Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-05-05
STANDARDS REPLY.
Oil Magnates Gall Message
 Untruthful and Unjust.
ANSWER PRESIDENT WITH SARCASM
eve FIatly Assert That Our Company Has Never Engaged In Any Un. lawful Undertaking"-POk
 Fun at Roosevelt.

Has Never Engaged In Any Un- lawful Undertaking"-Poke
 Fun at Roosevelt. | NEW YORK, May 5.-In reply to President Roosevelt's message and the report of Commissioner Garfield,
 Messrs. H. H. Rogers and John D. Archbold of the Standard Oil company said that their examination of the mes sage and report had necessarily been a | hurried one and that they should at a later date make full answer to their shareholders. Meanwhile they have made public the following statement: Tn the presidents effort to secure the passage of a bill enlarging the powers of the interstate commerce I.commission and just and equitable railway rates we have precisely the same interest that any good citizen has, no more and no less. Regarding his criticisms upon the management of the railways or his strlctures upon any acts of the interstate commerce com mission, we have neither responsibility nor concern.
 When, however, he or Commission CT Garfield attacks the Standard Oil company and uses it's methods of doing business as an object lesson for the purpose of promoting his views we protest.
 Tt may be frankly stated at the out set that the Standard Oil company has at all times within the limits of fair ness and with due regard for the law sought to secure the most advanta- geous freight rates and routes possible. There will be no denial of this fact on our part. The question is whether = have at any point violated the laM the proprieties.
 "One does not care to bandy words with the president of the United States. It is not easy to differentiate between Mir. Roosevelt the president and MT. Roosevelt the individual. He has given us of his advice most generously upon every subject, from the size of our families to the mistakes of the federal judges, and some error is inevitable now and then to the most conservative man under such circumstances.
 We say fatly 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 commissioner is peculiarly un- fortunate on the subject of rebates The public may well take his word that he made an exhaustive examina- ton. and yet withal he says that with one or two exceptions the investiga- tions of the bureau have as yet dis covered no rebates in the technical sense on interstate business
 Tt is asserted over and over again in the report that the Standard oil company profited by secret and 'un- lawful freight rates. Yet in the same connection it is admitted In the report that all of these rates are covered by tariffs filed with the interstate com merce commission precisely as the law provides and therefore cannot be either secret or unlawful
 Commissioner Garfield says the Standard Oil company has habitually received from the railroads and is now receiving secret rates and other unjust and illegal discriminations It is hard ly fair or manly for him to add the sentence, 'Of course there may be oth- CT secret rates which the bureau has not discovered
 Tn dealing with the discriminations which are alleged to be violations of the interstate commerce law the plain answer Is that if MT. Garfield's state ment is correct It was the duty of the interstate commerce commission to have taken action and brought not alone the Standard Oil company. but the railway companies involved. to book. and this they have never done
 "The grief which the president ex- presses in his message over the inabili- ty of the railroads to combine and pro- tect themselves from the shippers will probably arouse amusement.
 The president says respecting this that the facts are not in dispute. only the inferences are dis puted. The Standard Oil company fur nished the facts. and man with a muck rake dug out such as under his he felt would prove dam aging.
 
 The Standard oil company has been investigated over and over again at the instigation of its rivals. and it al- ways welcomes such investigation when-conducted in good faith and fair ly. We are engaged in large and business. We are conduct ing 1t honorably. and we sincerely be- lieve in conformity to law"
 Memorial Day at Portsmosth.