The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1906-01-04
OIL TRUST SPIES
THWART THE LAW
STANDARD OIL SECRET SERVICE
THREATENS GOVERNMENT
AGENTS..
RELATING. IS JURY CHARGE
BURLINGTON ROAD AND TWO
OFFICIALS INDICTED At
CHICAGO.
RELATING. IS Jury CHARGE

chicago, Dec. 81. - Raymond, III d
Philadelphia special to the Tribune,
says:
I'VE are bigger than the govern
ment. Standard Oil is stronger than
the United States. We own the SEN
ate and the house. If you pursue
your investigations beyond the point
necessary to fool the public we will
have you removed. We can secure the
instant deposition of the secretary of
commerce and labor, Mr.. Metcalf, and
the commissioner of corporations, MIR.
Garfield. If you prosecute us in the
slightest degree you will be out OF
your job, and If you keep at the bust
ness you will find out that what we
say is absolutely true"
Truly a Gigantic System"
This is the kind of talk which has
been handed out to the agents OF the
government at every stage In h
game. The first thing they learned
was that the Standard Oil company,
as has been said Of it, was a great
system
Agents of the government were con-
fronted at the outset by evidence of
the existence of extraordinary secret
! machinery of the Standard Oil COM
pany. The discovered that it covers
the United States and probably ex-
tends into foreign countries. It was
organized and operated in he first
place for the express purpose OF pre-
venting jobbers and retailers from
cutting prices.
Government agents have shown,
and have so reported to the secretary
of and labor, that whoever
sells a shade off the market price is
invariably caught and punished &C
| cording to the code Of the System"
Scope Is Startling.
This secret service is said to be
more ~far-reaching than anything
which has ever been known before in
this country. Government agents have
been aghast at it's extent. For awhile
they were stupefied and frightened by
it's threats. At every stage of the in.
veStigation the agents of the govern
| ment have been thwarted by the ma
lign influence of people who are not
| supposed to be associated with the
Standard Oil company, but who are
none the less ready to do it's bidding.
This secret service system was con-
, trived for the express purpose OF en-
aiding the Standard Oil company to-
control and probably to obliterate in
dependent organizations.
digger Than Roosevelt"
Now and again, when the govern
ment agent ran up against an indie
| pendent company he was surprised to
find out that in every case there was
a fear of the vengeance of the Stand
ard Oil company.
Rockefeller is a bigger man than
| Roosevelt" was the constant cry of
the Standard Oil people, not only in
| New York, but in Illinois, Missouri
and Kansas.
There was a reason for this cry, and
| the secret reports of the United States
| agents establish that fact. 1t has been
| shown that the Standard Oil company
! is the parent of a secret service which
is far and away better and bigger
IHdil the SSCICJ .IlldtItlilCty VI tHC
United States government.
Creatures of Oil Trust.
The government is. now in posses
| sion of evidence to show that "inde-
| pendent" oil companies have been or
| ganized in almost every big shipping
center of the United States. These
supposed independent" companies
| are in each case creatures of the
J Standard Oil company.
Crushing out. competition by means
Of a dummy company is not ~entirelySa.
new device, but it is dangerous, ~
cause the Standard Oil company has.
originated and applied it so as to at
feet commercial conditions all owe
the country.
Burlington Road indicted.
Chicago, Dec. 80. - The federal
grand jury late yesterday returned an
indictment against the Chicago. Bur-
lington & Quincy railroad, Darius
Miller, first vice president. and C. G.
Burnham, foreign freight agent, on the
charge of granting railroad rebates.
The indictment charges that, the re-
bates were all granted to the United
| States Steel Produce Export Company
| of New York, a subsidiary company to
the United States Steel company. All
of the shipments on which the in.
| dictment alleges
Rebates Were Paid,
were from six cities which are named
In the indictments, to Vancouver, B.
c. Twenty-six separate offenses are
| charged.
The indictment further alleges that.
by an agreement between the defend
ants and a number of connecting rail-
roads, . joint tariff was made and
filed with the Interstate commerce,
commission. The freight rates were
paid, it is declared in the indictments.
according to the tariff, but afterward
a rebate of about 80 per cent was al
lowed to the shipper. In all eases the
United States Steel Produce Export
company was the recipient N tina,