The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1906-03-14
BRIBERY TALE
DISCLOSED BY
FORMER AGENT

Kansas City. Mo, March 1.-THE Inter
State Commerce commission resumed It's
hearings yesterday in the investigation of
charges OF discrimination I'm railway rates
on oil, filed by the Kansas OIL Producers
association.
The testimony OF e r. Mccarthy OF the
Mission Mining company OF Quinapaw
Indian territory, brought forth two letters
on oil rates. one from the Standard OIL
company's office at 20 Broadway. New
York, and the other from the st. Louis
and San Francisco railroads general Of
fees
The correspondence was introduced 20
prove that while the Standard got rate
OF 6iS cents for transporting oil from Me-
odosha 10 Baxter Springs distance APP
proximately OF IS miles. the railways
charged in effect l7h for a haul OF six
miles farther beyond the Kansas line.
F.. l.. Willhoyt formerly an agent at
Topeka for the Standard oil. bat now an
independent dealer, with offices al Jop-
lin and Springfield. Mo. said: The Stand
ard OIL company, when / was with II,
was charged s5 a car by the Terminal
company in ST. Louis. Ill. to St. Louis
Mo. To save this S. the Standard laid a
pipe line under the river and every car
OF oil bound westward would he pumped
out in East ST. Louis and pumped into
another car In St. Louis This IS a car
was that much off the ability OF the In
dependent dealer 90 live In competition
with the Standard"
Mr. Willhoyt said that while agent for
the Standard at Topeka he was instructed
10 watch all shipments OF oil 10 that point
and 70 ascertain the name of the shipper
and the point OF distribution.
How would you get information from
railroads as 10 your competitors ship
ments?" was a question put 10 him.
IT never went TO the railroad officials, -
replied the witness. II always got my in
formation from employees OF the railroad.
l was allowed IS month TO spend with
railroad employees in buying drinks ard
making myself a good fellow, and I was
permitted to give away oil and gasoline
TO railroad employees and report such gifts
as donations
THE 81 a month was sent me In a per-
sonal check. My instructions how 10 spend
the check never came by letter: they
were always given In person. I was also
instructed to promise the railroad em
ployes good positions with the STANDARD
Oil company was instructed 10 tel
them that a man could get a salary WITH
the Standard greater than the president
OF the United States received. This system
OF bribery was inaugurated by the Stand
ard oil company and has been I'm vogue
for years"
Willhoyt related that by keeping track
OF the shipments made by it's competitors
the Standard was enabled 20 know the
name OF every dealer who was buying oil
from independents
1t enabled me-" he added. Ito go 10
each OF my competitors and either tie
him up with a contract or cut the price
so that he lost money on the oil he re-
ceived from independent reiners."
Before he went 10 Topeka for the
Standard. Willhoyt said, he had been a
travelling agent for that company with
headquarters al Wichita. While he was at
Wichita an Independent I'm Pueblo. the
Rocky Mountain oil company. shipped a
carload Of oil TO a wholesale grocer in
Arkansas City. Ks.
'I was notified OF the number OF the
car" said Willhoyt. 'and was told TO go
there and tie up that grocer with a con-
tract 20 buy all his oil from us 20 main
tain our price in his territory This dealer
refused TO contract. although I offered
him oil for dollar barrel, or two cents
a gallon less than we were selling It IN
the open market
81 reported that 20 my superior officer
and he ordered me 10 go back and tie up
that dealer I'm contract no matter how
much OF a cut in price had TO make. Be
fore l returned the Rocky Mountain oil
company had failed in business"