Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-05-18
REPLIES TO CRITICISM
Garfield Answers Comments on Oil Trust Report Sends
III Letter to President Calls Attention to Certain
Parts Of Document in Proof Of Charges g. ,.

Washington, May 1S.-PresidentN
Roosevelt has transmitted to congress
the complete report of James R. Gar
field, commissioner Of corporations, Of
the investigation which he made into
the operations Of the alleged oil trust.
"a full synopsis Of the report, accom-
panied by a message from the pres
ident dealing with facts developed by
the inquiry, was sent to congress
May 4. 49,. -
The publication of the message and:
the synopsis of the report attracted
widespread attention. Comments on
the message and the report were made
by officials of the Standard Oil COM
pany and by officials Of several sys-
TENS of railroads. In submitting to
the president the report of his inquiry
Commi Garfield wrote a letter
to him inviting his attention to some
of the published comments on the oil
report attributed to certain railway
officials and representatives of the oil
trust That letter was made public
during the day by direction of the
president, although it was not sent to
congress with Mr.. Garfield's report.
1t is peculiarly interesting because it
contains Commissioner Garfield's an
swer directing attention to certain
parts of his complete report to the
comments which have been made. An
epitome of Commissioner Garfield's
letter is as follows: g.. -
".Mr. Tuttle, president Of the Boston
and Maine, is reported to have said:
The Boston and Maine railroad for
tied sections of the country, has Joined
roads on which oil traffic originates in
through rates and every shipper and
receiver of oil has been treated ex-
actly alike ~ a3s' 81 ..,,, = $500
AS shown in chapter III. of the re-
port the Boston and Maine states, in a
letter to the bureau that the road
does not prorate on a portion of it's
system, giving a list of 1874 stations
affected. Some Of the cities to which
that road does not prorate are Lowell,
Lynn, Lawrence and Haverhill, Mass;
Portland, Me, and Portsmouth. N. II.
These cannot properly be termed "the
sparsely settled sections" -.
Ma, Discusses Burlington Rates.
Continuing Mr.. Garfield says: Mr..
George Crosby, freight 4 traffic man
'ager of the Chicago, Burlington and
Quincy railroad, is quoted as saying
Of the East st. Louis rate: ~
ss" The rates which the commission
or complains of are intrastate rates
and do not have to be filed with the
interstate commerce commission They
were and are today open rates and all
shippers Of oil are conyersant with
them. This company has never, paid
aarebate to the Standard Oil company,
SO fa1. as know. n l S s5ss.5e 4 5g IA 3
s@t AS shown In chapter VII of the
report the records of the Chicago,
Burlington and Quincy show that the
6-cent rate was applied On hundreds
Of cars which moved from Whiting,
Ind, to East st. Louis, Ill, and st.
Louis, Mo-, as shown directly on the
way bills. The rate did not appear in
the regular tariffs Of the Chicago, Bur
Hngton and Quincy, but in what were
known ais billing orders. After the
2 rate had been raised to 10 cents and
had been filed with the interstate
commerce commission an independent
shipper at Chicago telephoned the
ONCE of the Burlington for the rate
4 from Chicago 10 st. Louis and was
quoted the regular Scent rate. A
similar quotation was given by the
Alton at the same time. No independ-
ent shipper interviewed by the bureau
n Of corporations was ever aware of this
rate except one who had formerly
been in the employ Of the Standard
Oil company and who used the 9knoWl-
& edge he obtained there to force the
railroads to make him a correspond
\ ingly low rate, which was also secret,
I from Il ankakee, Ill,,sto st. Louis; an6
the refinery OF that one shipper was
4 soon therein tier purchased, as he be-
q lieved by Standard interests, and Inn
& naediately dismantled 81
The report of Mr.. Garfield Is q com
d prehensiye one and covers 500 print.
ID pages. IN support Of the various
allegations made by him he prints
I bodily Iii the report copies OF way
\ bills, letters OF railroad officials hear
4 ing on transactions with agents Of the
STANDARD Oh and dependent oil com
panies, special oil tariffs Of various
B railroads. bills OF iading. blind bills
of ladtng and secret understandin
and agreements Of the several railroad
companies named with the STANDARD
ON company
Forgiveness IS better than revenge. 4
Pittacus.