves TO be elected, or have
/ caused other persons acting iu their in
terest to be elected. as members of the
/ boards Of directors Of such railroads, and
/ that BY reason Of such ownership and
[ representation on the boards Of directors
/ Of such railroads the individual defend
ants have Influenced said railroads to es-
/ tablish and maintain said discriminatory
rates.
/ II Is alleged that by reason Of the in
/ huence Of the defendants over the rail-
/ roads, and the large tonnage which the
/ defendant companies are able 10 control
and give 10 or withhold from them, the
Standard Oil Company, through its sub
sidiary corporations, sells substantially al
/ OF the lubricating oils 10 the railroads OF
/ the United States amounting 10 exceeding
/ S4. go. 900 per annum; that by reason Of its
monopoly Of this business II charges some
railroads very much higher prices than
others. 70 wit. double the price.
II is alleged that the Standard oil Com
/ pauy has been enabled to restrain and
mOnOpOlize commerce, among other
means, by unfair methods of competition
Dividends EightfoId Capital.
Il is alleged that by reason Of its mo-
nopoly the Standard OIL Company has
made enormous and unreasonable profits
on the actual value of it's property; that
the trustees valuation Of all the property
and stocks placed in their hands in 1Ss-
was So, 7l0. D. and that the additional
/ property purchased or acquired BY tho
issue Of trust certificates was s13,Sl0.l00;
so that the total value Of all property con-
/ trolled by the Standard Oil Company OF
New Jersey. except such as may have
been purchased from earnings, is $4,000,
/ 7sS. p. according TO its own valuation
Upon this capital the Standard has from
1852 TO 1895. Inclusive, paid S5l2 $40, so OF
dividends. and has created a large sur
/ plus 1t Is alleged that its property al
/ the present time exceeds the value oi
/ 500. 600 That its annual dividends
during the last nine years have run from
I % TO IS per cent per annum, in addition
/ 20 this large surplus
II is alleged that the defendants have
/ divided up the entire territory OF th5
United States into various districts, iT
which they have marketed petroleum
products through various of their corpo-
rations in such manner that certain OF
! said corporations have marketed the sans
! in certain districts 10 the exclusion Of al
I Of the other corporations.